Colorado electric vehicle fee
Colorado charges $89.05 a year on an electric car, on top of everything a gas car pays.
How much is the Colorado EV registration fee?
$89.05 a year. That sits on top of the ordinary $57.30 registration, so an electric car costs $146.35 a year to keep on the road where a gas car costs $57.30.
An electric car pays two extra charges: the $63.05 electric vehicle fee and the Road Usage Equalization Fee, which is $26.00 for the year from 1 July 2026, so $89.05 together. A plug-in hybrid pays the same $63.05 plus a $13.00 road usage fee, $76.05 in all; an ordinary hybrid that cannot plug in pays neither. The road usage fee climbs every July set by statute, to $96.00 for an electric car and $27.00 for a plug-in hybrid by the year starting July 2031, and the fees can be paid in installments. source 1
| Fuel type | Extra per year | Total registration |
|---|---|---|
| Gas or diesel | Nothing | $57.30 |
| Electric | $89.05 | $146.35 |
What Colorado's $89.05 adds up to
The yearly number understates it. Here is what Colorado's $89.05 comes to the longer you keep the car.
| Years owned | Extra paid for driving electric in Colorado |
|---|---|
| 1 | $89.05 |
| 3 | $267.15 |
| 5 | $445.25 |
| 10 | $890.50 |
Whether $89.05 a year is a fair swap depends entirely on how far you drive, because it stands in for the fuel tax an electric car skips. Drive a lot and you are ahead; drive little and the Colorado charge costs you more than the tax it replaces.
What the Colorado charge is for
In Colorado the charge is $89.05 a year, on top of whatever the registration itself costs.
It comes down to how roads are funded. Gas drivers pay for them at the pump through fuel tax; an electric driver does not, so Colorado recovers a share of that with a yearly fee instead. More on why states charge it.
Whether the amount is a fair swap is where the states stop agreeing. New Jersey charges $270 and Hawaii charges $50 for the same car doing the same mileage. The reasoning and the full range are set out here.
When you pay it
In Colorado it is charged from the first registration, so it lands in the bill on the day you buy the car rather than a year later.
The calculator on the Colorado registration page applies that rule. Set the fuel type to electric and it shows you the figure in place, with everything else itemized around it.
How Colorado compares
Colorado is 38th highest of the 41 states that charge an electric car fee.
| State | Electric | Plug-in hybrid |
|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | $270 | Not charged |
| Utah | $180 | $56.50 |
| Kansas | $165 | $100 |
| Nebraska | $150 | $75 |
| Oklahoma | $110 | $82 |
| Wyoming | $100 | $50 |
| Colorado | $89.05 | Not charged |
| Hawaii | $50 | Not charged |
| Arizona | Nothing | Nothing |
| New Mexico | Nothing | Nothing |
Colorado shown against the states next to it and the two ends of the range. All 51 side by side on the EV fee by state page.
Questions about the Colorado EV fee
How much is EV registration in Colorado?
$89.05 a year on top of the normal registration, so $146.35 in total against $57.30 for a gas car.
Why is EV registration so expensive in Colorado?
Because the fee is meant to replace the fuel tax an electric car does not pay. Colorado has set that replacement at $89.05 a year, which is towards the middle of the range. The states have landed on very different numbers for the same argument.
Do electric cars have higher registration fees than gas cars?
In Colorado, yes, by $89.05 a year. Everything else on the bill is the same.
Is there a federal EV registration fee?
No. There is no federal vehicle registration in the United States at all. Registration is run state by state, which is exactly why the charge on an electric car runs from nothing to $270 depending on where you park it.
Is the Colorado EV fee ever waived?
Not as a general rule. Colorado DMV publishes the fee as applying to electric vehicles at registration, and we are not aware of a published waiver. If you think an exemption applies to you, ask them directly rather than relying on a calculator.
More on registering a car in Colorado
The electric vehicle charge is one line on a longer bill. These pages cover the rest for Colorado:
Nearby states
Or see every state on the EV registration fee by state page.
Where these numbers come from
- Colorado DMV, Vehicle Taxes and Fees, retrieved 2026-10-11
- Colorado Revised Statutes 42-3-306, registration fees by weight, retrieved 2026-09-23
- Colorado Revised Statutes 43-4-804, road safety surcharge, retrieved 2026-09-23
- Colorado Revised Statutes 43-4-805, bridge safety surcharge, retrieved 2026-09-23
- Colorado Revised Statutes 42-3-107, specific ownership tax, retrieved 2026-09-23
- Colorado DMV, Electric Vehicles registration and road usage equalization fee, retrieved 2026-10-11
- Colorado Revised Statutes 42-3-103, registration required (60 days after purchase, 90 days for new residents), retrieved 2026-10-11
- Colorado Revised Statutes 42-3-112, late fee and prorated taxes, retrieved 2026-10-11
- Colorado Revised Statutes 42-3-114, expiration and the grace month, retrieved 2026-10-11
- Colorado DMV, gas emissions requirements, retrieved 2026-10-11
- Colorado DMV, emissions, retrieved 2026-10-11
- Colorado DMV, VIN inspections, retrieved 2026-10-11
- Colorado Department of Revenue, Sales and Use Tax Topics: Motor Vehicle Sales (gifts), retrieved 2026-10-30
Not affiliated with Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles. Several states re-set this figure annually, so check the date above.