16/04/2026
There are some new WOF rules coming in soon, but regardless of any changes, it’s still really important to keep your vehicle properly maintained. Regular maintenance keeps you safe on the road and helps avoid bigger and more expensive issues down the line
We’re making changes to the warrant of fitness system. On 1 November 2026, these things will change:
• people who buy a new car will need to get their next WoF when the car is 4 years old (it’s currently when the car is 3 years old)
• people with cars between 4–14 years old* will need a WoF every 2 years (it’s currently yearly)
• people with motorcycles registered before 1 January 2000 will need a WoF every year (it’s currently every 6 months).
For a long time we’ve had very frequent vehicle inspections compared to countries overseas. Modern vehicles are significantly safer and more reliable. It’s safer to have less frequent inspections, and this’ll save you time and money.
Cars over 14 years old, and motorcycles registered before 1 January 2000, will move to an annual WoF (up from every 6 months for some vehicles).
If your car has Automatic Emergency Braking or Lane Keep Assist, WoF inspections will now check for warning lights (or malfunction indicators) for these systems.
It’s still your responsibility to maintain your vehicle to the WoF standard between inspections. To reinforce this we’re increasing fines if your vehicle isn’t compliant. From 1 November:
• If you’re driving a vehicle with a WoF that’s expired by more than 2 months, you may be fined $350 (up from $200).
• If you’re driving a vehicle with a wheel or tyre that wouldn’t pass an inspection, you may be fined $350 (up from $150) and up to $1000 (the maximum court-ordered fine).
We’ve made these change following us consulting you for feedback about this towards the end of 2025. Thanks to everyone who shared their feedback with us – we received over 5000 formal submissions, and overall people supported these changes.
Our website has more information about the changes, including a summary and analysis of your feedback to us about these changes: https://www.nzta.govt.nz/changes-to-light-vehicle-inspections
* We’ll be introducing the change for cars between 4–14 years old in phases. From 1 November 2026, cars first registered on or after 1 November 2019 become eligible for WoFs every 2 years. From 1 November 2027, cars first registered from 1 November 2013 to 31 October 2019 become eligible.
