Police

Speeding fines have been increasing in Australia, but how do they stack up across the country?How much you pay differs between states and how severe the offence is.Fines increase the more severe the speeding offence, but some states and territories have significantly higher minimum penalties than others.Speeding offences are grouped into general segments of 10km/h and under, 11km/h to 20km/h, 21km/h to 30km/h, 31km/h to 45km/h and over 45km/h.New South Wales has contrasting approaches to both ends of its speeding scale.It holds the highest maximum speeding fine of $3300, while its $149 minimum is one of the lowest in the country. The next highest is South Australia that has a maximum fine of $2098 for offences of more than 45km/h, and a minimum penalty of $215.The ACT has the highest minimum speeding penalty of $394, followed by Queensland with $345. The pair are also pricey at the other end of the scale. Queensland can charge as much as $1986, while the ACT can fine up to $1891. Tasmania has the lowest minimum speeding fine of $102.50, with its maximum fine at $1178.75. The Northern Territory also has a low minimum penalty of $150, and has the lowest maximum fine of $1000.Western Australia has a maximum penalty of $1200, but its minimum fine is on the lower end at $200. Victoria is among the harshest for its driving bans, with speeding of more than 45km/h earning you nine months off the roads.A minor driving offence starts from $261, with a maximum penalty setting you back $1046. Tasmania has the lowest minimum penalty of $102.50, but its maximum penalty sits at $1178.75. The Northern Territory also has a comparatively cheap minimum fine of $150, while it has a maximum fine of $1000. 2027 speeding fines Australia 

A fleet of new police cars is going to be harder to spot.South Australia Police have revealed six new patrol cars that will be hiding in plain sight.Dubbed shadow patrol cars, the hard-to-see livery will be applied to a range of vehicles including a Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series, Toyota Kluger and a previous-generation Subaru Outback.The vehicles feature colour matched and subdued police markings that are less visible in the daytime, but reflect at night when they catch the light.Commissioner of Police Grant Stevens said the new subdued police cars were to boost road safety and stop tragedy before it occurs.“With 61 lives already lost on South Australian roads this year, we cannot afford complacency. Every fatality represents a person who did not make it home and families whose lives have been changed forever,” said Commissioner Stevens.South Australia Police said drink and drug driving, along with dangerous road users or behaviours contributed to 67 per cent of the road fatalities this year.He also said the hiding in plain sight nature of the cars will be a deterrence.“If people know police may be on the road in vehicles that are not immediately obvious from a distance, they may think twice before speeding, driving affected by alcohol or drugs, using their phone, or taking risks behind the wheel,” he said.The new vehicles will take part in routine road policing and targeted enforcement operations in metropolitan and rural areas, according to South Australia Police.Each vehicle will be equipped with standard Highway Patrol and road policing equipment, including speed detectors, alcohol and drug testing and safety equipment.South Australia Police said these vehicles will complement, not replace, the high visibility Highway Patrol vehicles currently used in the state.The new fleet of shadow patrol cars has already had an immediate impact. They nabbed a driver on Wednesday in Seaford, who was spotted driving erratically.He was reported for driving while under the influence and fail to comply with breath analysis.He was issued with a 12-month instant loss of licence, and his vehicle was impounded for 28 days.

It’s been a minute since the only cars we would regularly see wearing a strip of blue and white Sillitoe tartan down the side were the Holden Commodore, Ford Falcon and sometimes Toyota Camry.The world of police cars and vehicles has broadened — Ford Rangers, Hyundai Santa Fes, Volkswagen Passats, the list goes on. All must be practical, of course, and for different purposes.But there are new things to consider now, like hybrids and EVs, new ute options and of course which cars will be the PR show cars, the ones that don’t really have to work too hard. Here are five suggestions from across the spectrum.BYD Shark 6Something about a ute in white with police decals and a bullbar on the front just works. Our digital artist Thanos Pappas has rendered the Shark 6 as a police car both in the red dirt of rural Australia, and in the Sydney CBD.Australia and its vastly different environments could be the perfect place to see if the innovative BYD Shark 6 has what it takes to ‘keep the streets safe’ as it were.While its electric ability would make it ideal for city and suburban patrols, its petrol power means range anxiety on longer routes isn’t a concern.The big question surrounds its ability to off-road - CarsGuide’s off-road guru Marcus Craft deemed it suitable for “light to moderate off-roading” only, though we’re not sure how many police chases end up requiring rock-crawls and hill-climbs.Still, it looks good in the livery, and isn’t that the most important thing about policing? Right? Isn’t it?Kia TasmanPerhaps a little closer to reality is the idea of a Kia Tasman police car. Not only is there already a strong relationship between Kia (and Hyundai) and many police services around the country but there’s even a mock-up Tasman cop car already.During 2025 there was even a period that around Australia “multiple jurisdictions considering and are interested” in using the Tasman for policing.Whether that comes to fruition is yet to be seen - a lot of testing has to be done before a car is deemed suitable for police work, perhaps one reason a couple of other cars on this list may fall short in certain areas.Ford MustangThe Mustang is one such car that might have a couple of downsides - the inability to to detain someone safely being one - but police have often had high-powered highway patrol cars or community engagement vehicles that aren’t really built for your everyday patrols.It wouldn’t be the first time this has come up - about ten years ago the NSW Police Force was considering a Mustang GT for highway patrol, but the previous generation car was struggling with some overheating issues under hard testing.The Ford Mustang seems like a good choice given it’s an easy design to admire, it’s actually a very capable sports car, and it’s got a link to the former FPV patrol cars in the form of its Coyote 5.0-litre engine, on which FPV’s Miami V8 was based.Toyota RAV4This might seem like a boring, obvious answer, but the incoming Toyota RAV4 would make a really sensible car for Australian police.The hybrid of it all, not to mention Toyota’s long history of supplying police cars and its reputation for reliability.That and if the current RAV4 is anything to go by, the new one should be a fairly capable and easy-to-use thing.Genesis G70Victoria Police announced in 2017 it would add dozens of BMW 5 Series highway patrol cars to its fleet, so why not a similar rear-drive sports sedan from the sibling brand to Hyundai, models from which police have been using for some time now.A 3.3-litre twin-turbo engine with 274kW and 510Nm, plus some decent handling and dynamics alongside a design I reckon would suit the blue and white (and yellow in highway patrol form).

What offences can cameras catch you committing when driving?

Who would have thought the sight of red and blue flashing lights in the rear view mirror could put a smile on your face?

Kia has confirmed to CarsGuide its Tasman ute is currently being evaluated by police forces around Australia.

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.

Kia Tasman gets police makeover.

Is having a radar detector or jammer in your car against the law in Australia? In fact, are radar detectors illegal in Australia, even if they’re not in your car?

You never love to see them in your rear-view mirror, but you do like knowing they’re out on the roads keeping us safe. I’m talking, of course, about police cars.