As at 1 November 2026, Warrant of Fitness (WoF) and Certificate of Fitness (CoF) requirements have changed for many passenger and light vehicles in New Zealand.

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These are part of wider changes to vehicle inspection requirements. Read more on the NZTA Vehicle Inspection Portal

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Here’s an overview of what’s changing:

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In simple terms, some vehicles will need a WoF less often as shown in the table below. The change will come into effect when the vehicle’s current WoF expires, so no advance actions need to be taken now:

In addition:

·        Passenger and light vehicles registered before 1 January 2000 will move from six-monthly to annual WoFs

·        Passenger and light vehicles used as rental vehicles will move from a CoF every six months to an annual CoF

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Inspections are changing too:

From 1 November 2026, WoF and CoF inspections also include checks that no warning or malfunction indicators are showing for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) that assist with steering or movement of the vehicle. These include systems such as Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) and Lane Keep Assist, where fitted.

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Higher infringement fees on non-compliant vehicles:

As of 1 November 2026, infringement fees also increase:

·    The infringement fee for operating a vehicle with a WoF that’s overdue by more than two months increases from $200 to $350.

·    The infringement fee for non-compliant wheels and tyres increases from $150 to$350, with the maximum court-ordered fine for non-compliant wheels and tyres, rising to $1000

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What does this mean for your fleet?

For many businesses, fewer WoF inspections may mean less inspection-related admin and vehicle downtime. But longer intervals between WOF/COF inspections should not reduce the importance of regular vehicle checks, servicing and maintenance.

For fleet managers, now is a good time to understand which vehicles will move to the new schedule and when, while still continuing regular servicing, maintenance and vehicle checks.

 

Managing fleet compliance doesn’t need to be complicated. ORIX New Zealand combines fleet management systems and processes to help customers stay on top of their vehicle requirements – with due-date tracking and reminders, maintenance scheduling, vehicle checks, mobile inspection apps and more.

 

If you have questions about these changes or what they mean for your fleet, our team is here to help. Contact us today.

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