Maine electric vehicle fee
Maine charges nothing extra for an electric car.
How much is the Maine EV registration fee?
Nothing extra. Maine is one of only 10 states we cover that does not add an annual charge for driving an electric car.
Maine does not charge an extra registration fee on an electric or plug-in hybrid vehicle as of 2026, one of the few states that does not. An electric car pays the same $35 registration and the same excise tax as any other car of the same list price.
That is worth knowing if you are comparing states, because the gap at the other end is large: New Jersey charges $270 a year for the same car.
Why Maine charges nothing
Maine does not charge one. That is worth saying plainly, because most states now do, and the ones that do are not shy about the amount.
The reasoning is the same one every state uses. Roads are paid for out of fuel tax, collected a few cents at a time at the pump, and an electric car uses those roads while buying no fuel. The annual charge stands in for the fuel tax it never pays. 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.
How Maine compares
Maine charges nothing, which puts it below every state that does.
| State | Electric | Plug-in hybrid |
|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | $270 | Not charged |
| New Hampshire | $100 | $50 |
| Hawaii | $50 | Not charged |
| Maine | Nothing | Nothing |
Maine 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 Maine EV fee
How much is EV registration in Maine?
The same as any other car. Maine does not add an annual electric vehicle charge.
Why is EV registration so expensive in Maine?
Because the fee is meant to replace the fuel tax an electric car does not pay. Maine has chosen not to charge one at all. The states have landed on very different numbers for the same argument.
Do electric cars have higher registration fees than gas cars?
Not in Maine. Some states add a charge of $100 to $270 a year; this is not one of them.
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 Maine EV fee ever waived?
There is nothing to waive. Maine does not charge one.
More on registering a car in Maine
The electric vehicle charge is one line on a longer bill. These pages cover the rest for Maine:
Nearby states
Or see every state on the EV registration fee by state page.
Where these numbers come from
- Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles, Registration Fees, retrieved 2026-10-21
- Maine Revenue Services, Motor Vehicle Excise Tax (mill rate schedule), retrieved 2026-10-17
- 36 M.R.S. § 1482, excise tax rates by year of model, retrieved 2026-10-17
- Maine Revenue Services, Sales, Fuel & Special Tax Division (5.5% vehicle sales tax, trade-in credit), retrieved 2026-10-17
- 29-A M.R.S. section 501, registration fees ($35 automobile), retrieved 2026-10-17
- 36 M.R.S. section 1760(45), use tax exemption for a car bought and used out of state by a resident of that state, retrieved 2026-10-17
- Town of Wells, Excise Tax and Vehicle Registration (worked excise example, where excise is paid), retrieved 2026-10-17
- City of Portland, Auto and Boat Registration (new resident documents), retrieved 2026-10-17
- Maine Revenue Services, Instructional Bulletin 42, original registration of vehicles, retrieved 2026-10-30
Not affiliated with Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Several states re-set this figure annually, so check the date above.