Stamp duty on a used Tesla: NSW, VIC, QLD, WA

Last checked: 14 October 2026. Duty rates and fees change, so confirm them with the state before you pay.

A used Tesla crossing a state border is two transactions: the car, and the registration. Classifieds often quote the asking price and forget the rest. The registration side is where stamp duty (motor vehicle duty) and the transfer fee land, and every state works them out differently.

Do not copy another state’s number

Stamp duty, transfer fees, and EV concessions are state rules. They change. Treat the figures below as a worked example, not a calculator, and run the state’s own calculator on the car you are actually buying.

NSW, VIC, QLD, WA, SA, TAS, ACT, NT each publish their own duty pages. This guide covers the four states where most used Teslas change hands. For South Australia, the ACT and Tasmania, read our stamp duty guide for SA, ACT and Tasmania.
Duty is paid in the state where the car is registered to you, not where the seller lives.
The EV discount a seller remembers may be gone. In NSW it ended on 31 December 2023.

Duty on a $40,000 used Tesla

State	Rate for an EV at this price	Duty on $40,000
NSW	$3 per $100 (up to $44,999)	about $1,200
VIC	Green passenger car: $8.40 per $200	about $1,680
QLD	Hybrid or electric: $2 per $100 (up to $100,000)	about $800
WA	Sliding rate: 5.00% at $40,000	about $2,000

Duty only. The transfer fee and any inspection come on top. On the same car, the gap between Queensland and Western Australia is about $1,200.

New South Wales

Revenue NSW charges $3 for every $100 of value up to $44,999. From $45,000 it is $1,350 plus $5 for every $100 above that, so a pricier Model Y or a Model S climbs quickly. For a used car, duty is worked out on the sale price or the market value, whichever is higher.

There is no EV duty discount any more. The NSW exemption and $3,000 rebate for electric vehicles ended on 31 December 2023, and cars bought from 1 January 2024 pay standard duty. Older pages and forum threads still mention the exemption. Go by Revenue NSW’s end-of-exemption notice.

Transfer the registration with Service NSW within 14 days of buying to avoid a late transfer fee. Service NSW shows the transfer fee and duty when you transfer. If the car has current NSW registration, you do not need a pink slip to transfer it.

Check: Revenue NSW motor vehicle duty, end of the NSW EV duty exemption, Service NSW transfer.

Victoria

An EV has zero tailpipe CO2, so Victoria treats it as a green passenger car: $8.40 per $200 (or part of $200) at any value, on the State Revenue Office rates from 1 July 2026. The green rate applies automatically. Below $80,809 it matches the standard passenger-car rate. Above that, the standard rate steps up and the green rate does not, which helps on a Model S, a Model X or a well-specced Model Y.

Duty is charged on the higher of the purchase price and the market value at transfer, so a “mate’s rate” price does not lower it.

For the transfer fee, SRO’s 2026–27 drive-away tables use $47.50 for a used green car. Take that as an example and check the amount VicRoads charges when you transfer.

Check: SRO motor vehicle duty rates, SRO drive-away deals 2026–27.

Queensland

Queensland charges hybrid and electric light vehicles $2 for every $100 (or part of $100) up to $100,000, and $4 per $100 above that. That is the lowest of the four states for a typical used Model 3 or Model Y. Duty is on the vehicle’s dutiable value, and the rates page explains how that is set for a used car.

Transfer the registration into your name within 14 days of buying. We have not quoted Queensland’s transfer fee here. Check it on the Queensland Government registration costs page when you transfer.

Check: Queensland vehicle registration duty rates, registration costs, registration transfer.

Western Australia

WA’s vehicle licence duty on a car (4.5 tonnes or less) slides with the price:

Up to $25,000: 2.75%.
$25,000 to $50,000: R%, where R = 2.75 + ((value − 25,000) ÷ 6,666.66), rounded to two decimal places.
Over $50,000: 6.5%.

At $40,000, R = 2.75 + (15,000 ÷ 6,666.66) = 5.00%, which is about $2,000. In that middle band, every extra $1,000 on the price adds about 0.15 percentage points to the rate, so haggling saves more than it looks like.

Transport WA also charges a $20.50 vehicle transfer fee.

Check: WA vehicle licence duty, Transport WA duty calculator and transfer fee.

Other costs to budget for

These are examples, so check each one with your state:

Transfer fee. The examples above are VIC $47.50 and WA $20.50. For NSW and QLD, check Service NSW and the Queensland Government pages.
Roadworthy or safety certificate, where your state requires one for the transfer.
A PPSR search on the VIN at ppsr.gov.au.
Registration, if the car is not currently registered or you are moving it to your home state.

Buying across a border

Register the car in the state you live in. A car advertised in Sydney and driven home to Brisbane still has to be registered in Queensland, so use your home state’s rate in your budget, plus whatever inspection it needs for an interstate car. Compare asking prices on used Teslas for sale in the listing city before you add your own state’s duty.

What to ask the seller

Is the car currently registered, and in which state?
Are there any finance or PPSR interests?
Will they sign the transfer the same day as payment?
Is the VIN on the compliance plate the same as the app?

Before you pay

Run a PPSR search on the VIN, on the day you pay.
Put the real price and an honest market value on the transfer form. NSW and VIC charge duty on market value when it is higher than the price, and NSW can charge penalty tax of up to 90% of any duty you underpay.
Sign the transfer the same day as payment.
Add the car in the Tesla app and check which software package it actually has. Our used Tesla inspection guide covers what else to look at.
Pay through a method you can reverse if the transfer stalls. ev4sale.au’s $400 listing fee or $499/mo dealer plan is the seller’s cost to publish, not an escrow for the car. The vehicle sale is between you and the seller.

Selling instead? Read how to sell a used Tesla in Australia.

After you buy

Add the car in the Tesla app with the new Tesla Account. Book a service appointment if the previous owner skipped the cabin filter and 12V. Update Supercharger payment. None of that is the classifieds site’s job, and it is the difference between a car you like and a car that is actually yours.

See used Teslas

Model 3 in Sydney, Model Y in Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, used Tesla prices and all cars for sale.