The New EV & Hybrid Roadworthy Rules in Victoria — A Plain-English Guide for Vehicle Owners
Published
If you own an electric or hybrid vehicle in Victoria — or you're thinking of buying or selling one — there's a change coming that most drivers haven't heard about yet, and it will directly affect where you can get a roadworthy certificate.
From 1 September 2026, only Licensed Vehicle Testers who hold a new EV category on their licence — with specially accredited examining mechanics — can lawfully inspect an electric or hybrid vehicle for a Certificate of Roadworthiness. Turn up at a workshop without that accreditation and they can't legally test your car, no matter how good they are with a petrol engine.
Here's everything you need to know, without the jargon.
The 30-Second Version
- A new 'EV' testing category has been added to Victoria's Licensed Vehicle Tester (LVT) scheme.
- From 1 September 2026, EV accreditation is mandatory for anyone inspecting an electric or hybrid vehicle for a roadworthy certificate.
- Hybrids are included — including ordinary hybrids like a Camry or RAV4 Hybrid, not just full EVs.
- Accredited testers need extra training, specialised equipment, safety signage and dedicated procedures.
- EV accreditation covers inspection only — testers can't repair or modify high-voltage systems under this category.
What Actually Changed?
Roadworthy inspections in Victoria are carried out by Licensed Vehicle Testers under conditions set by the Department of Transport and Planning (Transport Victoria). Those licence conditions have always specified categories — light vehicles, heavy vehicles, motorcycles, buses, LPG vehicles — and each category has its own training, equipment and premises requirements.
The December 2025 licence conditions added a new supplementary category: EV — Electric and Hybrid powered vehicles. It sits alongside a tester's existing light vehicle, heavy vehicle or motorcycle approval, and from 1 September 2026 it's not optional. No EV category, no EV or hybrid roadworthies.
A vehicle falls under the EV category if it has an electric or electrically assisted propulsion system operating at or above 60 volts DC. That threshold is the key to knowing whether your car is affected.
Does My Car Count? The 60-Volt Rule
This is the question we get most, so here's the practical breakdown:
- Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) — yes. Tesla, BYD, MG4, Polestar, Kona Electric, e-transit vans — all well above 60V.
- Plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) — yes. Outlander PHEV, RAV4 PHEV, and similar all run high-voltage traction batteries.
- Standard hybrids — yes. This surprises people. A Camry Hybrid, Corolla Hybrid or i30 Hybrid runs its traction system at well over 60 volts, so it needs an EV-accredited tester.
- Mild hybrids (12V/48V) — generally no. Some newer vehicles use small 48-volt assist systems. These sit below the 60V DC threshold, so they're typically tested as conventional vehicles. If you're not sure what your car has, ask — we can confirm from the make and model in about a minute.
Why Did Victoria Introduce These Rules?
It comes down to physics. High-voltage vehicle systems introduce hazards that simply don't exist in a petrol or diesel car:
- Electric shock. Traction batteries operate at hundreds of volts — enough to cause serious injury or death if a damaged component is handled incorrectly.
- Thermal runaway. A damaged lithium battery cell can overheat and cascade into a fire that's extremely difficult to extinguish. Testers are now required to carry a thermal imaging camera capable of reading 20°C to 400°C precisely so overheating can be spotted before it becomes an incident.
- Toxic gases. A compromised battery pack can vent hazardous gases, which is why accredited premises must have proper ventilation, carbon monoxide monitoring, and a dedicated area to isolate a damaged EV away from people and other vehicles.
None of this is about making life harder for EV owners. It's about making sure the person putting your car on a hoist knows exactly what they're dealing with — for their safety and yours.
What an Accredited EV Tester Must Now Have
To hold the EV category, a workshop has to clear a genuinely high bar:
- Nationally accredited high-voltage training. Every examining mechanic must complete AURETH101 (depower and reinitialise battery electric vehicles) or AURETH011 (the hybrid equivalent) — the same competency required of EV technicians nationally.
- The LVT EV Risk and Hazard Awareness Course. A Victorian accreditation course delivered through registered training organisations such as Box Hill Institute, Chisholm, Federation University and Kangan.
- Specialised equipment. A calibrated carbon monoxide meter (detecting down to 35 parts per million), a thermal imaging camera (20°C–400°C), and a fire extinguisher rated to AS/NZS 1850 with at least 9kg capacity.
- Premises requirements. High-voltage warning signage, an EV isolation area, and workspace ventilation meeting Australian Standard AS 5732 — the national standard for electric vehicle maintenance and repair operations.
- A mandatory EV checklist. Every EV or hybrid inspection must include a completed EV assessment checklist, uploaded as evidence into the official eCertificate system alongside the inspection photographs.
Here's a detail we find genuinely interesting: under AS 5732, examining mechanics with a pacemaker or similar medical device can't work on many electric vehicles without medical clearance, because the powerful magnets in EV motors can interfere with those devices. That's the level of detail these new rules go into — and a good illustration of why 'any mechanic can look at it' no longer applies.
What Happens During an EV or Hybrid Roadworthy Inspection?
An EV roadworthy includes everything a conventional roadworthy does — brakes, steering, suspension, tyres, lights, structure, a road test, and a calibrated brake test — plus the EV-specific layer:
- Visual inspection of high-voltage components and cabling.
- Condition of the battery enclosure and mounting.
- Warning labels, isolation points and system integrity.
- The full Transport Victoria EV assessment checklist, with photographic evidence uploaded to the eCertificate system.
One important boundary: the EV category permits visual examination and testing only. A roadworthy tester cannot remove, repair, replace or modify high-voltage components under this accreditation. If a high-voltage fault is found, you'll get a clear, photographed report so a qualified EV repairer can fix it — then the tester completes your re-inspection.
What This Means for You as an Owner
- Check before you book. From 1 September 2026, a certificate is only valid if issued by an LVT with the EV category. Ask the workshop directly: 'Do you hold the EV category on your LVT licence?'
- Expect the inspection to take a little longer. The additional checklist and photographs add time, so book ahead — especially around registration transfer deadlines.
- Buying a used EV or hybrid? The seller's roadworthy must come from an accredited EV tester. It's also worth asking for the inspection photos, which now form part of the official record.
- Selling one? Get your roadworthy sorted early. With a limited number of accredited testers, booking windows will tighten as the September deadline lands.
Where Ballarat Drivers Can Get an EV or Hybrid Roadworthy
Ballarat Roadworthy Centre has completed the accreditation pathway — nationally recognised high-voltage training, the LVT EV Awareness course, the mandatory equipment and premises requirements — and holds the EV category as an authorised Licensed Vehicle Tester. That means local EV and hybrid owners can get a fully compliant inspection in Ballarat rather than trekking to Melbourne.
If you're buying, selling, transferring or re-registering an electric or hybrid vehicle — or you just want to know whether your car falls under the new rules — give us a call. We're happy to answer questions even if you're not booking yet.