In short
- CTP covers injuries to people caused by a Queensland-registered vehicle: medical treatment, rehabilitation and compensation, anywhere in Australia.[1]
- It never covers damage to cars or property, injuries to a driver who was totally at fault, or single-vehicle crashes where no one else was to blame.[1][3]
- CTP comes with your registration; for a private car it's A$411.80 to A$427.80 a year (as at 1 October 2026), and the premium doesn't depend on your age or record.[7][2]
- An injured person usually has nine months to lodge a Notice of Accident Claim Form, less if they see a lawyer first, and three months if the at-fault vehicle is unidentified.[5]
What does CTP insurance cover in Queensland?
Compulsory third party (CTP) insurance pays for injuries, not cars. If someone driving a Queensland-registered vehicle causes, or partly causes, a crash that injures someone anywhere in Australia, the vehicle's CTP covers the injured person's medical treatment, rehabilitation and compensation.[1] If someone dies and was not at fault, it can also cover funeral costs and compensation for close relatives who depended on them.[1]
Every motor vehicle used on a Queensland road must have CTP, and driving without it can bring a penalty for being uninsured and unregistered.[1] You don't buy it separately: it's part of the registration you pay to the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR), which passes the premium to the insurer you nominated.[1]
Queensland's scheme is fault-based. To be compensated, an injured person has to show that another driver was at fault, and the payout can be reduced if they were partly responsible.[1] That is the key difference from a "no-fault" scheme such as Victoria's.[1]
What doesn't CTP cover?
Three gaps catch people out:
- Damage to any vehicle or property. Your car, the other car, a fence or a shopfront: none of it is CTP's job.[1]
- Your own injuries when you were totally at fault. CTP doesn't cover injuries to the at-fault driver.[3]
- Crashes where nobody was at fault, such as a single-vehicle crash involving only your car.[1]
Damage is covered by the optional policies you choose yourself. Moneysmart sets out the usual levels:[8]
| Type | Injuries to other people | Other people's cars and property | Your own car |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compulsory third party (CTP) | Yes | No | No |
| Third party property damage | No (that's CTP) | Yes | No |
| Third party property, fire and theft | No (that's CTP) | Yes | Only if stolen or damaged by fire |
| Comprehensive | No (that's CTP) | Yes | Yes, including theft, fire and weather, subject to exclusions |
So a driver with CTP only (the minimum the law requires) pays out of their own pocket for the other car if they cause a crash, as well as their own repairs.
How much does CTP cost, and can you choose the insurer?
Three insurers are licensed for CTP in Queensland: QBE, Allianz and Suncorp.[2] Vehicles are grouped into classes by type and use, each insurer sets its rate for each class every quarter, and the rates must stay between a minimum and a maximum set by the Motor Accident Insurance Commission (MAIC).[2]
Unlike your own car insurance, the CTP premium doesn't depend on who you are. Owners in the same class pay the same premium whatever the driver's age or driving record, and whatever the car's age or where it's kept.[2] The policy itself is the same whichever insurer you pick; only the premium can differ.[3]
For a private car (Class 1), TMR lists CTP at A$411.80 to A$427.80 for 12 months, as at 1 October 2026, on top of the registration fee and the traffic improvement fee.[7] What you pay overall for a year of registration by number of cylinders is in the cost of owning a car in Brisbane.
To switch insurer, nominate the new one through TMR online, by phone on 13 23 80, or on the back of your renewal notice. The change only takes effect from your next registration period, and if you have the renewal notice it must reach TMR on or before the expiry date shown.[4]
How do you make a CTP claim, and how long do you have?
You claim against the CTP insurer of the vehicle that may have caused the crash, not your own.[5] The registration number of each vehicle involved identifies its insurer, so write them down at the scene.[6]
- Report the crash to police and keep the QP (traffic incident) number you're given. Without one, you can complete a Report of Traffic Incident to Police form and take it to a police station.[6]
- See a doctor. The claim needs a CTP insurance medical certificate completed in person after a physical examination.[6]
- Lodge the Notice of Accident Claim Form, signed as a statutory declaration in front of an eligible witness, with certified proof of identity.[6]
The deadlines are strict. The form must be lodged by the earliest of: nine months after the crash; nine months after symptoms first appeared, if the injury wasn't obvious straight away; or one month after your first meeting with a lawyer, if you've engaged one.[5] Children have longer, generally until their 21st birthday to start court proceedings, though their claims should still be lodged as soon as possible.[5]
If the at-fault vehicle can't be identified or wasn't insured, you claim against the Nominal Defendant instead, after a genuine attempt to identify the vehicle, and the form must be lodged within three months of the crash.[5] A vehicle that can't be registered at all, such as an e-bike or e-scooter, generally won't support a CTP claim.[5]
What about crashes interstate, or with an interstate car?
A Queensland car's CTP still applies if it's at fault in a crash in another state: you follow that state's claims process, but the claim is lodged with and managed by the Queensland insurer.[5] The reverse also works: if an interstate-registered vehicle causes a crash in Queensland, you claim under Queensland's scheme on the Queensland form, sent to the interstate insurer.[5]
If you've just moved here and are still driving on another state's plates, the steps to re-register in Queensland are in moving to Queensland from interstate.
Does a rental car have CTP?
Yes. A rental car on a Queensland road is registered, so it carries CTP, and that cover is tied to the vehicle: it applies when someone driving it causes a crash that injures someone.[1] You don't need to buy CTP yourself to rent.
What the rental's CTP doesn't touch is damage. Damage to the hire car, and to the other car, is dealt with under the rental agreement and the rental company's own insurance, which is where the excess comes in. Whether a personal policy or travel insurance helps with that is in does your own car insurance cover a rental car?, and what to do at the scene is in had an accident in a rental car?.
Sources
- Motor Accident Insurance Commission (Queensland Government): What is CTP insurance? (read 5 November 2026)
- Motor Accident Insurance Commission (Queensland Government): Pricing (read 5 November 2026)
- Motor Accident Insurance Commission (Queensland Government): Buying CTP insurance (read 5 November 2026)
- Motor Accident Insurance Commission (Queensland Government): Changing CTP insurer (read 5 November 2026)
- Motor Accident Insurance Commission (Queensland Government): Can I claim? (read 5 November 2026)
- Motor Accident Insurance Commission (Queensland Government): Pre-claim checklist (read 5 November 2026)
- Queensland Government (qld.gov.au) — Department of Transport and Main Roads: Registration costs (read 5 November 2026)
- Moneysmart (Australian Securities and Investments Commission): Buying and running a car (read 5 November 2026)
Written by the Rentzy team at Rentzy Car Rentals. Rentzy prices, fees and rules in this guide come from our published terms and update with them; rules set by others (roads, tolls, licences, transport) are from the official pages above, as read on the dates shown. Something out of date? Tell us.
