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If your weekly fuel bill has you wincing every time you tap your card, there’s a small reprieve on the horizon. The Victorian Government has just announced a rego rebate that’s set to shave a tidy chunk off the cost of keeping your car on the road.
As part of the Victorian Budget 2026/27, drivers will be able to claim 20 per cent back on their vehicle registration. With rego for a light vehicle currently topping out at $930.70 a year, that’s up to $186 back in your pocket for one car – or $372 if you’ve got two in your name. Not life-changing, sure, but enough to cover a tank (or two) of petrol, or a decent dinner out.
The move comes as global pressures – including ongoing conflict in the Middle East – continue to push fuel prices north, squeezing household budgets across the state. It follows earlier efforts to soften the blow, like discounted public transport fares, but this time the focus is firmly on motorists.
So, how does it work? From June 1, eligible vehicle owners can apply for the rebate via Service Victoria, with a two-month window to get your claim in before July 31. The refund covers 20 per cent of your 2025/26 registration payment and applies to light vehicles used for personal purposes – think cars, utes and anything under 4.5 tonnes. You can claim for up to two vehicles registered in your name, regardless of how many cars are parked in your household.
According to Premier Jacinta Allan, the rebate is designed as immediate, one-off cost-of-living relief rather than a long-term fix. In other words: don’t expect it to solve everything, but it should take a bit of the sting out of rising day-to-day costs.
It’s a sizeable move, too. The rebate represents around $750 million in foregone revenue for the state – a figure the government says it can absorb while still delivering a budget surplus.
Bottom line? If you’ve got a car (or two), it’s worth setting a reminder for June. It might not make petrol cheap again, but it’s one less bill hitting quite so hard.
You can learn more over here.
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