All users of New Zealand's roads contribute towards their upkeep. Most road users pay levies in the prices of their fuel. Others, such as users of diesel-powered or electric vehicles, pay through road user charges (RUC).
All the revenue collected from road user charges goes into the National Land Transport Fund and the Regional Land Transport Fund. To find out the costs of your RUC, please use this NZTA link.
Road User Charges used to be referred to as "diesel miles".
The law says that owners of vehicles powered by a fuel that isn't taxed at source (eg, diesel, electricity), regardless of the weight of the vehicle, must pay road user charges. Vehicles with a manufacturer's gross laden weight of more than 3.5 tonnes (3,500 kg) also incur road user charges.
To pay the charges, you purchase a road user charges licence (RUC licence), based on the vehicle type and weight at any VTNZ station in the country.
If you own a diesel car, ute or van, you probably need a distance licence. A distance licence is purchased in 1000 km units (or multiples of 1,000). Your vehicle must be continuously licensed. This means that you must buy a new licence before you've driven all the distance covered by the previous licence.
If you carry heavier than normal loads for a short distance, you can purchase a supplementary licence in 50 km units.
If your vehicle is being driven with trade plates you need a time licence. Time licences are purchased for 1 to 12 months.
Your RUC licence details must be displayed at all times on the inside of the passenger's side of the front windscreen. The face of the licence, which shows the registration plate number, must be visible from outside the vehicle. If a supplementary licence has been issued, both the distance and the supplementary licence must be displayed.
Get your free RUC licence holder at your local VTNZ station.
