Unmarked police cars Australia: How to spot an undercover cop car

There are some states where the very existence of unmarked police cars seems almost as illogical as it is cruel, while in others, like Victoria, it’s a surprise that every second vehicle isn’t a cop car in disguise.

NSW tells you where its speed cameras are, it warns you and the prevailing theory is that speeding can be effected and reduced by very public reminders not to do it - like bright blue and white marked-up police cars.

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And when I say a police officer, I should be more specific because we’re talking about the Highway Patrol here, the speeding-ticket police, a breed of human so special even other cops respond with 'no comment' when asked about them, apparently.

Much as there are people who believe they know which poker machine is about to pay out, there are people who believe they can spot an unmarked police car in Australia, and perhaps they can, some of the time, but as we’ll see, the number of vehicles used as sneaky police vehicles (they are estimated to make up as much as 20 to 30 per cent of the total police fleet) is so great that you’d have to be some kind of freak.

There are subtle tells, of course, like a few too many aerials, a dash-mounted device that almost obscures the windscreen, and lights integrated into the front bumper that only the nerdiest of nerds can spot.

In places like the UK, unmarked cars tend to stick to traffic enforcement and special operations (appearing in the many, many British cop shows), rarely straying from the script.

Here, though, just about anything with four wheels is fair game - from twin-turbo sedans to LandCruisers and electric SUVs. We seem to have the right tool for any job, whether that's pulling over a speeding Subaru WRX (in another WRX, as you might see in the NT) or using a VW Passat to nab someone for an illegal U-turn.

While it may not be a skill you’d add to your LinkedIn profile, being even slightly tuned in to the ever-changing roster of unmarked police cars Australia’s police forces employ could save you from a very expensive lesson in restraint.

But before we go over the cars of today, it’s worth briefly revisiting our country’s colourful undercover cop car history.

In the early years, departments would take a locally made sedan and give it extra bite. Ford’s first locally built Falcon of the 1960s even spawned a special 'Pursuit' edition with a souped-up six-cylinder for the Victorian Police Force.

By the 1970s, there was serious muscle being deployed, including humble XY Falcons fitted with the high-output 5.8-litre V8 from the GT-HO, as well as Holden’s Bathurst-bred Torana GTR.

The Holden-versus-Ford rivalry was fully entrenched in the police fleet by the time the 1980s and '90s rolled around, and remained so until the final Aussie-built interceptors rolled off the line in 2017 (the FG-X XR6 Turbo with 270kW and the LS3-powered Commodore SS with 304kW).

Since the demise of the local car industry, police fleets have shifted to an eclectic mix of imported models to get the job done. In recent years the trend has tilted further toward efficiency and versatility, with hybrids and SUVs rising through the ranks.

Queensland’s fleet is now roughly 70 per cent hybrid, and nearly every state has rolled out petrol-electric models like the Toyota Camry Hybrid for general duties (much like Uber drivers).

All of this has made the task of spotting unmarked police cars in traffic markedly more difficult. There’s no official registry (that would sort of defeat the purpose), but we can piece together what’s currently lurking in plain sight. Here’s how to spot an undercover police car in 2025:

Unmarked Police Cars NSW:

Vehicle	Top Speed (km/h)	0–100km/h (sec)
BMW X5 xDrive40i	250	5.4
BMW 530d (G30)	250	5.4
Ford Ranger XLT	180	8.5
Toyota Fortuner	175	11.4
Volkswagen Passat	245	5.7–7.7
Volkswagen Tiguan 162 TSI	210	6.8
Hyundai Santa Fe	210	7.8
Hyundai Staria	185	9-10
Isuzu D-MAX	180	9.5–10.0
Hyundai Sonata N Line	240	6.5
Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series	210	8.0

The BMW 530d is replacing the much-loved (and thirsty) V8-powered Chrysler 300 SRT for highway patrol duties in NSW, marking the end of eight-cylinder police cars in Australia. And the Holden Commodore has also recently retired from the force, handing in the Holden badge once and for all.

Unmarked Police Cars QLD:

Vehicle	Top Speed (km/h)	0–100km/h (sec)
Kia EV6 GT AWD	260	3.5
Kia Stinger GT	270	4.9
Kia Sorento GT-Line (V6 AWD)	205	7.4
Toyota LandCruiser 200 Series	210	8.6
Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series	210	8.0
Toyota LandCruiser Prado	175	10.6
Toyota Camry Hybrid	180	7.2
Toyota RAV4 Hybrid	185	8.1
Toyota Kluger	200	7.8
Toyota HiLux SR5 (2.8TD)	185	10.7
Isuzu D-MAX 3.0TD	180	9.5–10.0
Isuzu MU-X 3.0TD	175	10.0
Hyundai i-Load 2.5D	180	11.0–12.0
Hyundai Santa Fe	210	7.8
Volkswagen Amarok V6 TDI	190	7.9

One notable retiree from the Queensland Police Force in recent years is the Subaru Levorg, a quirky wagon that sold in small numbers due to people finding it difficult to look at (thus making it rather conspicuous as a plain clothes police vehicle). The KIA EV6 is currently on trial to replace the Kia Stinger as the state’s highway patrol vehicle of choice.

Unmarked Police Cars VIC:

Vehicle	Top Speed (km/h)	0–100 km/h (sec)
Kia Sorento GT-Line (V6 AWD)	205	7.4
Toyota Kluger	200	7.8
Volkswagen Tiguan 162TSI	210	6.8
Ford Ranger XLT	180	8.5
Subaru Forester 2.5i-S AWD	210	9.0–11.0
BMW 530d & 530d Touring (G31)	250	5.4
Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series	210	8.0
Volkswagen Transporter T6.1	203	9.1–15.9
Hyundai Palisade 3.8 V6	210	8.0
Toyota HiLux SR5 (2.8TD)	185	10.7

Although it isn’t unmarked, VicPol has a BMW M5 Competition on loan, making it the fastest police car ever employed on Australian roads in terms of sheer speed.

Unmarked Police Cars TAS:

Vehicle	Top Speed (km/h)	0–100km/h (sec)
Hyundai Santa Fe 2.5T	210	7.5–8.0
Hyundai Tucson 1.6T	201	8.9–11.5
Kia Sorento GT-Line (V6 AWD)	205	7.4
Kia Sportage Hybrid	201	8.0
Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV	190	7.0
Skoda Octavia	210	7.0–8.5
Subaru Outback 2.5i AWD	210	9.0–11.0
Subaru Liberty 3.6R	243	8.2
Toyota Camry Hybrid	180	7.2
Toyota RAV4 Hybrid	190	8.1
Ford Everest V6 AWD	200	7.0–8.0
Ford Ranger Bi-Turbo	180	6.8
Iveco Daily	160	12.0
Mercedes Sprinter	150	11.0–12.0
Toyota Fortuner	175	10.5–11.5
Toyota HiAce	160	10.0–12.0
Toyota Kluger V6 AWD	200	7.8
Toyota Prado	175	10.0–11.0
Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series	210	6.7–7.0
Kia Stinger GT	270	4.9
BMW M340i xDrive	250	4.4
Volkswagen Passat	245	5.7–6.0

The Kia Stinger was seen as a spiritual successor to the Falcons and Commodores that graced the roads of Tasmania for decades. It’s now being phased out in favour of the BMW M340i xDrive, which is just half a second slower to 100km/h than the full-fat M3.

Unmarked Police Cars SA:

Vehicle	Top Speed (km/h)	0–100 km/h (sec)
Kia Sorento Sport AWD	205	7.4
Toyota RAV4 AWD GX Hybrid	185	8.1
Volkswagen Tiguan	210	6.8
Subaru Outback Sport XT Turbo	215	6.3
Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series	210	8.0
Ford Ranger	180	8.5
Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series	170	13.0+

South Australia has recently retired the ZB series Commodore from the fleet, closing Holden’s chapter with the local force for good.

Unmarked Police Cars WA:

Vehicle	Top Speed (km/h)	0–100 km/h (sec)
Skoda Superb 206TSI	250	5.8
Kia Stinger GT	270	4.9
Kia EV6 GT AWD	260	3.5
Volkswagen Tiguan 162TSI	210	6.8
Kia Sorento GT-Line (V6 AWD)	205	7.4
Toyota Kluger V6 AWD	200	7.8
Toyota HiLux SR5 (2.8TD)	185	10.7

In a similar move to the QPS, WA Police are moving forward with trialling the very pacy Kia EV6 to replace a now ageing fleet of Kia Stinger patrol vehicles.

With a dual motor battery set-up totalling 430kW, the EV6 is in a completely different league of speed compared to the V6-powered Stinger.