The 1996 Australian Touring Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing title for drivers of 5.0 Litre Touring Cars[1] complying with Australian Group 3A regulations.[2] The championship, which was the 37th Australian Touring Car Championship,[3] was promoted as the Shell Australian Touring Car Championship.[4] It was contested over ten rounds between January 1996 and June 1996.[5] The championship was contested earlier in the year than usual as much of telecaster Channel 7's broadcast equipment was required for its 1996 Summer Olympics coverage. 1996 was the last year in which Channel 7 would broadcast the championship until 2007, with Network Ten taking over the broadcast rights from the 1997 season onwards.
The championship was won by Craig Lowndes driving a Holden VR Commodore entered by the Holden Racing Team.