In Australia, there is no minimum legal age to own a car, you can own a car at any age, even as a baby, because ownership is a property right, not a licensing right. A car is considered personal property, so a parent or guardian can purchase a car and register it in a child's name, and there is no law preventing a 10-year-old from being listed as the owner on paper. However, there is a big difference between owning and legally driving or registering a car. To drive a car on public roads, you must be at least 16 years old to get your learner permit in most states, 16 years and 6 months in WA, and 17-18 for a provisional licence. To register a car in your own name and be the registered operator, most states require you to be at least 16 or 17 and have some form of photo ID and licence, although some states like NSW allow registration in the name of a person without a licence if they can prove identity. For insurance, you must be at least 16-17 to be listed as a driver, and most insurers will not issue a policy to someone under 18 or will charge extremely high premiums for drivers under 21. In practice, most people first own and register a car in their own name when they get their P plates at 17 or 18, even if their parents bought it earlier.
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