We’ll look at vehicle modifications together with all of your transport needs and think about the best funded supports for your circumstances. Funding for vehicle modifications may reduce your need for other supports, for example transport funding.
You may not have previously owned or leased a modified vehicle but believe it may help you pursue your goals. If so, you can request funding to explore what vehicle modification supports you need.
To decide if we’ll include funding to explore vehicle modification options in your plan, we need evidence or an assessment. This will usually come from your allied health provider or medical practitioner (GP) and tells us about your need for modified transport.
Refer to our factsheet Understanding assistive technology evidence, advice, assessments and quotes .
If you’re planning to drive the modified vehicle, your medical practitioner should also check you’re fit to drive, using the national Assessing Fitness to Drive medical standard.
Before we can decide if your vehicle modifications meet the NDIS funding criteria, we need evidence or an assessment from your occupational therapist. If you want to drive the vehicle, this needs to be from a driver-trained occupational therapist. The evidence or assessment should answer the questions in What vehicle modifications do we fund?
The evidence or assessment should also tell us what new modifications may be needed. Or for existing modifications made to a second hand car, it should confirm the modifications are safe for you and suit your needs. We have a vehicle modification assessment template your driver-trained occupational therapist can complete.
We’ll also need to know either:
- you own the vehicle
- you plan to buy or lease the vehicle
- if you don’t own the vehicle, its owner agrees in writing that the modifications can be made, and you can use the vehicle for your transport needs.
If you’re planning to buy a second hand vehicle that is older than 5 years and no longer under warranty, we’ll need a vehicle condition report. A licensed vehicle modifier or certifier needs to provide this report. The report should provide the details outlined in How old is your vehicle and is it under warranty?
If the vehicle already has modifications that suit your needs, the report must describe these modifications, and confirm:
- they meet the Australian standards and rules relevant in your state or territory
- how old they are, and how much longer they are likely to last.
If the modifications are being made to your vehicle, the report will need to:
- confirm the vehicle is suitable to have modifications made to it
- provide details of all the proposed modifications
- confirm that when the modifications are completed, they’ll meet the Australian standards and rules relevant in your state or territory
- include any cost to get the engineering certificate or authorisation report for registration in your state or territory.
Vehicle modifications are a type of assistive technology. You always need to get advice before you buy any assistive technology. But the type of evidence or assessment you need will depend on whether the assistive technology is low cost, mid cost, or high cost.