Vehicle licensing and road user charges

To be on the road legally, your car needs to have a current licence. You’ll also need to pay road user charges (RUC) if your vehicle runs on diesel or electricity, or both — including plug-in vehicles that run on petrol.

Road user charges for electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids

From , road user charges (RUC) apply to electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids. However, you have until to pay your first RUC.

Make sure you display the label on your windscreen because it’s illegal to drive an RUC vehicle without a current label.

Road user charges

Vehicle licences

New Zealanders often refer to a vehicle licence, the label you show on vehicle windscreens, as a ‘rego’. You need a vehicle licence (rego) before you can use your vehicle on public roads.

Vehicle licensing (rego) — NZ Transport Agency

More information about vehicle licences — NZ Transport Agency

Renew your licence label before it expires. Show this label on the left-hand side of your vehicle’s windscreen, unless you’re told otherwise by the NZ Transport Agency.

Check the NZ Transport Agency website to find out about:

Other NZ Transport Agency requirements for driving

Along with your vehicle licence (rego), you also need to get:

Road user charges

You need to pay road user charges (RUC) if your vehicle runs on either, or both:

  • diesel
  • electricity — including plug-in hybrid vehicles that run on petrol.

You do not pay RUC on:

  • hybrid petrol vehicles that are not built to plug in for charging
  • very light electric vehicles, weighing less than 1000 kilograms — such as electric motorcycles or mopeds.

RUC rates are for each type of vehicle

The NZ Transport Agency lists:

Pay RUC

What you pay (the type of RUC licence you buy) depends on the type of vehicle you have and its weight — most diesel, electric and hybrid vehicles need a distance licence for paying their RUC.

You can buy distance (in kilometres) RUC licences in units of 1000 kilometres. One unit equals 1000 kilometres, which is the minimum order. If you buy, for example, 2 units, you’re buying 2000 kilometres of road use for your vehicle.

Pay RUC — NZ Transport Agency

Information needed to pay your RUC

When you buy RUC, you’ll need:

  • the vehicle’s plate number
  • the current odometer reading from your vehicle’s dashboard — this measures the distance your car has travelled
  • a way to pay — such as a debit or credit card.

Display and update your RUC

  • Show your current RUC licence label on your vehicle’s windscreen.
  • Pay for your next RUC when you’re close to using up your previous kilometres.

More information about RUC — NZ Transport Agency

Check the NZ Transport Agency website to find out about:

Who to contact for more help

If you need more help or have questions about the information or services on this page, contact the following agency.

Utility links and page information

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