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In South Australia you pay compulsory third party (CTP) insurance with your vehicle registration, and each time you renew you can choose from five approved insurers: AAMI, Allianz, NRMA, QBE and Youi. The Policy of Insurance is set by the CTP Insurance Regulator and is identical for every vehicle, so insurers compete on price, service and incentives.
South Australia's scheme is fault-based, with two important exceptions: children under 16 are covered even if they caused the crash, and the Lifetime Support Scheme can support the most seriously injured even when a CTP claim is not accepted. Here is how premiums are set, how to switch, and what the policy expects of you.
By Better Rate Mate Editorial Team ยท Last reviewed
| South Australia | |
|---|---|
| Name | CTP (compulsory third party) insurance |
| Regulator | CTP Insurance Regulator |
| Approved insurers | 5: AAMI, Allianz, NRMA, QBE and Youi |
| Can you choose? | Yes, every time you renew registration |
| How you pay | With your registration renewal, including by direct debit through mySAGOV |
| How the price is set | Community-rated by premium class and insurance district. The Regulator sets upper and lower limits at least yearly; each insurer sets its premium within them |
| Your renewal notice shows | Each insurer's premium and its claimant service rating |
| Fault basis | Fault-based. Children under 16 are covered even if they caused the accident |
| Most serious injuries | Lifetime Support Scheme: moderate to severe brain injury, spinal cord injury, severe burns, blindness, amputation |
| Check a vehicle's insurer | EzyReg, or the 'Your Details' section of your renewal notice |
To sell CTP in South Australia, an insurer applies to the CTP Insurance Regulator and must be approved by the Minister. Five have been approved: AAMI, Allianz, NRMA, QBE and Youi. Other insurers can apply, so the list can grow. Each one provides exactly the same Policy of Insurance, which the Regulator sets and insurers cannot change.
If you remember SGIC as an SA CTP insurer, it became NRMA Insurance in South Australia on 1 July 2022. Both brands belong to Insurance Australia Group, and SGIC claims are now managed by NRMA with nothing changing for the claimant.
South Australia uses community rating: owners of the same class of vehicle pay the same premium, based on the claims experience of that class, regardless of their individual driving history. Under the Compulsory Third Party Insurance Regulation Act 2016, premiums can be based on four things only: vehicle type, vehicle use, where the vehicle is garaged, and whether you are entitled to claim an input tax credit for the GST.
At least once a year the Regulator sets an upper and lower limit for each premium class, using independent actuarial advice on how many injury claims each class causes, what those claims cost, and economic factors such as wage inflation. Each insurer then chooses where to price within that band, and the Regulator only approves premiums inside it. Insurers can move their price within the band at any time, but a new premium only takes effect two months after approval, so the figure on your renewal notice holds. If you renew at a different time of year, your premium may be different for that reason.
The total CTP amount on your notice has four parts: the CTP Insurer Premium, the CTP Scheme Services fee (which funds government services such as road safety and hospital and emergency costs), stamp duty and GST. Stamp duty and GST are percentages, so an insurer with a higher premium also costs more in duty and GST.
| District | Where it applies |
|---|---|
| District 1 | Roughly metropolitan Adelaide and surrounding suburbs: postcodes 5000 to 5200 inclusive (except 5001, 5153, 5154 and 5157), plus 5231, 5232, 5240, 5242, 5245, 5250, 5251, 5501, 5942, 5950 and 5960 |
| District 2 | The rest of South Australia, plus named localities within postcodes 5118, 5120, 5172, 5174 and 5501 (for example Buckland Park and Sellicks Hill) |
You choose an insurer every time you renew. To help, your renewal notice compares each insurer's premium for your vehicle and shows its claimant service rating: a score out of 100 built from surveys of people who have made CTP claims with that insurer. It is one of the few places in Australia where you can see claims service next to the price at the moment you buy.
SA insurers can offer incentives, but only classes of incentive approved by the Minister, and only where they give the policyholder a direct benefit and real value without pushing premiums up. The approved types are:
CTP protects you from the financial impact of causing injury or death in a motor vehicle accident anywhere in Australia. People injured by an SA vehicle can generally claim if someone other than themselves was at least partly responsible and the accident happened less than three years ago.
It does not cover damage to vehicles or property, a driver who was entirely responsible for the accident, or accidents not caused by anyone's fault. The exception is children: anyone under 16 at the time is covered even if they caused the accident or no one did. That gap for adult at-fault drivers is why at-fault driver protection insurance appears on the list of approved incentives.
Bicycles, e-scooters and e-bikes are not motor vehicles, so an accident they cause is not covered by CTP. A cyclist or scooter rider hit by a car can still claim against the car's CTP insurer. See what CTP covers in each state.
CTP protects you only while you comply with the Policy of Insurance. If you breach it and cause an accident in which someone is injured or killed, your CTP insurer may recover the cost of the resulting claims from you personally. The Regulator's examples of breaches are:
People who suffer a moderate to severe brain injury, a spinal cord injury, severe burns, blindness or an amputation in a motor vehicle accident may be supported by the Lifetime Support Scheme, run by the Lifetime Support Authority. You may be eligible even if your CTP claim is not accepted, which matters in a fault-based state.
If anyone is injured or killed, report the accident to South Australia Police. If you caused it, complete an Accident Report Form and send it to your own CTP insurer. If you were injured, lodge an Injury Claim Form (online or on paper) with the at-fault vehicle's insurer, with a Medical Certificate from your doctor and the police report number. Claims involving an unregistered or unidentified vehicle go to the CTP Regulator.
Lodge as soon as you can. After six months you will need to explain the delay, and after three years a claim will generally not be accepted. The insurer contacts you within seven business days of receiving it. Our guide to CTP claims by state compares the steps.
Every state runs CTP differently. If you are moving or registering a car interstate, check the scheme you are moving into, or see the CTP comparison across all eight.
Injury and death caused by your SA-registered vehicle anywhere in Australia, when someone other than the injured person was at least partly at fault. It does not cover vehicle or property damage, or an adult driver who was entirely responsible for the accident. Children under 16 are covered even if they caused it.
All five sell exactly the same Policy of Insurance, so the choice comes down to price, service and incentives. Your renewal notice shows each insurer's premium for your vehicle and a claimant service rating out of 100, which is the best objective measure of service available.
It varies by premium class and insurance district, and insurers can reprice within the Regulator's limits during the year. Check the comparison on your renewal notice or the Regulator's CTP premium calculator at the time you renew. A brand new vehicle is automatically allocated to the insurer with the lowest premium for its type.
Yes. QBE is one of the five approved SA CTP insurers, alongside AAMI, Allianz, NRMA and Youi.
You pay it at the same time as your registration, and the renewal notice sets out the CTP premium separately from the other registration charges. Proof of registration is also proof of CTP.
SGIC became NRMA Insurance in South Australia on 1 July 2022. Both brands are part of IAG, and claims SGIC managed are now managed by NRMA.
