Publications in the Vehicle Standards Bulletin (VSB) series provide information on the design, manufacture, sale, modification, maintenance, import and repair of road vehicles for industry and other clients.

The term ‘road vehicles’ includes both motor vehicles and trailers.

The series is an important way for the Vehicle Safety Standards Branch of the Department of Infrastructure Transport, Regional Development and Communications to communicate information about road vehicle matters.

The purpose of publishing the information in the VSBs is to:

• give advance notice of matters of concern;
• set out codes of practice and other standards which supplement legislative requirements;
• provide advice on road vehicle design safety and operations; and
• draw attention to information of use to persons involved with road vehicles in a range of capacities.

Note that some of the bulletins have not been prepared by the Vehicle Safety Standards Branch, but are hosted on the Department's website as a central point of reference. Members of the Australian Motor Vehicle Certification Board and/or the Technical Liaison Group are responsible for writing a number of VSBs. Where appropriate, matters dealt with in VSBs will also have been considered by other bodies, such as the National Transport Commission and the Standing Council on Transport and Infrastructure.

Current Vehicle Standards Bulletins:

• VSB 1 (Revision 6)—Trailers with and Aggregate Trailer Mass of 4.5 Tonnes or less
  PDF: 8879 KB 
  Please note: this material relates to the Road Vehicle Standards Act 2018 (RVSA).
• VSB 1 (Revision 5)—Building Small Trailers (cp)
  PDF: 999 KB 
  Please note: this material relates to the Motor Vehicle Standards Act 1989 (MVSA).
• VSB 4—Steering Conversions for Left Hand Drive Vehicles (cp)
  PDF: 348 KB  DOCX: 787 KB
• VSB 5—Manufacture and Installation of Additional Seats (cp)
  PDF: 1898 KB  DOCX: 1349 KB
  Note: The Australian Motor Vehicle Certification Board advises that VSB5 is currently under review by state and territory registration authorities. Please contact your relevant registration authority for further guidance on applicability.
  • VSB 5A—Commercial Manufacture and Installation of Additional Seats (cp)
    PDF: 77 KB  DOC: 118 KB
  • VSB 5B—Construction and Installation of Additional Seats by Individuals (cp)
    PDF: 930 KB  DOC: 1949 KB
• VSB 6—Heavy Vehicle Modifications (cp): hosted by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator
• VSB 7A—Design Parameters Necessary for Compliance with ADR 59/00—Part A (cp)
  PDF: 3526 KB  DOCX: 3125 KB
• VSB 7B—Design Parameters Necessary for Compliance with ADR 59/00—Part B (cp)
  PDF: 2328 KB  DOCX: 1990 KB
• VSB 11—Certification of Road-Friendly Suspensions
  PDF: 326 KB  DOCX: 136 KB
• VSB 12—Rear Marking Plates—hosted by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator
• VSB 14—National Code of Practice for Light Vehicle Construction and Modification (NCOP)

Low Volume Manual

• New Vehicle Low Volume Vehicle Scheme Evidence Examination Procedures Manual DOCX: 137 KB PDF: 1516 KB 

Street Rod Manual

3rd Edition Australian Design Rules

2nd Edition Australian Design Rules

The Australian Design Rules (ADR) set standards for vehicle safety, anti-theft and emissions for road vehicles, whether manufactured in Australia or imported as new or second hand vehicles. Please click on the link to access the ADRs.

• (cp) = Code of Practice
• (ib) = Information Booklet
• (pu) = Periodic Update

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RVS legislation

To support the safety, environmental and anti-theft performance of all road vehicles being provided to the Australian market for the first time, the new Road Vehicle Standards (RVS) legislation is replacing the existing Motor Vehicle Standards Act 1989.

Please keep checking this page as we will be adding more information as soon as it becomes available about what the RVS legislative changes mean for you, what you will need to do and when the changes take effect.

Please visit the Road Vehicle Standards legislation implementation page for more information.