How to work out motorcycle stamp duty and rego fees in Australia – state by state.
I’m going to be honest with you, I’m writing this article out of frustration. Frustration that there is no single resource anywhere online that you can find information on Motorcycle Stamp Duty in Australia. I kept being directed to resources on cars, and then I had to go to every single State government website individually to work it out.
So I’m saving you the headache by breaking down the stamp duty on motorcycles in Australia. We’re going to break it down state-by-state, comparing an Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) Motorcycle, to an Electric Motorcycle like the ones we sell here at AEMC. This way you can get the full scope of motorcycle stamp duty in Australia without having to go to a million different websites.
What is stamp duty?
Stamp duty is a tax you need to pay whenever you buy a house, business, car, motorcycle etc. Regardless of whether it’s a new or used vehicle, you have to pay stamp duty. Why do you need to pay for it? Stamp duty is set-up to cover the cost of transferring the registration of a vehicle, so you need to factor this expense into your calculations regardless of whether you buy your next motorcycle from a dealer or privately.
The most annoying thing about stamp duty is that it changes state-to-state based on the price of the motorcycle, the type of motorcycle, the fuel you use and other factors – which can make it very confusing.
Stamp Duty on ICE vs Electric Motorcycles
Some states will have a blanket stamp duty fee based on the price of the motorcycle, whereas some states will offer a lower stamp duty for Electric Motorcycles, leaving the ICE Motorcycles a bit more pricey. QLD, for example, offers lower stamp duty for electric or hybrid vehicles, TAS has removed Stamp Duty altogether for all electric vehicles, whereas NSW works out their stamp duty based on sale price alone. Confusingly ACT waives Stamp Duty for electric cars – but electric motorcycles are not included because they are not officially part of the Green Vehicles Guide?!
For the sake of this article we’re going to be comparing a 2022 Ducati Panigale v4 (ICE/Petrol powered) to a 2022 Energica Ego (Electric).
A Ducati Panigale V4 S has a RRP of $40,495. The Energica Ego is priced at $41,700. Those prices don’t include the Stamp Duty and Rego fees due in each State below. We have compared these 2 bikes because they are similarly priced and both have seriously high spec components. There are obviously more expensive variants of each bike once you’ve added on upgraded Ohlins suspension, carbon fibre body panels and racing wheels but we’ve picked the 2 models with the configurations we think would be most popular here in Australia.
QLD Motorcycle Stamp Duty
| Ducati | Energica | |
| Stamp Duty | $1,214.85 | $836 |
| Rego | $527.35 | $527.35 |
| Notes? | 3% of Dutiable value | 2% of Dutiable value for electric vehicles |
NSW Motorcycle Stamp Duty
| Ducati | Energica | |
| Stamp Duty | $1,215 | $1,253.83 |
| Rego | $67.00 | $67.00 |
| Notes? | 3% of Dutiable value | 3% of Dutiable value |
VIC Motorcycle Stamp Duty
| Ducati | Energica | |
| Stamp Duty | $1,093.37 | $1,126.57 |
| Rego | $564.10 | $432.30 |
| Notes? | 2.7% of Dutiable value | 2.7% of Dutiable value. Slightly lower rego for electric |
SA Motorcycle Stamp Duty
| Ducati | Energica | |
| Stamp Duty | $1,559.80 | $1608.99 |
| Rego | $345 | $230 |
| Notes? | Almost 4% of Dutiable value | Almost 4% of Dutiable value. Slightly cheaper rego for electric |
WA Motorcycle Stamp Duty
| Ducati | Energica | |
| Stamp Duty | $2,053.05 | $2,194.72 |
| Rego | $73.68 | $73.68 |
| Notes? | Over 5% of Dutiable Value | Over 5% of Dutiable value |
TAS Motorcycle Stamp Duty
| Ducati | Energica | |
| Stamp Duty | $1,214.85 | $0 |
| Rego | $648.48 | $648.48 |
| Notes? | 11% of Dutiable value over $35,000! | No Stamp Duty on EVs! |
ACT Motorcycle Stamp Duty
| Ducati | Energica | |
| Stamp Duty | $404.95 | $417.25 |
| Rego | $697.60 | $312.70 |
| Notes? | 2% of Dutiable value | 2% of Dutiable value |
Now the above is a simplified version of what is an overcomplicated system we have to deal with here in Australia! If your new motorcycle costs less than $30,000 you will see pretty different figures. And for those of you hoping to get away with putting the Dutiable value less than the RRP – most State departments use Redbooks to verify Dutiable value so you may not get away with that one!
What we found most interesting about comparing the prices above was – which States have been proactive about electric vehicles and which are lagging behind. For example – TAS is doing what it can to encourage the adoption of EVs. Buying an Energica Ego instead of a Ducati Panigale V4 S will save you $1,245 worth in Stamp Duty – which is just enough to make the Ego less expensive including On The Road costs than the Ducati in TAS. Compare this to WA where there is literally no incentive to buying an electric motorcycle over an ICE – it starts to indicate to us where we should focus our business. And we’re seeing these State policies do impact buying patterns – we have a disproportionate amount of inquiries from States like TAS where EV incentives exist versus other States considering population size.
If you want to work out the Stamp Duty due on the new motorcycle you are looking at – you can use your State calculator here:
As Australia starts to move towards a more energy sustainable future, we hope to see incentives that promote the ownership of electric vehicles expand to all states, making EV ownership more attractive. Simple incentives like decreasing motorcycle stamp duty in Australia could be just one simple way to encourage such ownership. We hope this guide has been helpful deciphering the complicated Motorcycle Stamp Duty in Australia.