Pink Slip vs Blue Slip vs Green Slip vs Pre-Purchase Inspection (NSW)
Pink slip, blue slip, green slip or pre-purchase inspection? What each NSW check covers, what it misses, and which one you need before buying a used car.
In NSW, a pink slip is a yearly safety check that most light vehicles over five years old need to renew registration. A blue slip (now called an AUVIS inspection) checks an unregistered vehicle's safety and identity. A green slip is CTP injury insurance, not an inspection. A pre-purchase inspection is a buyer's mechanical condition report. Only the last one is built to tell you what you're buying.
The four NSW "slips" at a glance
| Pink slip (safety check) | Blue slip (AUVIS inspection) | Green slip (CTP) | Pre-purchase inspection | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Safety inspection report for registration renewal | Safety, design and identity inspection for an unregistered vehicle | Compulsory Third Party personal injury insurance | Independent condition report for a buyer |
| Who needs it | Most light vehicles more than 5 years old, yearly | Vehicles with registration expired over 3 months, interstate or imported vehicles, and some others | Needed to register a vehicle in NSW (Service NSW notes trailers don't need it) | Nobody legally. It's your choice before you buy |
| Who does it | An Authorised Inspection Scheme (AIS) station | An Authorised Unregistered Vehicle Inspection Station | A licensed CTP insurer | An independent inspector (like us) |
| Valid for | 6 months | 42 days | The policy term | The day of the inspection |
| Checks the engine and gearbox's condition? | No. It checks safety items against a standard | No. Safety, design and identity | No. It's insurance | Yes, depending on the package |
| Checks finance owing? | No | No | No | Yes, with a PPSR check (Comprehensive, Ute, Van & Light Truck and Elite) |
Sources for the table: NSW Government safety checks page, Service NSW, SIRA. Links are in each section below.
A pink slip says the car met a safety standard on the day. It doesn't say whether the gearbox is on its way out. Our Comprehensive Inspection ($329) covers the 150+ Point Checklist, a full OBD-II scan, a full mechanical inspection, underbody photos (undertray removed where fitted, safe and permitted), exterior paint and body repair indicators, a 6–10 km road test and a PPSR check, with an on-site report. Elite Buyers' Protection ($449) adds a senior inspector, a cold-start engine assessment when the seller leaves the engine cold, a paint thickness gauge on every panel, on-site negotiation and up to $3,000 cover for 30 days or 1,000 km, whichever comes first, from inspection (Terms apply). We come to the car, 7 days. No travel charges, the quoted price is the price, in every region we cover. Afterpay available. Book an inspection → or call 02 8320 1246
Comprehensive
$329Save $33$296with code SAVE10
Afterpayor 4 interest-free payments of A$74.00Elite Buyers' Protection
$449Afterpayor 4 interest-free payments of A$112.25
What is a pink slip in NSW?
A pink slip is the common name for a safety inspection report. Service NSW says it "verifies your vehicle is safe and ready for the road", and that most light vehicles more than 5 years old need one before they can be registered (Service NSW).
Key NSW rules:
Who needs one. Most light vehicles more than 5 years old need a yearly safety inspection report. The 5-year exemption is calculated from the month and year on the compliance plate, or the build date for imported vehicles (NSW Government).
Who can issue one. Only an Authorised Inspection Scheme (AIS) station can do a safety check. Once the vehicle passes, the inspection details are sent to Transport for NSW electronically (NSW Government). That's why you'll also hear it called an e-Safety check: Transport for NSW's own form refers to a current "e-Safety Inspection report" (Transport for NSW).
How long it's valid. NSW reports are valid for 6 months, excluding public passenger vehicles, and must be used to renew registration within that time (NSW Government).
If it fails. You need to make the repairs before you can renew. If you complete them within 14 days and go back to the same AIS station, no extra inspection fee applies (NSW Government).
What does a pink slip actually check?
Transport for NSW publishes the Light Vehicle Safety Check Standards that AIS examiners work to. They cover items such as the brake controls and visible brake components, wheels and tyres (including a minimum 1.5 mm tread depth), doors, locks and latches, the windscreen and window tint, structural rust in members such as subframes, floor panels and sills, seats and seatbelts, and lights and reflectors (Transport for NSW, Light Vehicle Safety Check Standards). Many of those rules start with "visually inspect" or "check the operation of".
That's a minimum safety standard. It's a pass or fail against a list of safety items on the day. It is not a mechanical condition report.
What a pink slip doesn't tell a buyer
Whether the engine is worn, burning oil or has a timing chain on the way out.
Whether the automatic, CVT or dual-clutch gearbox is healthy.
Whether there are stored fault codes in the engine, transmission or other modules.
Whether the car has been in a crash and repaired, unless the damage fails a safety item.
Whether there's money owing on it, or it's been written off or stolen. That's a PPSR question.
What it's likely to cost you in repairs over the next year.
The NSW Government also warned in October 2026 that some operators have been illegally issuing pink and blue slips without inspecting the vehicle at all (NSW Government). One more reason not to treat a pink slip in the glovebox as proof of condition.
What is a blue slip?
A blue slip is the old name for an AUVIS inspection (Authorised Unregistered Vehicle Inspection Scheme). The NSW Government says it "ensures vehicles meet safety requirements and design and identity standards" and notes it was "previously known as a blue slip" (NSW Government).
You need one when, for example:
the registration has been expired for more than 3 months,
the vehicle was brought in from another state, territory or country,
it has no number plate, or
it's a written-off vehicle approved for re-registration.
An AUVIS report is valid for 42 days from the date of inspection (NSW Government).
For buyers: Service NSW says if you buy a vehicle whose registration expired more than 3 months ago, the registration is automatically cancelled and you'll need to re-register it with CTP insurance and a blue slip (Service NSW). Factor that cost and hassle into your offer.
Like a pink slip, a blue slip is about safety, design and identity. It doesn't assess mechanical wear.
What is a green slip?
A green slip isn't an inspection at all. It's Compulsory Third Party (CTP) insurance. SIRA says you must buy a CTP policy before you can register any vehicle in NSW, and that it protects drivers from liability if they cause injury or death to others in a motor crash. SIRA also says green slips "do not cover the cost of repairing or replacing your vehicle" or other property (SIRA).
For buyers: a free Service NSW registration check shows the CTP insurer and policy expiry date (Service NSW). It tells you nothing about the car's condition.
What is a pre-purchase inspection?
A pre-purchase inspection is an independent check done for you, the buyer, before you pay. It's not a government requirement and it can't be used to renew registration. That still needs a pink slip from an AIS station. Its job is different: to tell you the condition of the car, what's likely to need money soon, and whether there's anything in its history you need to know.
Service NSW's own buying guide recommends getting "an independent vehicle inspection and safety assessment", along with a PPSR check and a registration check (Service NSW).
What our pre-purchase inspections include
Every package (Essential $199 and up):
Essential
The 150+ Point Checklist.
Full OBD-II scan: stored, pending and live fault codes, printed into your report.
Digitally verified battery, starter motor and alternator tests.
Engine bay visual and fluid leak check.
Brake pads and tyre tread measured, with remaining life estimated in km.
Visual safety check (brakes, tyres, steering, lighting) and a 3–5 km road test.
Comprehensive ($329) adds:
Comprehensive
with code SAVE10
Full mechanical inspection: engine, gearbox, cooling, belts, mounts, exhaust, driveline and steering.
Full electrical system test and interior electronics check.
Every suspension bush and mount checked for cracking, perishing and play.
Engine undertray removed where fitted, safely accessible and permitted, plus underbody photos.
Exterior paint and body repair indicators.
Odometer rollback check (where the scanner supports the vehicle), full PPSR report and a 6–10 km road test.
Estimated repair costs and an on-site report.
Elite Buyers' Protection ($449) adds:
Elite Buyers' Protection
A senior inspector and a cold-start engine assessment when the seller leaves the engine cold.
Paint thickness gauge on every panel.
Advanced history deep-dive and a market valuation.
A 10–12 km road test, on-site negotiation and up to $3,000 cover for 30 days or 1,000 km, whichever comes first, from inspection (Terms apply).
Ute, Van & Light Truck ($329): for utes, vans and light trucks up to 4.5 t GVM. Everything in Comprehensive, including PPSR and exterior paint and body repair indicators, plus chassis, DPF, tow rating, diff and transfer case checks. See Ute, Van & Light Truck inspections.
Ute, Van & Light Truck
EV/Hybrid Battery Test (+$199): an add-on for hybrids and EVs. It isn't included in any package.
Pink slip or pre-purchase inspection: which do you need?
You're renewing registration on your own car: you need a pink slip from an AIS station (if your renewal says one is required) and a green slip.
You're buying a used car that's registered: a pink slip isn't a substitute for an inspection. Ask the seller when the last pink slip was done (Service NSW suggests this) and get a pre-purchase inspection and PPSR check before you pay.
You're buying a car with registration expired more than 3 months: budget for a blue slip and CTP to re-register it, and get a pre-purchase inspection first.
The seller says "it's just passed its pink slip": good to know, but it only means the car met the safety standard on the day it was inspected.
Buying from a dealer or a private seller?
Licensed dealer. A licensed NSW dealer must give a statutory guarantee of 3 months or 5,000 km on cars under 10 years old and under 160,000 km (NSW Government).
Private sale. No statutory guarantee. That's when an independent inspection matters most. The NSW Government's vehicle inspections checklist is a good starting point for your own look-over.
Either way. Check the PPSR at ppsr.gov.au, or choose a package that includes it. Read our PPSR check guide and used car buying checklist.
Frequently asked questions
No. A pink slip is a NSW safety inspection report for registration renewal, done by an Authorised Inspection Scheme station against a set of safety standards. A pre-purchase inspection is an independent condition report for a buyer, covering mechanical condition, fault codes and, with Comprehensive, Ute, Van & Light Truck or Elite, a PPSR check.
Not its condition. The Light Vehicle Safety Check Standards cover safety items such as brakes, tyres, body rust, seatbelts, doors, windscreen and lights. A pink slip doesn't assess engine wear, gearbox health or stored fault codes. Our packages include a full OBD-II scan, and Comprehensive adds a full mechanical inspection.
Six months for light vehicles, excluding public passenger vehicles. It must be used to renew registration within those 6 months. A blue slip (AUVIS) report is valid for 42 days from the date of inspection.
A pink slip is a safety check for renewing an existing registration. A blue slip, now called an AUVIS inspection, checks safety, design and identity for a vehicle that's unregistered, such as one whose registration expired more than 3 months ago or one brought in from interstate or overseas.
No. A green slip is Compulsory Third Party insurance covering liability for injury or death in a motor crash. SIRA says it doesn't cover the cost of repairing or replacing your vehicle or other property. You need separate comprehensive or third-party property insurance for that.
No. Registration renewal needs a safety check from an Authorised Inspection Scheme station, recorded electronically with Transport for NSW. Our inspection is for you as a buyer. It tells you the car's condition and history before you pay.
Don't buy on a pink slip alone Comprehensive ($329) with PPSR, a full mechanical inspection and an on-site report. Elite Buyers' Protection ($449) with a senior inspector, a paint thickness gauge on every panel, on-site negotiation and up to $3,000 cover for 30 days or 1,000 km, whichever comes first, from inspection (Terms apply). Or Essential ($199) for a quick screen. Mobile across Greater Sydney, Newcastle/Maitland, the Central Coast, the Blue Mountains and Wollongong/Illawarra. Book now → · Call 02 8320 1246 · Pricing · About Aussie Auto Care · How our inspection works
Comprehensive
$329Save $33$296with code SAVE10
Afterpayor 4 interest-free payments of A$74.00Elite Buyers' Protection
$449Afterpayor 4 interest-free payments of A$112.25Essential
$199Afterpayor 4 interest-free payments of A$49.75
Sources
Service NSW, Safety inspection reports (pink slips): https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/transaction/esafety-checks-pink-slips
NSW Government, Safety checks and vehicle inspections: https://www.nsw.gov.au/driving-boating-and-transport/driving-nsw/vehicle-registration/renewing-vehicle-registration/safety-checks-and-vehicle-inspections
Transport for NSW, Light Vehicle Safety Check Standards (Rules for Authorised Inspection Stations): https://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/system/files/media/documents/2025/light-vehicle-safety-check-standards_0.pdf
Transport for NSW, Pay your registration form (e-Safety Inspection report): https://tfnswforms.transport.nsw.gov.au/45071058-pay-your-registration.pdf
NSW Government, Crack down on operators issuing "sight unseen" pink and blue slips (Oct 2026): https://www.nsw.gov.au/ministerial-releases/nsw-government-cracks-down-on-operators-issuing-sight-unseen-pink-and-blue-slips
Service NSW, Buying a vehicle: https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/guide/buying-a-vehicle
SIRA, Compulsory Green Slip insurance: https://www.sira.nsw.gov.au/motor/compulsory-third-party-motor-vehicle-insurance-green-slips
NSW Government, Dealer guarantees and warranties: https://www.nsw.gov.au/driving-boating-and-transport/buying-and-selling-vehicles/dealer-guarantees-and-warranties
NSW Government, Vehicle inspections checklist: https://www.nsw.gov.au/driving-boating-and-transport/buying-and-selling-vehicles/buying-a-used-vehicle/vehicle-inspections-checklist
PPSR: https://www.ppsr.gov.au
Aussie Auto Care package pages: https://aussieautocare.com.au/essential-inspection · https://aussieautocare.com.au/comprehensive-inspection · https://aussieautocare.com.au/elite-buyers-protection · https://aussieautocare.com.au/light-truck · https://aussieautocare.com.au/ev-battery-inspection-sydney
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