Which vehicles and operators are required to pay Road User Charges.
Light diesel and most light electric vehicles pay RUC. Vehicles over 3.5 tonnes usually pay too, although heavy electric vehicles are exempt until 30 June 2027. Light petrol-only cars are covered at the pump.
RUC liability comes down to two questions: how heavy is your vehicle, and what powers it? The exemptions matter too, especially the temporary heavy-EV exemption through 30 June 2027.
Vehicles over 3,500kg generally pay RUC, including petrol-powered heavy vehicles. The major current exception is heavy electric vehicles, which are exempt until 30 June 2027.
This includes trucks, buses, large motorhomes, and heavy trailers. The heavier you are, the more road damage you cause, so the more you pay.
For lighter vehicles, it's about what you put in the tank (or don't). If your fuel isn't taxed at the pump, you pay RUC.
Diesel isn't taxed because it's used for farming and industry. Electricity obviously isn't taxed as a road fuel. So those vehicles pay through RUC instead.
Is your vehicle over 3,500kg (GVM)?
Pays at the pump
$76/1,000km
$76/1,000km
If over 1,000kg
$38/1,000km
Reduced rate
Pays at the pump
Varies by weight
Heavy EVs exempt until July 2027
Why do plug-in hybrids have a lower rate?
PHEVs use both electricity (no tax) and petrol (taxed at the pump). Since you're already paying some road tax through fuel. The current type 12 rate is therefore $38 per 1,000km rather than the $76 light-vehicle rate.
Is it over 3,500kg?
What fuel?
if over 1,000kg
Some vehicles are exempt, while others sit under special rules. These are the main ones to know about.
Electric vehicles weighing 1,000kg or less, such as electric motorcycles and mopeds, don't need RUC.
Electric trucks and buses are exempt through 30 June 2027. From 1 July 2027, weight-based RUC applies.
Specified classes unsuitable for regular road use are exempt, including certain tractors, forklifts and industrial machines. Design and use matter, so check the official list.
Qualifying light diesels used at least 90% off-road can apply for a section 40 exemption.
Trailers under 3,500kg don't need their own RUC. The towing vehicle covers the cost.
Not an exemption: some non-commercial vehicles more than 40 years old use specific vintage RUC types and rates.
Renting a diesel or electric car? RUC still applies to the vehicle. The rental company handles the licence and may recover the cost under its rental agreement, so check how it calculates any charge.
The RUC licence stays with the vehicle, not the owner. When you sell, the licence must be current. Selling with overdue RUC is actually an offence. Factor any unused distance into your sale price.
At 3,500kg or less, a trailer is exempt from RUC. Over 3,500kg? The trailer needs its own licence, separate from whatever's pulling it.
Yes, they exist. And yes, they pay RUC (because they're over 3.5t). But since they're also paying tax at the pump, they can claim back the fuel excise to avoid being double-taxed.
July 2027: Heavy EVs (trucks, buses) will join RUC with weight-based rates. The temporary exemption ends.
Timing TBC: The government intends to move petrol vehicles to RUC, but no transition date or petrol-fleet rate has been set. Cabinet is expected to consider next steps in 2027.
Next up: how exactly are those rates calculated? And how do you actually buy a licence? Check out the other guides in the Basics section.
