EV registration fee by state
The EV registration fee is what each state charges a year for driving an electric car, on top of everything a gas car pays. From $50 to $270, and nothing at all in 10 of the 51 states we have verified.
Electric car fees at registration, state by state
| State | Electric, per year | Plug-in hybrid | Base registration | Total per year | Over 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | $270 | Not charged | $46.50 | $316.50 | $1,350 |
| Michigan | $267 | Not charged | varies | varies | $1,335 |
| Pennsylvania | $250 | $63 | $48 | $298 | $1,250 |
| Indiana | $242 | $81 | $21.35 | $263.35 | $1,210 |
| Oregon | $240 | Not charged | $136 | $376 | $1,200 |
| Georgia | $238.59 | Not charged | $20 | $258.59 | $1,192.95 |
| Washington | $225 | $75 | $65 | $290 | $1,125 |
| North Carolina | $214.50 | $107.25 | $46.25 | $260.75 | $1,072.50 |
| Alabama | $203 | $103 | $23 | $226 | $1,015 |
| Arkansas | $200 | $100 | $25 | $225 | $1,000 |
| Ohio | $200 | $150 | $36 | $236 | $1,000 |
| Rhode Island | $200 | $100 | $30 | $230 | $1,000 |
| Tennessee | $200 | $100 | $26.50 | $226.50 | $1,000 |
| Texas | $200 | Not charged | $50.75 | $250.75 | $1,000 |
| West Virginia | $200 | $100 | $51.50 | $251.50 | $1,000 |
| Utah | $180 | $56.50 | $150 | $330 | $900 |
| Wisconsin | $175 | $75 | $85 | $260 | $875 |
| Kansas | $165 | $100 | $30 | $195 | $825 |
| Missouri | $159 | $84 | varies | varies | $795 |
| Minnesota | $150 | $75 | varies | varies | $750 |
| Mississippi | $150 | $75 | $12.75 | $162.75 | $750 |
| Nebraska | $150 | $75 | $15 | $165 | $750 |
| Idaho | $140 | $75 | $69 | $209 | $700 |
| Virginia | $135.63 | Not charged | $30.75 | $166.38 | $678.15 |
| Iowa | $130 | $65 | varies | varies | $650 |
| Montana | $130 | $70 | $223.51 | $353.51 | $650 |
| Maryland | $125 | $100 | $80.50 | $205.50 | $625 |
| California | $121 | Not charged | $76 | $197 | $605 |
| Kentucky | $120 | $60 | $21 | $141 | $600 |
| North Dakota | $120 | $50 | varies | varies | $600 |
| Delaware | $110 | $85 | $40 | $150 | $550 |
| Louisiana | $110 | $60 | varies | varies | $550 |
| Oklahoma | $110 | $82 | $96 | $206 | $550 |
| Illinois | $100 | Not charged | $151 | $251 | $500 |
| New Hampshire | $100 | $50 | $48 | $148 | $500 |
| South Dakota | $100 | Not charged | $72 | $172 | $500 |
| Wyoming | $100 | $50 | $30 | $130 | $500 |
| Colorado | $89.05 | Not charged | $57.30 | $146.35 | $445.25 |
| Vermont | $87 | $44.50 | $91 | $178 | $435 |
| South Carolina | $60 | $30 | $20 | $80 | $300 |
| Hawaii | $50 | Not charged | varies | varies | $250 |
| Alaska | Nothing | Nothing | $100 | $100 | $0 |
| Arizona | Nothing | Nothing | varies | varies | $0 |
| Connecticut | Nothing | Nothing | $120 | $120 | $0 |
| District of Columbia | Nothing | Nothing | $70 | $70 | $0 |
| Florida | Nothing | Nothing | $22.50 | $22.50 | $0 |
| Maine | Nothing | Nothing | $35 | $35 | $0 |
| Massachusetts | Nothing | Nothing | $30 | $30 | $0 |
| Nevada | Nothing | Nothing | $33 | $33 | $0 |
| New Mexico | Nothing | Nothing | $70 | $70 | $0 |
| New York | Nothing | Nothing | $26 | $26 | $0 |
Every figure is taken from the agency or statute that set it and linked on the state page. Base registration is the ordinary passenger car fee, at a typical weight where a state charges by weight. States that price registration off the vehicle's value have no single figure, so those cells read "varies".
The highest and the lowest
New Jersey is the most expensive at $270 a year. Hawaii is the cheapest of those that charge anything, at $50. That is a 5.4x spread on an identical car doing identical mileage, decided entirely by which side of a state line you park on.
And Alaska and Arizona and Connecticut and District of Columbia and Florida and Maine and Massachusetts and Nevada and New Mexico and New York charge nothing extra at all.
Over five years the gap between New Jersey and Hawaii is $1,100, which is real money on a decision people make for environmental reasons and rarely price out.
Why electric cars are charged extra
Roads are paid for out of fuel tax. It is collected at the pump, a few cents on every gallon, and most drivers never think about it. An electric car uses the same roads and buys no fuel, so it pays none of it.
Every one of these fees is a state saying: this is what we think that lost fuel tax is worth. The striking thing is how little they agree. New Jersey puts it at $270 and Hawaii at $50, for drivers covering much the same mileage on much the same roads.
Two details worth knowing. The fee does not replace anything on your bill, it is added to it. And in most states it is charged from the first registration rather than at renewal, so it lands on the day you buy the car.
Hybrid fees
30 of the states here charge plug-in hybrids as well, at a lower rate than a full electric car, and 14 also charge ordinary hybrids that never plug in. The reasoning is that a hybrid still buys gas, so it still pays some fuel tax.
| State | Regular hybrid | Plug-in hybrid | Electric |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio | $100 | $150 | $200 |
| North Carolina | Nothing | $107.25 | $214.50 |
| Alabama | Nothing | $103 | $203 |
| Arkansas | $50 | $100 | $200 |
| Kansas | $70 | $100 | $165 |
| Maryland | Nothing | $100 | $125 |
| Rhode Island | $50 | $100 | $200 |
| Tennessee | $100 | $100 | $200 |
| West Virginia | Nothing | $100 | $200 |
| Delaware | $60 | $85 | $110 |
| Missouri | Nothing | $84 | $159 |
| Oklahoma | Nothing | $82 | $110 |
| Indiana | $81 | $81 | $242 |
| Idaho | Nothing | $75 | $140 |
| Minnesota | Nothing | $75 | $150 |
| Mississippi | $75 | $75 | $150 |
| Nebraska | Nothing | $75 | $150 |
| Washington | $75 | $75 | $225 |
| Wisconsin | $75 | $75 | $175 |
| Montana | Nothing | $70 | $130 |
| Iowa | Nothing | $65 | $130 |
| Pennsylvania | Nothing | $63 | $250 |
| Kentucky | $60 | $60 | $120 |
| Louisiana | $60 | $60 | $110 |
| Utah | $21.75 | $56.50 | $180 |
| New Hampshire | Nothing | $50 | $100 |
| North Dakota | Nothing | $50 | $120 |
| Wyoming | Nothing | $50 | $100 |
| Vermont | Nothing | $44.50 | $87 |
| South Carolina | $30 | $30 | $60 |
Questions
What state has the highest EV registration fee?
Of the states on this site, New Jersey at $270 a year. Michigan is next at $267. We publish a state only once every figure is verified against the agency that set it, so this covers 51 states rather than all fifty.
Which state is cheapest for an electric car?
Alaska and Arizona and Connecticut and District of Columbia and Florida and Maine and Massachusetts and Nevada and New Mexico and New York, which charge nothing extra at all. Of the states that do charge, Hawaii is lowest at $50 a year.
Why are registration fees higher for electric vehicles?
Roads are funded from fuel tax, collected a few cents at a time at the pump. An electric car uses the roads and buys no fuel, so it contributes nothing that way. The annual fee is the states’ replacement for that. It is not a penalty on electric cars, though the size of it varies so much between states that it can feel like one.
Is there a federal EV registration fee?
No. There is no federal vehicle registration in the United States. Every fee on this page is set by a state legislature, which is why the same electric car costs nothing extra in Alaska and $270 a year in New Jersey.
Do hybrids pay an EV fee?
Plug-in hybrids do in 30 of the states here, at a lower rate than a full electric car. Ordinary hybrids that never plug in are charged in only 14: Arkansas ($50), Delaware ($60), Indiana ($81), Kansas ($70), Kentucky ($60), Louisiana ($60), Mississippi ($75), Ohio ($100), Rhode Island ($50), South Carolina ($30), Tennessee ($100), Utah ($21.75), Washington ($75), Wisconsin ($75). A hybrid still buys gas and pays fuel tax on it, which is the argument for charging it less.
Does the EV fee replace anything?
It replaces fuel tax in principle, not in practice: nothing else comes off your bill when you pay it. You pay the same registration, the same title fee and the same sales tax as a gas car, and then this on top.
Your state's EV fee in detail
The rest of the bill
The electric vehicle charge is one line. The registration fee calculator by state itemizes the whole thing, with the source behind every figure.