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A car instrument cluster in kilometres showing 36,076 km on the odometer: the kilometres are yours, the rate per kilometre is set each June by a legislative instrument

ATO Km Rate 2026–27: Why It Is 91 Cents, Why the Return You Lodge This Spring Still Says 88, and Why Next Year Starts From 89

Published on 10 September 2026 by in Guides, Magica
The ATO km rate for 2026–27 is 91 cents, but the return you lodge this spring uses 88. How the rate is set, why it is 89 plus 2, and...
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A car parked outside a suburban house in Perth at first light, before the drive that decides whether the day's kilometres are work-related

Work Related Car Expenses in 2026–27: Which Trips Count, Which Costs Count, and the 1958 Case That Still Decides Your Commute

Published on 3 September 2026
Work related car expenses in 2026-27: which trips the ATO lets you claim, which costs are not car expenses at...
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A covered work vehicle and an everyday sedan sharing a narrow home driveway — two cars, two separate choices between the ATO logbook method and cents per kilometre

Logbook Method vs Cents per Km: How Many Kilometres You Can Really Claim in 2026–27, and Where the Two Cross Over

Published on 31 August 2026
Logbook method vs cents per km, worked out properly. The crossover is not 5,000 kilometres — it is 91 cents....
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A white dual-cab work ute with a tray and toolbox parked on an Australian construction site — the kind of vehicle an ATO logbook is kept for

ATO Logbook Requirements in 2026–27: What Division 28 Actually Says, and the Seven Rules Almost Nobody Quotes

Published on 28 August 2026
The ATO logbook requirements come from Division 28 of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997. What it actually asks for,...
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Brake caliper, pad and rotor seen through the wheel — the friction material whose thickness decides how long brake pads last

How Long Do Brake Pads Last? The Only Federal Number Is 1/32 Inch, and the Rule That Sets It Binds Nobody

Published on 24 August 2026
How long do brake pads last? The only federal thickness for a car is 1/32 inch, in a rule that...
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Close-up of a car tire tread — the grooves whose depth decides how long tires last

How Long Do Tires Last? The Sidewall Number Is Not a Mileage, and the Legal Floor Is Not a Safety Line

Published on 23 August 2026
How long do tires last? Not a count of years: 250 mils of usable rubber, a legal floor of 1/32...
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Car instrument cluster marked in MPH — the odometer is what decides resale value, and the best cars for resale value rankings never measure it

Best Cars for Resale Value in 2026: the Ranking Measures the Calendar, Not the Odometer

Published on 22 August 2026
The best cars for resale value lists rank models by the calendar. Federal law indexes value to the odometer, and...
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Close-up of a five-digit mechanical car odometer reading 56947 miles — the one number a used-car seller must certify in writing

Questions to Ask When Buying a Used Car: the Nine With a Legal Answer

Published on 21 August 2026
Questions to ask when buying a used car that have an answer in writing: the Buyers Guide, the odometer disclosure,...
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Hand holding a socket wrench over the open engine bay of a car during scheduled maintenance

Car Maintenance Schedule: What Your Car Actually Requires, and Who Decides

Published on 19 August 2026
A car maintenance schedule is not one generic 30/60/90k checklist. Mazda publishes miles, Honda publishes none, and federal law decides...
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Refuelling a car at a gas station: real gas mileage is measured at the pump, not on the window sticker

Cars With the Best Gas Mileage in 2026: the EPA’s Own Numbers, and Where They Stop Being True

Published on 18 August 2026
The cars, SUVs and trucks with the best gas mileage in 2026, straight from EPA data — plus who runs...
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