Club Permit 4WD Victoria: Patrols, Cruisers and Utes
A 4WD gets a club permit on the same terms as any other vehicle: more than 25 years old, standards met for its year of manufacture, and the owner a financial member of a VicRoads-approved club. The generation of Patrols, Land Cruisers, Hiluxes and Pajeros that people actually wheel is now crossing the 25-year line, which is why this question comes up constantly on the forums. Here is what qualifies, what your modifications mean, and what it costs.
Which 4WDs are old enough in 2026
The test is more than 25 years old, measured from the build date, and it rolls forward every year. In 2026 that means a vehicle built in 2001 or earlier, give or take the exact day. Model name is not the test: a long-running model can straddle the line, so the same badge can be eligible on one truck and not on the one beside it.
VicRoads sets the order for establishing the date. Check the Register of Approved Vehicles for the listed build date; then the Australian compliance plate, where “the date on the plate is the date of manufacture”; and if there is neither, the vehicle’s build plate.
| Model | Generation | Approximate Australian build years |
|---|---|---|
| Nissan Patrol | GQ (Y60) | Late 1980s to the late 1990s — comfortably eligible |
| Nissan Patrol | GU (Y61) | From the late 1990s — early builds only; check the plate |
| Toyota Land Cruiser | 80 Series | 1990s — comfortably eligible |
| Toyota Land Cruiser | 100 Series | From the late 1990s — early builds only |
| Toyota Land Cruiser | 70 Series | Long-running; early builds eligible, later ones not |
| Toyota Hilux | Fifth and sixth generation | Late 1980s to early 2000s — depends on the plate |
| Land Rover | Defender, Discovery Series 1 | 1990s — generally eligible |
| Mitsubishi Pajero | Second generation (NH to NL) | 1990s — generally eligible |
| Subaru Brumby | Australian-market ute | Ended well before 2001 — eligible |
Year ranges above are approximate guidance only. The build plate on your vehicle decides it, not this table.
Two more conditions apply to every 4WD. It must have a VIN or chassis number clearly stamped on it, and it cannot be recorded as a statutory write-off on the Victorian or an interstate written-off vehicles register. Our eligibility guide covers both.
Utes, wagons and commercial-bodied vehicles
A ute is not treated differently from a wagon. VicRoads makes no distinction by body type in the eligibility rules, and it explicitly extends the scheme to “trailers, heavy vehicles, modified vehicles like street rods and motorbikes”. A 25-year-old Hilux, Brumby, Rodeo or one-tonner is judged on age, standards and write-off status like anything else.
The distinction that does bite is use, not body. Regulation 186 of the Road Safety (Vehicles) Regulations 2021 stops a club permit vehicle being used for hire or reward for the carriage of goods or freight, or to provide a commercial passenger vehicle service. Driving yourself to work on a logged day is not either of those. Anything closer to the line is a question for VicRoads, not for us.
Heavier vehicles have their own considerations around mass and licence class. If your vehicle is a light truck rather than a ute, see trucks, trailers and motorhomes.
Lifts, tyres, bullbars and winches
This is where 4WDs differ from most club permit vehicles: the average 25-year-old Patrol has been modified, and the scheme has rules about that. Transport Victoria states that vehicles on a club permit must meet Schedule 2 of the Road Safety (Vehicles) Regulations 2021, and that modified vehicles must also meet:
- “vehicle standards information (VSI) 8 guide to modifications for motor vehicles”; and
- “VSI 33 - guide to modifications to vehicles operated under Victoria’s club permit scheme”.
Where a modification sits outside those guidelines, VicRoads requires a VASS approval certificate: one is needed if the vehicle “has been modified outside the vehicle’s standards or guidelines”. If you already hold a VASS certificate for past modifications and nothing has changed since, you do not need a new one.
If the vehicle does not comply, Transport Victoria says VicRoads may ask you to produce a roadworthy certificate or VASS approval certificate, or to “take the vehicle to a nominated testing site, or for inspection by an authorised officer/vehicle inspector”. The practical order is: read VSI 33 first, then talk to a VASS signatory before you spend money on the permit. Full detail in the modified vehicles guide, and the standards themselves are on the Transport Victoria vehicle standards information page.
One rider that catches younger owners: probationary drivers cannot drive a vehicle modified by someone other than the manufacturer to increase performance, and Transport Victoria notes this “includes cars with a club permit”.
Touring, towing and off-road use
A club permit suits a touring 4WD better than most people expect, because the limit is days, not distance. There is no kilometre cap, and Transport Victoria confirms the permit covers driving “anywhere in Australia”. A ten-day High Country trip costs ten days of your allowance, whether you cover 200 kilometres or 3,000.
- Log before you leave. One entry per calendar day, made before the first drive of that day, for any trip more than 100 metres from the garage address.
- Towing is allowed. The camper, boat or box trailer must be registered in its own right, or hold its own club permit.
- Off-road tracks. Victorian forest and park roads are public roads, so the permit conditions and your logbook apply there the same as on the highway.
- Ninety days may be the right choice. If you tour, 45 days disappears in three trips. Compare the two in the rules and logbook guide.
What it costs to put a 4WD on a club permit
| Item | 45-day permit | 90-day permit |
|---|---|---|
| Club Plate Co membership (per year) | $99 | $99 |
| VicRoads permit fee (per year) | $27.60 | $55.30 |
| TAC charge (per year) | $60.50 | $117.70 |
| Logbook (one-off) | $3.40 | $3.40 |
| Club permit plates, standard pair (one-off) | $44.20 | $44.20 |
| Total paid to VicRoads | $135.70 | $220.60 |
| Roadworthy certificate | Set by the licensed tester | Set by the licensed tester |
| VASS approval certificate, if required | Set by the VASS signatory | Set by the VASS signatory |
Fees checked 5 September 2026 against the VicRoads permit fees page. VicRoads sets and revises these figures, normally each July — confirm the current amount before you pay.
Check the current VicRoads figures on the permit fees page, and see pricing for the full comparison against twelve months of ordinary registration. Start your application at Get a club permit.
4WD club permit FAQ
Can I put a 4WD on a club permit in Victoria?
Yes, if it is more than 25 years old and meets the standards for its year of manufacture. The Club Permit Scheme is defined by vehicle age, not body style: VicRoads permits cars, motorbikes, trailers, heavy vehicles and modified vehicles alike. A 4WD or ute is assessed on exactly the same tests as a classic sedan.
Are there limits on modifications for a 4WD on a club permit?
Yes. The vehicle must meet Schedule 2 of the Road Safety (Vehicles) Regulations 2021, and modified vehicles must also meet VSI 8 and VSI 33. Anything outside those guidelines needs a VASS approval certificate. Lifts, oversize tyres, bullbars and engine swaps are the usual triggers. See modified vehicles.
How much do you actually save with a club permit?
You pay VicRoads for 45 or 90 days of use instead of twelve months of registration, plus club membership of $99 a year with us. Whether that beats full registration depends on the VicRoads permit fee at the time and how often you drive. Our pricing page sets out every line.
My ute is 24 years old and some clubs want 30 years or more. Can I get club plates?
Not until it passes 25 years, and no club can waive that. VicRoads sets the age rule: more than 25 years old, dated from the build plate. Some clubs do add their own stricter bar, or restrict themselves to one marque. Club Plate Co applies the VicRoads rule and nothing extra.
Can someone please explain how club plates, rego and usage works?
A club permit replaces registration for a vehicle over 25 years old. You join an approved club, VicRoads issues maroon plates, a logbook and a permit, and you drive 45 or 90 days a year, anywhere in Australia, writing each day in the logbook before you go. It renews annually with a club endorsement.
Can I take my 4WD interstate on club rego?
Yes. Transport Victoria says a club permit lets you drive “up to 45 or 90 days per year, anywhere in Australia”. Log each calendar day of the trip, including the day you drive home, and carry the logbook and permit certificate with you. A trip that crosses midnight needs an entry for each day.
Can I tow a camper or boat with a club permit 4WD?
Yes. Transport Victoria states: “You can tow a trailer or caravan using a vehicle with a club permit. The vehicle you are towing must be registered, and the driver must follow their licence conditions.” The trailer needs its own registration, or its own club permit if it qualifies on age.
Can I use a club permit 4WD for work?
For getting to work, yes: nothing in the club permit rules restricts the purpose of a logged day. What is prohibited is narrower and set out in regulation 186 of the Road Safety (Vehicles) Regulations 2021: the vehicle must not be used for hire or reward for the carriage of goods or freight, or to provide a commercial passenger vehicle service.
Start whenever it suits. Pay only when everything’s in.
Your classic deserves to be driven. Begin your application now and it waits for your roadworthy — we don’t charge you until it’s all in hand. Not sure you’re eligible? It’s just the build date: 25 years or older and you’re in.