She never received an annual renewal bill, a reminder notice, or a letter to notify her that the car registration had been cancelled, she said.

Her husband, who is recovering from cancer treatment, was told he had to drive more than an hour to Seaford to pay for a new plate, a new roadworthy certificate, registration, and a fine of more than $700 because that was the closest VicRoads office with an available appointment.

"It's been an absolute nightmare. It's cost us a lot of money. It's been really horrible," she told 774 ABC's Jon Faine on Friday.

"I hate to think this is happening to pensioners, to students, to people who really can't afford to be paying out this money unnecessarily, good law-abiding citizens who, every year, pay their registration and expect it to come in the mail."

Another motorist said they had accidently overpaid the cost of their registration, but VicRoads failed to tell them it therefore rejected the payment, leaving the car unregistered.