Yes, when the details you enter are right. Every price in a green slip calculator is a price the insurer has filed with the State Insurance Regulatory Authority (SIRA), and insurers are not permitted by law to offer discounts outside that filed premium. So the number is real.
When a quote does not match what the insurer tells you, SIRA says the usual reason is that the insurer needed additional or different information from what you entered. Its advice is simple: confirm the price with the insurer before you buy.
Compare all six NSW CTP insurers in the Greenslips 4 Earth calculator and check your price before you commit.
Why does the calculator price differ from the insurer’s price?
Four reasons, and none of them involve an insurer quietly changing its mind.
The insurer used different information. This is the main one, and SIRA names it directly: a discrepancy can occur when the insurer requires additional or varied information compared with what was entered manually. Shannons describes the same thing from the insurer’s side — quotes from other websites are estimates based on what you type, while its own quote uses the registration information Transport for NSW holds.
You entered everything by hand. SIRA rates its own three input methods, and full manual entry is the one likely to produce the least accurate prices.
Prices moved. Insurers must file their prices with SIRA at least once a year, and they can lodge further filings to vary them in between. A tool showing an older filed price will be out of date.
Your circumstances changed. A new demerit point, a different garaging address, or a younger driver added to the policy all move the number.
Which green slip calculator is the most accurate?
The one you give the most information to. SIRA’s Green Slip Price Check offers three ways in, and they are not equal:
- Driver licence or registration billing number — most accurate, because it draws on your existing vehicle and driving record
- Registration number or vehicle identification number (VIN) — close behind, since it pulls the vehicle’s details
- Manual entry with no personal details — least accurate, and SIRA says so
The third option still earns its place. Use it if you do not hold a NSW driver licence, or if you are pricing a vehicle that is not registered in your name yet.
Independent calculators, including ours, work from the same filed prices. The difference between tools is not the underlying price. It is how much of your information the tool can use.
Can an insurer charge more than the calculator quoted?
Not for the same risk. Insurers are not permitted by law to offer discounts that sit outside the base premium they filed, so there is no scope to quote you something different for the policy you described.
What can happen is that the insurer prices a different policy. If the calculator was told the youngest driver is 45 and the registration record says 19, you have two prices for two different risks. Same rule, different inputs.
That is the practical reason to treat calculator results as a shortlist rather than a receipt. Take your best two or three, then confirm with those insurers before you pay.
What details do you need for an accurate quote?
Have these ready and the numbers will hold up.
The vehicle: registration number, or the vehicle identification number if it is not registered yet. Vehicle type matters more than people expect, since insurers often price utes and light goods vehicles differently from standard passenger vehicles.
You: your NSW driver licence or NSW photo card number, and the address where the vehicle is garaged.
The drivers: the date of birth of the youngest driver, including any learner driver or someone on a provisional licence.
Your record: demerit points, licence suspensions, any serious driving offence, and your claims history. SIRA notes that being at fault in a crash may affect your premium depending on the insurer, whether or not a claim was made.
Business use: whether the vehicle is registered to an individual or a company, and whether you are entitled to an input tax credit, since that changes how GST applies to your premium.
One factor that surprises people: SIRA lists the other insurance you hold on the vehicle among the things an insurer may consider. Holding comprehensive cover can form part of your risk profile.
Enter your record honestly. An understated driving history produces a quote that will not survive contact with the insurer.
What can a green slip calculator not do?
Calculators handle light vehicles up to 4.5 tonnes gross vehicle mass, which covers most cars, utes, passenger vehicles and light goods vehicles.
They cannot quote trucks over 4.5 tonnes, buses or fleets, and they cannot handle conditionally registered vehicles. Those need a phone call to the insurer.
Timing has limits too. Quotes are generally available from around three months before your registration is due. If your registration has lapsed long enough to be cancelled, you will need a blue slip inspection rather than a pink slip before registering again — check the current cut-off with Service NSW.
How often do green slip prices change?
More than once a year. Insurers are required to file their prices with SIRA at least annually, and they can lodge further filings to vary prices between those dates. SIRA can reject a filing that is underfunded, excessive, or does not conform with its Premiums Determination Guidelines.
That is the argument for comparing at every renewal rather than trusting last year’s winner. Your renewal notice shows you one insurer’s answer, and the cheapest insurer for your vehicle can change between filings.
There is also a term effect. NRMA Insurance notes that six-month policies carry an administration cost for processing two payments a year rather than one, so two six-month terms usually cost more than one twelve-month term.
Our green slip price comparison covers what shifts at each renewal, and why your quote changed explains why a price you were given before has moved since.
Do all six insurers offer the same cover?
The cover is the same. SIRA puts it plainly: all Green Slips have the same level of CTP cover but may not cost the same, which is why it advises shopping around on price.
Six insurers are licensed to issue CTP green slips in NSW — AAMI, Allianz, GIO, NRMA Insurance, QBE and Youi.
One difference is worth knowing. NRMA Insurance includes at-fault driver cover automatically with its green slip, which sits on top of the statutory benefits. If that matters to you, ask your insurer whether it offers anything comparable.
Because the statutory cover underneath is identical, price is a fair way to choose. Our guide to which insurers sell CTP green slips in NSW sets out who is who.
What does a green slip actually cover?
Your green slip covers liability for injuries to other people in a motor vehicle accident involving your vehicle — medical and treatment expenses, rehabilitation, and lost income for the people injured. It covers passengers, other drivers, pedestrians and cyclists.
Since the 2017 scheme changes, everyone injured in a motor accident is entitled to 52 weeks of defined statutory benefits regardless of fault. Beyond 52 weeks, continuing income benefits depend on not being wholly or mostly at fault and on your injuries being more than threshold injuries. So it is wrong to say an at-fault driver gets nothing.
It does not cover damage to vehicles or property. For that you need comprehensive or third party property insurance, which is a separate product. Our explainer on what a CTP green slip covers you for has the detail.
Two things that surprise people. A caravan or trailer is covered by the green slip of the vehicle towing it, so it does not need its own. And while your liability for injuring others is covered anywhere in Australia, cover for your own injuries applies in NSW — outside NSW it depends on that state’s scheme.
What is the fund levy on my quote?
The fund levy is a flat charge determined by SIRA rather than by your insurer, and it appears separately on your green slip. It funds the scheme’s operating costs, lifetime care for the most seriously injured, and treatment and care benefits.
It varies by vehicle type and garaging location, and it is identical whichever insurer you choose. SIRA also notes that the total price you pay always includes the fund levy and GST.
So the levy is not somewhere to shop for savings — but it does explain part of why a Sydney metro quote sits above a country one for the same vehicle.
[VERIFY: current fund levy amounts against SIRA before publishing. Do not reuse the January 2025 figures from the previous version.]
How do you buy after comparing?
Four steps, and none of them need a paper certificate.
- Confirm your chosen price directly with that insurer
- Buy from the insurer online, by phone, or at a branch
- The insurer notifies Service NSW electronically
- Keep the receipt until your registration is finalised
If your vehicle needs a pink slip inspection, book that before you finalise registration so the two do not hold each other up.
Key points
- Calculator prices are accurate when your details match what the insurer will use
- SIRA advises confirming the price with the insurer before buying
- Licence or registration lookup beats manual entry for accuracy
- Insurers cannot offer discounts outside their filed premium
- SIRA states all green slips have the same level of cover but may not cost the same
- Prices are filed at least annually and can be varied in between, so compare at every renewal
- Two six-month terms usually cost more than one twelve-month term
- Calculators stop at 4.5 tonnes gross vehicle mass
- A caravan or trailer is covered by the towing vehicle’s green slip
Check your price across all six insurers in the calculator, then confirm before you buy.
People Also Ask
Drivers using a green slip calculator tend to ask the same handful of questions about whether the number on screen is the number they will pay. Here are the answers.
1. Are green slip calculator prices accurate?
Yes, when your details are correct. Every price shown is one the insurer filed with SIRA, and insurers cannot offer discounts outside that filed premium. Differences appear when the insurer needs additional or different information from what you entered, or when prices have been varied since. SIRA advises confirming with the insurer before purchase.
2. Why is the calculator price different from the insurer’s quote?
Because the two calculations used different information. SIRA says a discrepancy can occur when the insurer requires additional or varied details compared with what was entered manually. An insurer’s own quote draws on the registration record Transport for NSW holds, while a calculator works from what you type.
3. Which green slip calculator is the most accurate?
The one that uses your driver licence or registration details rather than manual entry. SIRA offers three input methods and rates manual entry as the least accurate. All calculators draw on the same filed prices, so what separates them is how much of your information they can use.
4. Can an insurer charge more than the calculator showed?
Not for the same risk. Insurers are not permitted by law to offer discounts outside the base premium they filed with SIRA. If the price comes back higher, the insurer has priced a different set of details — a different youngest driver, a different garaging address, or a driving record that does not match what was entered.
5. How often do green slip prices change in NSW?
More than once a year. Insurers must file prices with SIRA at least annually and can lodge further filings to vary them in between, which SIRA can reject if they are underfunded, excessive or do not conform with its guidelines. That is why the cheapest insurer for your vehicle can change between renewals.
6. Why doesn’t the government green slip calculator work for my vehicle?
Most likely because your vehicle sits outside its scope. The tool covers light vehicles up to 4.5 tonnes gross vehicle mass and cannot quote trucks over that weight, buses, fleets, or conditionally registered vehicles. Timing matters too, since quotes are generally available from around three months before your due date.
7. Do I need a green slip for my caravan or trailer?
No. A caravan or trailer is covered by the green slip of the vehicle towing it, so you do not buy a separate one.
