When you're shopping for a car, you'll see two very different numbers. One is the sticker price — the figure the ad shouts about. The other is the drive-away price: what you actually pay to roll the car off the lot and legally onto the road. The gap between them can be thousands of dollars, and it's where a lot of buyers get caught out.
This guide breaks down exactly what sits inside a drive-away price, which parts are fixed by your state government, and which parts a dealer can move. You can build your own estimate at any time with the drive-away price calculator and sanity-check every line below.
Sticker price vs drive-away price
The sticker price you see advertised is usually one of two things: the manufacturer's list price (also called MSRP or RRP), or the 'excluding on-road costs' price. Neither is what you pay. Drive-away is the honest number because it bundles in the mandatory government charges and dealer costs that you legally can't avoid.
Put simply: sticker price is the car; drive-away price is the car plus everything the government and the dealer add to hand you the keys.
What's actually inside a drive-away price
A genuine drive-away figure is a stack of separate costs. Here's what each layer is:
- Vehicle price — the base cost of the car and any factory options or accessories.
- GST — 10% goods and services tax, usually already baked into the advertised price (Australian Consumer Law requires advertised consumer prices to include it), but worth confirming.
- Stamp duty (vehicle transfer duty) — a state tax based on the car's value, and several states charge a higher rate on more expensive or higher-emission vehicles. Rates and thresholds differ in every state and territory, so the same car can cost more to put on the road in one state than another. Check yours with the stamp duty calculator.
- Registration and CTP — the cost to register the vehicle plus compulsory third-party (CTP) insurance. Rego is set by your state; CTP is either bundled into your rego or bought from a licensed insurer within a regulated range, depending on where you live.
- Number plates — a small fee, with standard plates usually included in rego and personalised plates costing extra.
- Luxury Car Tax (LCT) — an extra federal tax that only applies to the value above a threshold. If your car is anywhere near it, run the LCT threshold check first.
- Dealer delivery / admin fee — the dealer's charge for pre-delivery inspection and paperwork. This is the negotiable one.
The first few are non-negotiable — they're taxes and government charges. The last one is where your negotiating power lives.
The taxes you can't move
Stamp duty, rego, CTP and LCT are all set or regulated by government, not the dealer. No amount of haggling changes them. What can change is the value the tax is calculated on — so trimming optional extras or picking a variant under the LCT threshold can genuinely lower your tax bill. Because thresholds and rates change each financial year and vary by state, always confirm the current figures with the ATO or your state road authority rather than trusting an old quote.
The fees you can question
Dealer delivery and admin fees vary enormously between dealers for the identical car. Some fold them into a sharp drive-away offer; others pad them out. Always ask for the fee to be itemised, and treat a vague 'on-road costs' line as a red flag worth challenging.
Drive-Away Price Calculator
See every line item built up for your exact car and state.
Why 'drive-away' is the only number that matters
Comparing two cars on sticker price alone is misleading. A cheaper-looking car in a high stamp-duty state can end up closing the gap on — or even overtaking — a pricier one interstate. And if a car creeps over the luxury car tax threshold, its drive-away price can jump faster than the sticker suggests.
The only fair comparison is drive-away against drive-away. Once you have the true out-the-door figure, you can also work out what it costs to own over time — fuel, servicing, depreciation and finance — with the total cost of ownership calculator.
How to check a drive-away quote before you sign
- Ask for every line itemised — vehicle, GST, stamp duty, rego, CTP, plates, LCT and dealer delivery.
- Cross-check the stamp duty and rego against your state's official rates.
- Confirm whether LCT applies and how much it adds, and verify the current threshold with the ATO.
- Compare the dealer delivery fee across two or three dealers.
- Re-quote if you change colour, options or finance — any of these can move the total.
Do this and you'll never be surprised at signing. The drive-away price stops being a mystery and becomes a checklist you control.
Frequently asked questions
Is stamp duty included in the drive-away price?
Yes — a genuine drive-away price includes stamp duty, registration, CTP and plates along with the vehicle and GST. If a quote excludes 'government charges', it isn't a true drive-away figure. Stamp duty is set by your state and varies widely, so confirm the amount with your state road authority or the stamp duty calculator.
Can I negotiate the drive-away price down?
You can negotiate the parts the dealer controls — chiefly the vehicle price and the dealer delivery/admin fee. The taxes and government charges (stamp duty, rego, CTP and Luxury Car Tax) are set or regulated by government and can't be haggled, though reducing the car's value by trimming options can lower the tax calculated on it.
Why is the drive-away price different between states?
Because stamp duty, registration and CTP are all set or regulated by each state and territory at different rates — and some states charge more on dearer or higher-emission cars. The identical car can cost noticeably more or less to put on the road depending on where you register it. Use the stamp duty calculator to compare states before you buy.
Does Luxury Car Tax apply to my car?
Only if the car's value is above the LCT threshold, which the ATO adjusts each financial year and sets higher for fuel-efficient vehicles. Cars just above the line can jump sharply in drive-away price. Run the luxury car tax check and confirm the current threshold with the ATO before assuming it applies.
General information only — not financial, tax or legal advice. Figures change; confirm with the ATO, your state revenue office and a licensed adviser, and use the calculators for your own numbers.