What must be in place before a car is driven on a highway?

A validated permit and the prescribed plates displayed

A safety certificate carried in the car

A validated permit, plates only on commercial vehicles

Plates issued by OMVIC and a driver's permit

A permit holder sells their car. What must they do with the plates and permit?

Remove the plates, keep the plate portion, sign the transfer

Hand the buyer the keys, plates and whole permit

Leave the plates on and hand over the whole permit

Surrender the plates to ServiceOntario and keep the permit

Where a used car is offered for sale, what must the seller do with the Used Vehicle Information Package?

Show it to buyers and hand it over at sale

Mail it to the Ministry within thirty days

Provide it on written request, after full payment

Keep it on file for a year afterwards

Which of these calls for a Safety Standards Certificate?

Selling a used car to a buyer as fit

Moving a permit from unfit to fit status

Registering a car that was rebuilt after salvage

A buyer wants a used vehicle information package before signing. Who issues one?

The Ministry of Transportation, for a prescribed fee

The previous owner, from their own papers

The selling dealer, at the time of sale

OMVIC, on request from a registered dealer

Who is allowed to buy a vehicle at a wholesale auction?

Dealers registered in Ontario and dealers registered outside Ontario

Any licensed body shop buying parts for repairs

Anyone a registered dealer brings into the auction

Anyone who holds a current auction card

Who may be issued a service plate and permit in Ontario?

A business that repairs or transports vehicles

An insurer holding a vehicle it wrote off

A dealer selling used cars from its lot

A driver whose car is in for repairs

Vehicle documents: practice quiz

Vehicle documents and permits · 14 questions Free set

Question 1 of 14 Vehicle documents and permits

What must be in place before a car is driven on a highway?
- A safety certificate carried in the car
- A validated permit, plates only on commercial vehicles
- Plates issued by OMVIC and a driver's permit
- A validated permit and the prescribed plates displayed
Highway Traffic Act · reproduced on this site Press to read the wording here

(1) No person shall drive a motor vehicle on a highway unless,
(a) there exists a currently validated permit for the vehicle;
(b) there are displayed on the vehicle, in the prescribed manner,
(i) number plates issued in accordance with the regulations showing the number of the permit issued for the vehicle, or
(ii) number plates described in subsection (7.2) if the vehicle is an historic vehicle and the Ministry has issued a currently validated permit for it; and
(c) if required under the regulations, evidence of the current validation of the permit is affixed to a number plate in the prescribed manner. R.S.O. 1990, c. H.8, s. 7 (1); 2000, c. 29, s. 1 (1); 2019, c. 15, Sched. 18, s. 2 (1).

Read section 7 in full

Section 7(1) of the Highway Traffic Act requires a currently validated permit for the vehicle, the prescribed number plates displayed on it, and, where the regulations require it, evidence of validation affixed to a plate. Number plates are required on every motor vehicle driven on a highway, not just commercial ones. A Safety Standards Certificate is a condition of registering a used vehicle rather than of driving one, and OMVIC does not issue number plates.
Question 2 of 14 Vehicle documents and permits

A permit holder sells their car. What must they do with the plates and permit?
- Remove the plates, keep the plate portion, sign the transfer
- Hand the buyer the keys, plates and whole permit
- Leave the plates on and hand over the whole permit
- Surrender the plates to ServiceOntario and keep the permit
Highway Traffic Act · reproduced on this site Press to read the wording here

(1) Upon the holder of a permit ceasing to be the owner or lessee of the motor vehicle or trailer referred to in the permit, he, she or it shall,
(a) remove his, her or its number plates from the vehicle;
(b) retain the plate portion of the permit; and
(c) on delivery of the vehicle,
(i) to the new owner, complete and sign the transfer application of the vehicle portion of the permit including the date of the delivery and give that portion of the permit to the new owner, or
(ii) to a lessor, give the vehicle portion of the permit to the lessor. R.S.O. 1990, c. H.8, s. 11 (1).

Read section 11 in full

Section 11(1) of the Highway Traffic Act requires a permit holder who ceases to be the owner to remove the number plates, retain the plate portion of the permit, and, on delivery of the vehicle, complete and sign the transfer application on the vehicle portion and give that portion to the new owner. The plates and the plate portion stay with the seller, so any answer that leaves the plates on the vehicle or hands the whole permit to the buyer is wrong. Nothing in section 11 calls for surrendering plates to ServiceOntario on a sale.
Question 3 of 14 Vehicle documents and permits

How long does a new owner have to apply for a vehicle permit?
- Six days
- Seven days
- Thirty days
- Fourteen days
Highway Traffic Act · reproduced on this site Press to read the wording here

(2) Every person shall, within six days after becoming the owner of a motor vehicle or trailer for which a permit has been issued, apply to the Ministry, on the form provided therefor, for a new permit for the vehicle. R.S.O. 1990, c. H.8, s. 11 (2).

Read section 11 in full

Section 11(2) of the Highway Traffic Act requires every new owner to apply to the Ministry for a new permit within six days of becoming the owner.
Question 4 of 14 Vehicle documents and permits

Where a used car is offered for sale, what must the seller do with the Used Vehicle Information Package?
- Show it to buyers and hand it over at sale
- Mail it to the Ministry within thirty days
- Provide it on written request, after full payment
- Keep it on file for a year afterwards
Highway Traffic Act · reproduced on this site Press to read the wording here

(1) Every person who sells, offers for sale or transfers a used motor vehicle shall provide a valid used vehicle information package in respect of the vehicle for inspection by proposed purchasers or transferees and shall deliver the package to the purchaser or transferee at the time of sale or transfer of the vehicle. 1993, c. 13, s. 1.

Read section 11.1 in full

Section 11.1(1) of the Highway Traffic Act requires every person who sells, offers for sale or transfers a used motor vehicle to provide a valid Used Vehicle Information Package for inspection by proposed purchasers and to deliver it to the purchaser at the time of sale or transfer. The duty does not wait on a written request and is not met by keeping the package on file or mailing it to the Ministry. Delivery is due at the time of sale, not after the price has been paid. Chapter 15 covers researching a vehicle.
Question 5 of 14 Vehicle documents and permits

Running a used car lot needs a Highway Traffic Act licence on top of OMVIC registration.
- True
- False
Highway Traffic Act · reproduced on this site Press to read the wording here

(2) Subsection (1) does not apply to a person who is registered as a motor vehicle dealer in accordance with the Motor Vehicle Dealers Act, 2002. R.S.O. 1990, c. H.8, s. 59 (2); 2002, c. 30, Sched. E, s. 7.

Read section 59 in full

Section 59(2) of the Highway Traffic Act states that the section 59(1) licensing requirement does not apply to a person registered as a motor vehicle dealer under the Motor Vehicle Dealers Act, so a separate licence is not required.
Question 6 of 14 Vehicle documents and permits

How recent must a safety certificate be for a used car's permit to show fit status?
- 30 days
- 36 days
- 60 days
- 90 days
R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 628 under the HTA · reproduced on this site Press to read the wording here

(2) A permit indicating a fit status shall not be issued for a used motor vehicle unless a safety standards certificate was issued upon an inspection of the vehicle that was completed within the preceding 36 days. O. Reg. 172/22, s. 2 (4).

Read section 2.0.1 in full

R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 628 will not let a used vehicle's permit go into fit status unless the Safety Standards Certificate behind it came out of an inspection finished no more than 36 days earlier, so a certificate resting on an older inspection no longer carries the transfer and the car goes back for another one.
Question 7 of 14 Vehicle documents and permits

A vehicle branded irreparable can be rebranded rebuilt once it passes a structural inspection.
- True
- False
Highway Traffic Act · reproduced on this site Press to read the wording here

(23) A vehicle that is classified in the vehicle permit records as irreparable cannot subsequently be reclassified as rebuilt. 2000, c. 15, s. 2.

Read section 199.1 in full

An irreparable vehicle can never be reclassified as rebuilt, whatever certificate is produced for it, because the rebuilt brand is reached from salvage: a salvage vehicle is repaired, passes a structural inspection and is then rebranded rebuilt. Subsection 199.1(23) of the Highway Traffic Act states the bar, and 18.08 sets the two brands side by side.
Question 8 of 14 Vehicle documents and permits

Dealer plates and service plates come from the Ministry of Transportation rather than from OMVIC.
- True
- False
Plates and vehicle permits come from the Ministry of Transportation, because OMVIC registers dealers and salespeople and issues no plates at all, so a registered dealer applies to the ministry for the dealer plate it runs on its inventory vehicles. 18.06 covers dealer and service plates and 18.11 restates it.
Question 9 of 14 Vehicle documents and permits

Which of these is a brand Ontario gives a badly damaged vehicle?
- Irreparable
- Salvage
- Rebuilt
- All of the above
A badly damaged vehicle is branded in one of four categories, and irreparable, salvage and rebuilt are three of them, with none as the fourth for a vehicle that has never been given any of the others in Ontario. The brand is printed on the permit, the vehicle history and the information package, so the damage stays on the public record. 18.08 sets out the four.
Question 10 of 14 Vehicle documents and permits

Which of these calls for a Safety Standards Certificate?
- Selling a used car to a buyer as fit
- Moving a permit from unfit to fit status
- Registering a car that was rebuilt after salvage
- All of the above
A Safety Standards Certificate is required on four occasions: handing a used car to its next owner with fit status, first registering here a car last registered outside Ontario, taking a permit out of unfit status, and registering a car as rebuilt. Each of the three events listed here is one of those four, so they stand together. 18.09 carries the list.
Question 11 of 14 Vehicle documents and permits

A buyer wants a used vehicle information package before signing. Who issues one?
- The previous owner, from their own papers
- The selling dealer, at the time of sale
- The Ministry of Transportation, for a prescribed fee
- OMVIC, on request from a registered dealer
Highway Traffic Act · reproduced on this site Press to read the wording here

(2) The Ministry shall issue a used vehicle information package in respect of any used motor vehicle to any person who applies therefor and pays the prescribed fee. 1993, c. 13, s. 1.

Read section 11.1 in full

The Ministry must issue a used vehicle information package for any used vehicle to any person who applies for one and pays the prescribed fee, so a buyer can order the package themselves and run the lien and history check before signing anything. Subsection 11.1(2) of the Highway Traffic Act provides it, and 18.10 covers what the package holds.
Question 12 of 14 Vehicle documents and permits

Who is allowed to buy a vehicle at a wholesale auction?
- Any licensed body shop buying parts for repairs
- Dealers registered in Ontario and dealers registered outside Ontario
- Anyone a registered dealer brings into the auction
- Anyone who holds a current auction card
Only a dealer registered in Ontario and a dealer registered outside Ontario may buy at a wholesale auction, so a guest walked in by a dealer and a person holding an auction card are both outside that set. 18.07 states who may buy.
Question 13 of 14 Vehicle documents and permits

A safety certificate used to transfer ownership stays valid for 36 days after it is issued.
- True
- False
A Safety Standards Certificate carries a transfer of ownership for 36 days counted from the day it was issued, so a certificate older than that will not move the vehicle to its new owner as fit and the car goes back for another inspection. 18.09 states the period.
Question 14 of 14 Vehicle documents and permits

Who may be issued a service plate and permit in Ontario?
- An insurer holding a vehicle it wrote off
- A business that repairs or transports vehicles
- A dealer selling used cars from its lot
- A driver whose car is in for repairs
R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 628 under the HTA · reproduced on this site Press to read the wording here

(1) Upon filing satisfactory evidence as to the need for it, a Service permit and number plate may be issued to a person engaged in the business of,
(a) repairing, customizing, modifying or transporting trailers or motor vehicles other than motorcycles and motor assisted bicycles;
(b) manufacturing or selling trailers; or
(c) selling, repairing, customizing, modifying, transporting or storing vessels, motorized snow vehicles or off-road vehicles. O. Reg. 38/19, s. 1 (1); O. Reg. 734/20, s. 2.

Read section 13.1 in full

A service plate goes to a person in the business of repairing, customizing, modifying or transporting vehicles or trailers, so a repair or transport business qualifies and a seller of motor vehicles takes a dealer plate instead. Reg. 628, s. 13.1(1) sets who may hold one, and 18.06 covers plates.

Vehicle documents and permits

What must be in place before a car is driven on a highway?

A permit holder sells their car. What must they do with the plates and permit?

How long does a new owner have to apply for a vehicle permit?

Where a used car is offered for sale, what must the seller do with the Used Vehicle Information Package?

Running a used car lot needs a Highway Traffic Act licence on top of OMVIC registration.

How recent must a safety certificate be for a used car's permit to show fit status?

A vehicle branded irreparable can be rebranded rebuilt once it passes a structural inspection.

Dealer plates and service plates come from the Ministry of Transportation rather than from OMVIC.

Which of these is a brand Ontario gives a badly damaged vehicle?

Which of these calls for a Safety Standards Certificate?

A buyer wants a used vehicle information package before signing. Who issues one?

Who is allowed to buy a vehicle at a wholesale auction?

A safety certificate used to transfer ownership stays valid for 36 days after it is issued.

Who may be issued a service plate and permit in Ontario?

14 questions here. 17 topics in all.