Compulsory third party (CTP) insurance: how it works in every state
Compulsory third party (CTP) insurance is mandatory for every registered vehicle in Australia and pays for people killed or injured in a crash involving it. It is tied to registration, and it never pays for damage to cars or property. In New South Wales it is called a Green Slip.
Beyond that, the eight states and territories run it eight different ways. In four you choose your insurer and can compare prices; in the other four a government body provides it and there is nothing to shop for. Some schemes cover the driver who caused the crash and some do not. This page sets them side by side and links to a full guide for each.
By Better Rate Mate Editorial Team · Last reviewed
What CTP insurance is, and what it is not
CTP is personal injury insurance attached to a vehicle's registration. If your vehicle injures or kills someone, it pays for their treatment, rehabilitation, lost income and compensation, and it protects you and the driver from being personally sued for those costs. Depending on the state, it can also pay for the injuries of the driver who caused the crash. Because the cover is set by each state's law, it is compulsory, the same for everyone in that state, and cannot be opted out of.
What it never does is pay for damage. A CTP policy or Green Slip does not cover repairs to your car, the car you hit, a fence, a shopfront or anything inside either vehicle, and it does not cover theft, fire, hail or flood. That is the single most expensive misunderstanding in Australian motoring: plenty of drivers assume a registered car is an insured car and find out otherwise after a crash. Property damage needs a separate policy, at minimum third party property damage, or comprehensive car insurance to cover your own car too.
For a fuller breakdown of who is covered in each state, including passengers, pedestrians, cyclists and at-fault drivers, see what CTP insurance covers.
CTP in every state and territory
The table below summarises each scheme. The names differ, who provides the cover differs, and the treatment of the driver who caused the crash differs most of all.
| State | What it is called | Provider or regulator | Choose your insurer? | How you pay | Driver who caused the crash |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | Green Slip | SIRA regulates 6 licensed insurers | Yes | Buy from the insurer before registering | Up to 52 weeks of benefits |
| VIC | TAC charge | Transport Accident Commission | No | Included in registration | Covered: no-fault scheme |
| QLD | CTP insurance | MAIC regulates 3 licensed insurers | Yes | Included in registration; nominate the insurer | Not covered if totally at fault |
| SA | CTP insurance | CTP Insurance Regulator; 5 approved insurers | Yes | Included in registration; choose at each renewal | Not covered if entirely responsible (under-16s are) |
| WA | Motor Injury Insurance | Insurance Commission of WA | No | Included in vehicle licence (registration) | Catastrophic injuries only |
| TAS | MAIB premium | Motor Accidents Insurance Board | No | Included in registration | No-fault benefits |
| ACT | MAI insurance | MAI Commission regulates 4 licensed insurers | Yes | Included in registration; choose each time | Up to 5 years of defined benefits |
| NT | MAC Scheme | Motor Accidents Compensation Commission; TIO manages claims | No | Part of registration charges | No-fault benefits, subject to exclusions |
CTP guides for each state and territory
Each page sets out the scheme's rules from the regulator's own site: who provides the cover, how the price is set, what is and is not covered, and how to claim.
CTP in each state, in brief
Two sentences on each scheme, with a link to the full guide for that state or territory.
CTP in NSW: the Green Slip
You buy a Green Slip from one of six insurers licensed by SIRA before you register, and each prices your own details, so quotes differ widely. SIRA's free Price Check shows all six: see how to compare Green Slips in NSW.
CTP in Victoria: the TAC charge
The Transport Accident Commission's charge is part of your registration, so there is no insurer to choose. It depends on the vehicle and the risk zone of your postcode: see the TAC charge in Victoria.
CTP in Queensland: nominate one of three insurers
CTP is paid with your registration to the insurer you nominate: Suncorp, Allianz or QBE. Premiums are set by vehicle class, not by driver: see Queensland CTP prices and insurers.
CTP in South Australia: choose at every renewal
You choose one of five approved insurers each time you renew your registration, and the renewal notice shows each one's premium and claimant service rating. See compare SA CTP insurers.
CTP in Western Australia: Motor Injury Insurance
Motor Injury Insurance from the Insurance Commission of Western Australia is paid with your vehicle licence, so there is nothing to compare. It is fault-based, with a separate scheme for catastrophic injuries: see Motor Injury Insurance in WA.
CTP in Tasmania: the MAIB premium
The Motor Accidents Insurance Board's premium comes with your registration and pays no-fault benefits. There is no insurer to choose: see MAIB cover in Tasmania.
CTP in the ACT: MAI insurance
Motor Accident Injuries insurance replaced CTP in 2020; you choose one of four insurers when you register, and everyone injured gets up to five years of defined benefits. See MAI insurance in the ACT.
CTP in the Northern Territory: the MAC Scheme
The Motor Accidents Compensation Scheme is funded through your registration charges and pays no-fault benefits, subject to exclusions. There is no insurer to choose: see the MAC Scheme in the NT.
Where you can choose your CTP insurer
Four jurisdictions let you pick a privately owned insurer: New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and the ACT. In all four, every licensed insurer sells an identical, legislated policy. You are not choosing better or worse cover, only the price, how claims against your policy are handled and any extras offered alongside.
How much the choice is worth depends on how prices are set. In NSW each insurer rates you individually, so quotes can vary widely from one driver to the next. In Queensland, South Australia and the ACT, premiums are community-rated: everyone with the same class of vehicle pays the same price to a given insurer, so the only comparison is between insurers.
| State | Insurers | Where to compare | When you can switch |
|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | AAMI, Allianz, GIO, NRMA, QBE, Youi | SIRA's Green Slip Price Check. Our guide: compare Green Slips in NSW | Every time you buy a Green Slip |
| QLD | Suncorp, Allianz, QBE | MAIC's Compare pricing tool. Our guide: compare Queensland CTP insurers | Nominate any time; applies from the next renewal if DTMR has it by the expiry date |
| SA | AAMI, Allianz, NRMA, QBE, Youi | Your renewal notice (premiums and claimant service ratings) and the Regulator's CTP premium calculator. Our guide: compare SA CTP insurers | At every renewal; new vehicles within 3 months |
| ACT | AAMI, APIA, GIO, NRMA | Each insurer's premium schedule, published by the MAI Commission; Access Canberra. Our guide: MAI insurance in the ACT | Each time you buy MAI insurance |
Where there is nothing to choose
In Victoria, Western Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory, one government body provides the cover and the charge comes with your registration: the TAC charge in Victoria, Motor Injury Insurance in WA, MAIB cover in Tasmania and the MAC Scheme in the NT. There is no insurer to compare, so any page promising to find you a cheaper CTP policy in these states is offering nothing real.
What you can influence is small but worth knowing. Victorian pensioners may be eligible for a 50% discount on the TAC charge and eligible apprentices for 100%. Victoria's charge also depends on the risk zone of the postcode where the car is kept. Tasmania lets you pay the MAIB premium annually, six-monthly or quarterly.
No-fault or fault-based: who is covered if you cause the crash
This is the difference that matters most after an accident, and the one most people have never checked. In a fault-based scheme, CTP pays the people you injure, but if you caused the crash, or crashed with no one else at fault, it pays nothing for your own injuries. Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia work this way. Each has a separate no-fault scheme for the most catastrophic injuries: the National Injury Insurance Scheme Queensland, South Australia's Lifetime Support Scheme and WA's Catastrophic Injuries Support Scheme.
The other five pay at least some benefits to an at-fault driver. Victoria's TAC and Tasmania's MAIB pay no-fault benefits, as does the Northern Territory's MAC Scheme, subject to its exclusions. The ACT's MAI Scheme gives everyone up to five years of treatment, care and income benefits. NSW gives an at-fault driver up to 52 weeks.
If you live in a fault-based state, the practical step is to check what else would cover you: private health insurance, income protection or personal accident cover. In South Australia, at-fault driver protection insurance is one of the incentives CTP insurers are allowed to offer.
Who has the cheapest CTP insurance?
No insurer is cheapest everywhere. In NSW it depends on your own details, so run SIRA's Green Slip Price Check; in Queensland, South Australia and the ACT it depends on your vehicle class and each insurer's current premium, which MAIC's Compare pricing tool, the SA Regulator's premium calculator and the ACT MAI Commission's premium schedules show. Victoria, Western Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory have a single provider, so there is nothing to compare.
Where a government publishes the figure, we show it with its date. In Queensland, for example, the CTP on a 12-month private registration for a car ranged from $411.80 to $427.80 across the three insurers as at 1 October 2026. In NSW, our guide to the cheapest Green Slip in NSW explains how to find yours.
How CTP prices are set
Among the four choice states, only NSW prices CTP on the individual. SIRA explains that insurers start from a base cost and adjust it for rating factors such as age, driving history, demerit points, claims history, vehicle age and where the car is parked, plus a Fund Levy set by SIRA. That is why a Green Slip quote for a young driver can differ so much between insurers, and why comparing is worth the most in NSW.
Queensland, South Australia and the ACT use community rating by vehicle class, with the regulator setting limits (a quarterly floor and ceiling in Queensland, yearly upper and lower limits in South Australia) or regulating premiums (the ACT). South Australia also has two insurance districts, metropolitan Adelaide and the rest of the state. In the single-provider states the charge is set centrally and published in a schedule by vehicle class. Victoria's TAC charge depends on vehicle class, postcode risk zone and discounts, and is indexed to CPI every 1 July.
Because of all this, we only show a CTP price where a regulator or state government publishes one, with its date, such as Queensland's class 1 range on our Queensland CTP page. In most states prices change every quarter or every year, and in NSW they are individual, so the official tools linked on each state page show the live figures.
How to compare CTP prices in your state
If you live in a state where you choose your insurer, a few minutes of comparison is worthwhile. Each state has an official comparison that covers every licensed insurer, which no commercial site can promise:
- New South Wales: SIRA's Green Slip Price Check shows a quote from every licensed insurer for most vehicle types, priced on your own details. Our guides explain how to compare Green Slips in NSW and find the cheapest Green Slip in NSW.
- Queensland: MAIC's Compare pricing tool shows what each insurer charges for your vehicle class. Insurers reset their premiums every quarter. See compare Queensland CTP insurers.
- South Australia: your renewal notice lists each insurer's premium and claimant service rating, and the Regulator has a CTP premium calculator. See compare SA CTP insurers.
- ACT: the MAI Commission publishes each insurer's current premium schedule. See MAI insurance in the ACT.
Getting a like-for-like CTP comparison
Whichever state you are in, the same rules make the comparison fair:
- Compare like with like: the same vehicle class, the same term and, in NSW, the same (accurate) driver details. Understating your details to get a lower quote can cost you an adjustment charge and your registration.
- Look at claims service as well as price. SIRA publishes a regular comparison of insurers' claims experience and customer feedback, and SA renewal notices show each insurer's claimant service rating.
- Treat incentives as a tie-breaker, not a reason to pay noticeably more.
- Switch at the right time. In Queensland the change has to reach DTMR by the expiry date on your renewal notice. In NSW, see how to find the cheapest Green Slip in NSW.
CTP when you drive or move interstate
Your CTP travels with the vehicle. The regulators in Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and the ACT all state that their policy covers injuries your vehicle causes to other people anywhere in Australia. Your own injuries in an interstate crash, though, generally fall under the scheme where the crash happened, which may be less generous than home, particularly if the local scheme is fault-based and you were at fault.
If someone from another state injures you, you usually follow the local claims process, but the claim is managed by the insurer or scheme where the at-fault vehicle is registered. When you register your car in a new state, you move into that state's scheme, so check the rules for your new home before your first renewal.
CTP, registration and claims
NSW is the only state where CTP is a separate purchase you make before registration; everywhere else it is paid with the registration itself. Our guide to Green Slips and rego covers the order of steps in each state, including what happens when registration lapses.
Claim deadlines vary a lot. NSW asks for a claim within 3 months (and within 28 days if you want lost income back-paid to the crash date), the ACT within 13 weeks, and Victoria and Tasmania within 12 months, while Queensland's notice is due within 9 months of the accident or 1 month after you first see a lawyer, whichever comes first. Our guide to CTP claims by state sets out every deadline and the steps to take after an accident.
What to watch for
- CTP never pays for damage to any car, including yours. A registered car is not an insured car.
- In Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia, CTP does not cover your own injuries if you caused the crash.
- A cheaper Green Slip or CTP policy is not thinner cover. In every choice state the policy is set by law and identical across insurers.
- Only four jurisdictions let you choose an insurer. In the other four there is nothing to compare.
- Scheme rules and insurer lists change. Each state page lists the regulator source and the date we last checked it.
Common questions
What is CTP insurance?
Compulsory third party insurance. It pays for injuries to people caused by your vehicle (drivers, passengers, pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists) and protects you from being personally liable for those costs. Every registered vehicle in Australia must have it. It never covers damage to vehicles or property.
Is CTP compulsory in every state?
Yes. Every state and territory ties compulsory injury cover to vehicle registration, though the names differ: a Green Slip in NSW, the TAC charge in Victoria, CTP in Queensland and South Australia, Motor Injury Insurance in WA, the MAIB premium in Tasmania, MAI insurance in the ACT and the MAC Scheme in the NT. Only in NSW do you buy it separately before registering.
Is a Green Slip the same as CTP?
Yes. Green Slip is the NSW name for CTP insurance. You buy it from one of six licensed insurers before registering a vehicle in NSW. See Green Slips in NSW.
Is CTP always the same price?
No. In NSW each insurer prices a Green Slip on rating factors such as the driver's age, driving record and where the car is kept. Queensland, South Australia and the ACT use community rating: everyone with the same class of vehicle pays the same premium to a given insurer, but premiums differ between insurers. In the other four states and territories the charge is set centrally by vehicle class, and in Victoria it also depends on the risk zone of your postcode.
How much is CTP in QLD?
For a car (class 1) on a 12-month private registration, between $411.80 and $427.80 as at 1 October 2026, depending on which of the three insurers you nominate; the amount includes levies and a DTMR administration fee. Other vehicle classes differ, and MAIC's Compare pricing tool shows the current premiums: see CTP insurance in Queensland.
Is CTP insurance compulsory in QLD?
Yes. CTP is part of the cost of registering a vehicle in Queensland, and you nominate one of three licensed insurers to provide it: compare Queensland CTP insurers.
What does CTP insurance cover in SA?
Injuries and deaths caused by your SA-registered vehicle anywhere in Australia, where someone other than the injured person was at least partly at fault. It never covers damage to vehicles or property. See CTP insurance in South Australia.
Does CTP cover damage to my car?
No. CTP covers injury and death only. Damage to your car, another car or any property needs separate insurance: third party property damage at minimum, or comprehensive cover.
Is CTP insurance the same as rego insurance?
CTP is the injury insurance that comes with registration. Outside NSW it is paid in the same bill as rego, which is why people call it rego insurance. In NSW you buy it separately, as a Green Slip, before you renew. Neither rego nor CTP pays for damage to cars.
Is CTP included in rego?
Everywhere except NSW, yes: CTP is paid with your registration. In NSW you buy the Green Slip separately from an insurer before registering, and the insurer notifies Transport for NSW.
Can I choose my CTP insurer?
In NSW, Queensland, South Australia and the ACT, yes. In Victoria, Western Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory, a single government body provides the cover and there is no choice.
Are all CTP policies the same?
Within a state, yes. The policy is set by legislation and identical across licensed insurers. Prices, claims service and any incentives differ, which is why comparing is worthwhile in the four choice states.
Which CTP insurer is best?
Because the cover is identical, the best insurer is usually the cheapest one for your vehicle, weighed against its claims service. SIRA publishes insurer claims and feedback comparisons for NSW, and SA renewal notices show a claimant service rating for each insurer.
Does CTP cover other drivers?
CTP covers other people your vehicle injures, including other drivers. Whether it covers the driver who caused the crash depends on the state: no in Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia (except catastrophic injuries in WA), and to varying degrees in NSW, Victoria, Tasmania, the ACT and the Northern Territory.
Does comprehensive car insurance include CTP?
No. Comprehensive covers damage and CTP covers injuries, so you need CTP to register whatever else you hold; see comprehensive car insurance.
Can I drive without CTP?
No. CTP is required to register a vehicle, and driving an unregistered, uninsured vehicle can bring heavy penalties. If you injure someone without CTP, you may have to pay their medical and compensation costs yourself.
