DiDi vehicle requirements in Australia
DiDi accepts 4-door cars seating 4 to 6 passengers that pass a yearly inspection and are registered and insured in your state. The age limit is 10 or 15 years, by state and service.
Rules for every car
DiDi's general car requirements for Australia:
- excellent working condition, with functioning windows and air conditioning,
- no cosmetic damage, decals or commercial branding,
- a 4-door car or van,
- seats for at least 4 and at most 6 passengers (DiDi's help centre caps total seats at 8 including the driver),
- able to pass the annual vehicle inspection,
- registered in the state where it is driven,
- covered by CTP plus third-party property damage or comprehensive insurance naming you as an insured driver.
DiDi notes that CPV registration and CTP must be in place but are not always documents you upload.
Maximum vehicle age
DiDi publishes age limits on its state and city pages, and they vary by service:
| State | City page | Delivery listing | Express listing | Max listing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | 15 years | 10 years | 15 years | 15 years |
| VIC | 15 years | 10 years | 10 years | 15 years |
| QLD | 15 years | 10 years | 10 years | 15 years |
| WA | 10 years | 10 years | 10 years | 15 years |
| SA | 10 years | 10 years | 10 years | 10 years |
City pages checked: Sydney (NSW), Melbourne (VIC), Brisbane (QLD), Perth (WA) and Adelaide (SA).
Because these lists do not fully agree, treat 10 years as the safe limit and check the exact cut-off for your city and service in the DiDi Driver app before buying a car for rideshare.
Inspections, registration and insurance by state
NSW (and Canberra page)
- Not an ex-taxi.
- Pink slip: e-Safety inspection from an Authorised Inspection Station, or a Redbook rideshare inspection, within the last 12 months. New cars registered within 12 months are exempt in their first year.
- Registered in NSW at all times with NSW CTP (green slip). Interstate or new cars can be registered at a Service NSW centre.
VIC
- Redbook inspection every 12 months; submit the full report dated within 12 months. A Roadworthy Certificate (RWC) is accepted, and new cars are exempt within 12 months.
- Registered as a Commercial Passenger Vehicle in Victoria.
QLD
- Not an ex-taxi (listed on DiDi's state requirements).
- Certificate of Inspection (COI) every 12 months from an Approved Inspection Station or TMR inspection site. New cars registered within 12 months are exempt; upload a screenshot of the registration details instead.
- Booked Hire Service Licence (BHSL): the car must be registered in Queensland with the right purpose of use.
- CTP class 26 or 4.
WA
- Not an ex-taxi.
- Registered in WA with Motor Injury Insurance class 3(f) recorded against the registration.
- PTV-A in the On-demand Charter (OD-C) category.
SA
- Not an ex-taxi.
- Annual inspection at an approved station (DiDi mentions two locations in Adelaide), with the inspection sticker on the front windscreen, passenger's side.
- Upgraded CTP in class 48, 98, 7 or 58.
Official inspection information
DiDi points drivers to each state's own pages: Transport for NSW (formerly RMS) for NSW, Queensland Government periodic inspections for QLD, VicRoads for VIC, the WA Department of Transport for WA, the SA Government's passenger transport pages for SA, and Access Canberra for the ACT.
Keeping the car approved
Upload renewed inspection reports, registration and insurance in the DiDi Driver app (driver icon, Documents) before the old ones expire. To change cars, update My Vehicle in your account details (driver app). Driver documents are covered in requirements by state.