Cheapest states to register a car, and the most expensive
The cheapest states to register a car, and the dearest, ranked by the yearly cost to keep a typical car registered across every state we cover, worked out from each DMV's own fee schedule rather than a survey. One standard car, so the states are compared like for like.
The gap is enormous. Georgia keeps a typical car on the road for about $20 a year. California charges about $457 for the same car. Neither number is the sales tax you pay once when you buy; this is the recurring tag cost.
Where keeping a car registered costs the least
| # | State | Per year | What sets it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgia | $20 | A flat fee |
| 2 | South Carolina | $20 + county tax | A flat fee |
| 3 | Kentucky | $21 + county tax | A flat fee |
| 4 | Tennessee | $26.50 + county tax | A flat fee |
| 5 | Arkansas | $27.50 + county tax | Vehicle weight |
| 6 | Mississippi | $27.75 + county tax | A flat fee |
| 7 | New York | $28.25 | Vehicle weight |
| 8 | Virginia | $30.75 + county tax | Vehicle weight |
| 9 | Missouri | $33.25 + county tax | Weight and age |
| 10 | Delaware | $40 | A flat fee |
| 11 | Kansas | $42.25 + county tax | Vehicle weight |
| 12 | Ohio | $44 | A flat fee |
Where yearly registration costs the most
| # | State | Per year | What sets it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $457 | A flat fee |
| 2 | Hawaii | $382.75 + county tax | A weight tax per pound |
| 3 | Minnesota | $351 | Weight and age |
| 4 | Nebraska | $340.50 | A yearly tax on the car’s value |
| 5 | Iowa | $314 | A slice of the list price plus weight |
| 6 | Arizona | $265.42 | Weight and age |
| 7 | Nevada | $264 | A yearly tax on the car’s value |
| 8 | Indiana | $246.35 + county tax | A yearly tax on the car’s value |
| 9 | Montana | $232.51 + county tax | The age of the car |
| 10 | Maine | $230 | A yearly tax on the car’s value |
| 11 | New Hampshire | $228 | A yearly tax on the car’s value |
| 12 | Alabama | $213.25 | A yearly tax on the car’s value |
How we worked this out
One standard car, for a fair comparison: a three-year-old sedan that listed at $30,000 when new and weighs 3,500 lbs, running on gas. The figure is the recurring yearly cost only, the registration and any annual value tax, not the one-off sales tax, title or plate. A few states add a county tax on the car's value that is billed with the registration but varies by county; those are marked "+ county tax" because the tag figure alone understates them. Your own figure depends on your car and county, so use the calculator on any state page for an exact number.
Every state, per year
| State | Per year | What sets it |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $213.25 | A yearly tax on the car’s value |
| Alaska | $100 + county tax | A flat fee |
| Arizona | $265.42 | Weight and age |
| Arkansas | $27.50 + county tax | Vehicle weight |
| California | $457 | A flat fee |
| Colorado | $172.05 | A yearly tax on the car’s value |
| Connecticut | $169 + county tax | A flat fee |
| Delaware | $40 | A flat fee |
| District of Columbia | $175 | Vehicle weight |
| Florida | $46.10 | Vehicle weight |
| Georgia | $20 | A flat fee |
| Hawaii | $382.75 + county tax | A weight tax per pound |
| Idaho | $58.25 | The age of the car |
| Illinois | $151 | A flat fee |
| Indiana | $246.35 + county tax | A yearly tax on the car’s value |
| Iowa | $314 | A slice of the list price plus weight |
| Kansas | $42.25 + county tax | Vehicle weight |
| Kentucky | $21 + county tax | A flat fee |
| Louisiana | $68 | Weight and age |
| Maine | $230 | A yearly tax on the car’s value |
| Maryland | $120.50 | Vehicle weight |
| Massachusetts | $105 | A yearly tax on the car’s value |
| Michigan | $129.76 | Weight and age |
| Minnesota | $351 | Weight and age |
| Mississippi | $27.75 + county tax | A flat fee |
| Missouri | $33.25 + county tax | Weight and age |
| Montana | $232.51 + county tax | The age of the car |
| Nebraska | $340.50 | A yearly tax on the car’s value |
| Nevada | $264 | A yearly tax on the car’s value |
| New Hampshire | $228 | A yearly tax on the car’s value |
| New Jersey | $46.50 | Vehicle weight |
| New Mexico | $71.50 | Vehicle weight |
| New York | $28.25 | Vehicle weight |
| North Carolina | $46.25 + county tax | A flat fee |
| North Dakota | $93 | Vehicle weight |
| Ohio | $44 | A flat fee |
| Oklahoma | $86 | The age of the car |
| Oregon | $136 | A flat fee |
| Pennsylvania | $48 | A flat fee |
| Rhode Island | $51.75 | Vehicle weight |
| South Carolina | $20 + county tax | A flat fee |
| South Dakota | $76 + county tax | Vehicle weight |
| Tennessee | $26.50 + county tax | A flat fee |
| Texas | $64 | A flat fee |
| Utah | $170.50 | The age of the car |
| Vermont | $91 | A flat fee |
| Virginia | $30.75 + county tax | Vehicle weight |
| Washington | $82.75 + county tax | Vehicle weight |
| West Virginia | $51.50 + county tax | A flat fee |
| Wisconsin | $85 + county tax | A flat fee |
| Wyoming | $210 | A yearly tax on the car’s value |
Work out your own
AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareDistrict of ColumbiaFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyoming
What is the cheapest state to register a car?
On a like-for-like basis Georgia is the cheapest of the states we cover, at about $20 a year to keep a typical car registered. Several states cluster just above it with a simple flat fee. The states that look cheapest of all on the tag line are sometimes not, because they add a county tax on the car's value that is billed with the registration; those are marked in the table.
What is the most expensive state to register a car?
California is the priciest of the states we cover, at about $457 a year for a typical car, because on top of its registration fee it charges a yearly vehicle license fee of 0.65% of the car's value. The other expensive states are the ones that levy a yearly tax on what the car is worth, so an expensive car costs far more to keep registered there than a cheap one.
Why is registration so much more expensive in some states?
Because a few states treat the registration as a tax rather than a fee. A flat-fee state charges everyone about the same small amount. A state with a yearly value tax charges a percentage of what the car is worth every year, which for a newer car dwarfs the tag fee and never shows up in a dealer's quote. Weight-based states sit in between, charging heavier cars more.
How is this ranking worked out?
Every figure comes from the same state fee schedules behind our calculator. We use one standard car for a fair comparison: a three-year-old sedan that listed at $30,000 when new and weighs 3,500 lbs, gas, and we count only the recurring cost, the tag and any yearly value tax, not the one-off sales tax, title or plate. Your own car will differ, especially in the value-tax states; use the calculator on any state page for your exact figure.
Does this include the sales tax when you buy?
No. This ranks the yearly cost to keep a car registered, which is what "register a car" usually means once you already own it. The one-off tax you pay when you buy is a separate, often much larger number; the car sales tax by state page covers that.