CTP insurance in Western Australia: Motor Injury Insurance
In Western Australia, compulsory third party insurance is part of Motor Injury Insurance, which you pay with your vehicle licence (registration) through the Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure (DTMI). It is provided by the Insurance Commission of Western Australia (ICWA), so there is no insurer to choose and no price to compare.
Your registration buys two things: Compulsory Third Party cover, which is fault-based, and the Catastrophic Injuries Support Scheme, which is no-fault but only for catastrophic injuries. Between them is the gap WA drivers most need to know about: if you cause a crash and your injuries are not catastrophic, your own injuries are not covered.
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General advice only. It doesn't consider your circumstances. Read the PDS and TMD before you decide.
| Western Australia | |
|---|---|
| Name | Motor Injury Insurance: Compulsory Third Party plus the Catastrophic Injuries Support Scheme |
| Provider | Insurance Commission of Western Australia (ICWA) |
| Can you choose an insurer? | No |
| How you pay | With your vehicle licence (registration), through the Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure (DTMI) |
| Fault basis (CTP) | Fault-based: a driver of a WA-registered vehicle must be completely or partly at fault |
| Catastrophic injuries | No-fault treatment, care and support through the Catastrophic Injuries Support Scheme, for crashes in WA on or after 1 July 2016 |
| Not covered | Vehicle and property damage; non-catastrophic injuries where no other driver was negligent |
| Crash reporting | Injury and fatal crashes must be reported to ICWA and WA Police online |
| Legislation | Motor Vehicle (Third Party Insurance) Act 1943 |
What your WA registration buys
When you pay your car registration (called a vehicle licence in WA), you also pay for Motor Injury Insurance. ICWA's policy page describes two parts: Compulsory Third Party insurance and the Catastrophic Injuries Support Scheme. ICWA publishes a premium schedule setting out what you are required to pay, and your renewal shows the Motor Injury Insurance amount separately.
Registration and Motor Injury Insurance must be current whenever you or anyone else drives the car. To pay or renew, you go to DTMI (formerly the Department of Transport), not the Insurance Commission.
What Compulsory Third Party covers in WA
The policy protects you against liability for the cost of injury and death caused to other people anywhere in Australia by any driver of your registered vehicle. It pays for the injured person's:
- pain and suffering
- past and future economic loss
- claims management expenses
- care and support, including medical treatment and rehabilitation.
The Catastrophic Injuries Support Scheme
The second part of your policy covers the necessary and reasonable care and support, including treatment and rehabilitation, of people catastrophically injured in a motor vehicle crash in Western Australia. It is no-fault. It covers you as the driver if you are catastrophically injured and no other driver was negligent, and it covers anyone else catastrophically injured where no driver was negligent. If another driver was at fault, their CTP responds instead.
The scheme applies to motor vehicle crashes in WA on or after 1 July 2016 (and, since 1 July 2024, to catastrophic workplace injuries). In some cases support continues for life.
Who can claim, and who cannot
ICWA says you can claim for support if you were a driver and the other vehicle's driver caused the crash, or if you were a passenger, pedestrian, cyclist or scooter rider and the driver was at fault. The at-fault vehicle has to be registered in Western Australia. You may not be able to claim if:
- you were totally at fault
- a pedestrian, cyclist or scooter rider caused the accident
- the at-fault driver's vehicle was licensed in another state or territory (the claim then goes to that vehicle's own scheme).
Partly at fault? Your claim can be reduced
If you were partly responsible you may still claim, but the support or compensation can be reduced. ICWA's examples: not wearing a seatbelt, driving under the influence, travelling with a driver you knew was under the influence, driving at an unsafe speed, and not wearing a helmet on a motorcycle or bicycle. If the at-fault vehicle is unidentified or unlicensed, you may still be able to claim.
Keeping your policy valid
ICWA lists conditions for the policy to be valid. Breaching them puts your cover at risk:
- your registration must be paid
- all crashes causing injury or death must be reported to ICWA and WA Police online
- the vehicle must not be used for a purpose other than the one stated in the vehicle licence application
- no one may drive it in an unsafe or damaged condition, under the influence of alcohol or illicit drugs, or without the appropriate licence.
How to make a claim
Get treatment straight away; you do not need to report the crash first. Then gather the details (time, date, what happened, names and addresses of drivers, injured people and witnesses, photos or dash cam footage) and report the crash online. ICWA says the form takes about 40 minutes, is easier on a laptop and cannot be saved part-way.
Once it is assessed, you receive a treatment number and a digital claiming card, so providers can be paid directly. Anyone else injured in the crash, including child passengers through a parent or guardian, must lodge their own injury notification. When the claim is finalised you may need to repay Medicare for benefits it paid. See CTP claims by state to compare.
Vehicle classes, and cars used for rideshare
There is no premium to shop around for, but the class your vehicle is in sets what you pay. ICWA publishes a premium for each class, and DTMI lists the current amounts on its Motor Injury Insurance page; the 2026-27 premiums apply to policies starting on or after 1 July 2026. A private car is in a different class from a motorcycle, a bus or a vehicle carrying paying passengers.
If you drive for a rideshare service, the class matters. DTMI says every rideshare driver, vehicle and booking service must be authorised, and that a passenger transport vehicle needs valid registration, a passed roadworthiness inspection and the correct Motor Injury Insurance class. Its class 3(f) covers any motor vehicle used as a passenger transport vehicle for hire or reward that is not in classes 3(a) to 3(e). Tell your car insurer too: a private car policy may not cover that use.
Filling the gaps
Because WA's CTP is fault-based, a driver who causes a crash, or who crashes alone, has no CTP cover for non-catastrophic injuries. Private health insurance, income protection and personal accident cover are the usual ways to fill that gap. And like every CTP scheme, it never pays for vehicle damage: see car insurance in WA for cover that does.
CTP in other states and territories
Every state runs CTP differently. If you are moving or registering a car interstate, check the scheme you are moving into, or see how CTP works in every state.
What to watch for
- Your own non-catastrophic injuries are not covered if you caused the crash or no other driver was negligent.
- Report every crash involving injury or death online to ICWA and WA Police. It is a condition of the policy.
- Using the vehicle for a purpose not declared on the licence application can put the cover at risk.
- If the at-fault vehicle is registered interstate, your claim goes to that state's insurer, not ICWA.
- Motor Injury Insurance never covers damage to vehicles or property.
Common questions
Is CTP included in rego in WA?
Yes. When you pay your vehicle licence (registration), you also pay Motor Injury Insurance, which includes Compulsory Third Party cover and the Catastrophic Injuries Support Scheme.
What is Motor Injury Insurance?
It is WA's compulsory injury cover. When you pay your vehicle licence (registration), you also pay Motor Injury Insurance, which ICWA describes in two parts: Compulsory Third Party insurance, which covers injuries and deaths you cause to other people, and the Catastrophic Injuries Support Scheme, which provides no-fault care for people catastrophically injured in WA crashes. It does not cover damage to vehicles or property.
Is third party insurance compulsory in WA?
Compulsory third party cover is, as part of Motor Injury Insurance, which comes with your vehicle licence. Third party property damage, which pays for damage you cause to other people's cars and property, is optional: see third party car insurance.
Can I choose my CTP insurer in WA?
No. Motor Injury Insurance is provided by the Insurance Commission of Western Australia, and there is no alternative insurer to choose.
Does WA CTP cover me if I cause a crash?
Not for non-catastrophic injuries. CTP covers the people you injure. If you are catastrophically injured and no other driver was negligent, the Catastrophic Injuries Support Scheme covers your care and support.
What does CTP not cover in WA?
Damage to vehicles or other property, and non-catastrophic injuries in crashes where no other driver was negligent, including single-vehicle crashes.
Who provides CTP insurance in WA?
The Insurance Commission of Western Australia (ICWA). You pay it through the Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure (DTMI) with your registration.
What is the difference between CTP insurance and comprehensive car insurance?
CTP, which in WA is part of Motor Injury Insurance, covers injuries to people and comes with your registration. Comprehensive car insurance is optional and covers damage to your own car and to other people's cars and property, including theft, fire and weather. One does not replace the other: see comprehensive car insurance.
How can I make CTP cheaper in WA?
There is no cheaper Motor Injury Insurance to shop for. The Insurance Commission of Western Australia is the only provider and publishes one premium for each vehicle class, which you pay with your vehicle licence, so what you pay depends on the vehicle's class. Check that the class on your licence renewal matches how the vehicle is used.
Why is my CTP insurance so expensive in WA?
You cannot shop around for it. Motor Injury Insurance comes only from the Insurance Commission of Western Australia, which publishes a premium for each class of vehicle, and you pay it with your vehicle licence. The 2026-27 premiums apply to policies starting on or after 1 July 2026, and DTMI lists the current amount for each class.
Can I claim through ICWA if the at-fault car was from another state?
Generally not. ICWA says the at-fault vehicle must be registered in Western Australia. If it was licensed interstate, the claim is made against that vehicle's CTP insurer or scheme.