New road traffic regulations in 2026
This page quotes the Road Traffic Regulations, 2012 (L.I. 2180). They have been replaced by the Road Traffic Regulations, 2026 (L.I. 2519). Licences, permits and certificates issued under L.I. 2180 stay valid until they expire. The new regulations’ text is not yet published online, so check the rules below with the DVLA before relying on them. What changed
Every vehicle on a Ghanaian road has to pass the DVLA’s roadworthiness examination at set intervals, and the expiry date is printed on the vehicle registration certificate. How often depends on what the vehicle is and how old it is, under regulation 5 of the Road Traffic Regulations, 2012 (LI 2180):
| Vehicle | How often |
|---|---|
| New private car, until it is 4 years old or has run 100,000 km | Every 2 years |
| Private car, older or past that distance | Every 12 months |
| New commercial vehicle, until it is 2 years old or has run 100,000 km | Every year |
| Commercial vehicle, older or past that distance | Every 6 months |
The age counts from the year of manufacture, so a car imported used is rarely “new” to the DVLA. Ask at its first examination which interval applies, and note the expiry date it is given.
The road use certificate
Alongside the examination, the owner pays the road use fee and gets a road use certificate, with its sticker on the right-hand inside of the front windscreen. It lasts 12 months for a private vehicle and 6 for a commercial one, and can be renewed at any time in the 1 month before it expires. Driving without a valid one is an offence (LI 2180, reg. 7).
Where to go
The examination is done by the DVLA at its own testing stations, or at a private vehicle testing station the DVLA has licensed. In Accra that means a DVLA office or one of the licensed private stations; ask at the DVLA which ones are currently licensed, because the DVLA shut six private stations in April 2026 for passing vehicles that should have failed.
Do not buy a sticker
People have been arrested for driving with fake roadworthy stickers, and a certificate for a car nobody examined is worthless to your insurer after a crash. If anyone offers to “do the roadworthy” without the car going to a station, refuse.
What to bring
The DVLA publishes its fees on its website, and charges more for its faster premium services than for the standard one. Pay only at the DVLA’s own points and keep the receipt.
What the examiner checks
Whether the vehicle matches its papers and “will not pose a danger” to anyone on the road. In practice:
- Brakes, including the handbrake
- Lights: headlights on both beams, indicators, brake lights, reverse lights
- Tyres: tread depth and condition, including the spare
- Steering and suspension: no play, no leaks
- Windscreen and wipers: no crack in the driver’s view
- Horn, mirrors and seatbelts
- Exhaust and emissions: no heavy smoke
- Chassis and engine numbers, against the registration
The cheapest way to pass is to check the bulbs, wipers and tyres yourself the week before. A failed test means a second trip.
Before you buy a used car
Ask to see the registration certificate and the date the roadworthy expires. A car sold with a few weeks left on it is a car that may be about to fail.