Buying a car, van or ute at auction is often the easy part. Getting it home can be harder, especially when it has no current licence or has damage, like the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter we towed from the Pickles auction yard in Bibra Lake with a smashed windscreen.

Rules change, so check the details with Transport WA before you rely on them. Here is how it works today.

Can You Drive an Unlicensed Vehicle Home?

Not on the road without a permit. Transport WA sells a temporary movement permit, a motor injury insurance policy that lets you move an unlicensed vehicle so it can be repaired or inspected before it is licensed. It lasts 48 hours.

You can buy one by calling 13 11 56, at a Driver and Vehicle Services centre or regional agent, or online. You will need your WA driver's licence number, the vehicle's make, body type, engine number and chassis number, the plate number if it still has plates, and the journey: where you start, the streets you will use and where you are going.

For longer than 48 hours there is an unlicensed vehicle permit, valid for anywhere from 60 hours to 12 months depending on what the vehicle is for. Apply at least 14 days before you need it.

When a Tow Is the Better Choice

A movement permit is insurance. It does not make an unsafe vehicle safe to drive. Put it on a truck instead if the vehicle has any of these:

  • A cracked or smashed windscreen you cannot see through clearly.
  • An engine that will not start, or a gearbox that will not go into gear.
  • Flat or damaged tyres, or brakes you are not sure of.
  • Warning lights, leaks or damage from a crash.

A tow also takes the 48-hour clock out of it. The vehicle goes straight from the auction yard to wherever it will be fixed, and gets driven once it is legal.

Before the Inspection: A To-Do List

A vehicle bought at auction may need work before it passes an inspection. Before you book one:

  • Replace a cracked or smashed windscreen. A badly damaged windscreen needs replacing before the vehicle will pass.
  • Check every light works, front and back, including indicators and brake lights.
  • Check the tyres for tread depth, cuts and bulges.
  • Fix any fluid leaks, and have the brakes checked.
  • Keep the paperwork from the auction house together, ready for licensing.

Where Inspections Happen

Inspections are done at Authorised Inspection Stations across Perth and regional WA. Transport WA's own Welshpool Vehicle Examination Centre has closed, so check the current list on the Transport WA inspections page before you book.

Once the vehicle passes, you take the certificate of inspection, marked as passed, to a Driver and Vehicle Services centre, regional office or agent to licence it.

Check for Written-Off Vehicles Before You Bid

Some auction vehicles are on the Written-off Vehicle Register, and these have extra steps before they can be licensed. Check a vehicle's status before you bid, not after.

Getting It Home

Tell us where the vehicle is, where it needs to go and what condition it is in, and we will give you a price before we send a truck. If it has to go somewhere tight, like the Waikiki side yard, a tilt tray can put it down exactly where you want it. How a crab walk works, or call us.