North Dakota electric vehicle fee
North Dakota charges $120 a year on an electric car, on top of everything a gas car pays.
How much is the North Dakota EV registration fee?
$120 a year. It sits on top of the ordinary registration.
Hybrids pay less: a plug-in hybrid pays $50 a year, and a regular hybrid that does not plug in pays nothing extra.
North Dakota charges a road use fee on top of the normal registration to make up for the fuel tax these cars do not pay: $120 a year for a battery-electric vehicle and $50 for a plug-in hybrid. An electric motorcycle pays $20. source 1
| Fuel type | Extra per year |
|---|---|
| Gas or diesel | Nothing |
| Plug-in hybrid | $50 |
| Electric | $120 |
What North Dakota's $120 adds up to
A single year of $120 is easy to wave off. Held over the time most people keep a car, the North Dakota charge is not.
| Years owned | Extra paid for driving electric in North Dakota |
|---|---|
| 1 | $120 |
| 3 | $360 |
| 5 | $600 |
| 10 | $1,200 |
Against that, an electric car pays no fuel tax, which is the whole reason North Dakota charges it. Whether you come out ahead comes down to your mileage: a gas car pays fuel tax on every gallon, so the more you drive, the more the $120 looks like a bargain, and a car that barely leaves the garage pays more than its share.
What the North Dakota charge is for
In North Dakota the charge is $120 a year, on top of whatever the registration itself costs.
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.
When you pay it
In North Dakota 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 North Dakota 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 North Dakota compares
North Dakota is 30th highest of the 41 states that charge an electric car fee.
| State | Electric | Plug-in hybrid |
|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | $270 | Not charged |
| Minnesota | $150 | $75 |
| Montana | $130 | $70 |
| North Dakota | $120 | $50 |
| South Dakota | $100 | Not charged |
| Hawaii | $50 | Not charged |
North Dakota 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 North Dakota EV fee
How much is EV registration in North Dakota?
$120 a year on top of the normal registration.
Why is EV registration so expensive in North Dakota?
Because the fee is meant to replace the fuel tax an electric car does not pay. North Dakota has set that replacement at $120 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 North Dakota, yes, by $120 a year. Everything else on the bill is the same.
Is there a hybrid registration fee in North Dakota?
Yes. A plug-in hybrid pays $50 a year, and a regular hybrid that does not plug in pays nothing extra, less than the $120 charged on a full electric car. A hybrid still buys gas and pays fuel tax on it, so the charge is smaller.
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 North Dakota EV fee ever waived?
Not as a general rule. NDDOT 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 North Dakota
The electric vehicle charge is one line on a longer bill. These pages cover the rest for North Dakota:
Nearby states
Or see every state on the EV registration fee by state page.
Where these numbers come from
- NDDOT, Motor Vehicle Registration Manual, retrieved 2026-10-17
- NDCC 39-04-19, passenger motor vehicle registration fees by weight and age, retrieved 2026-10-17
- North Dakota Office of State Tax Commissioner, Motor Vehicle Excise Tax Guideline, retrieved 2026-10-17
- NDDOT, Passenger Fee Schedule MVD-2, effective January 1 to December 31, 2026 (fees by year first registered), retrieved 2026-10-17
- NDCC 57-40.3-01, motor vehicle excise tax definitions (trade-in, stolen or destroyed vehicle credit), retrieved 2026-10-17
- NDCC 57-40.3-04, motor vehicle excise tax exemptions (family gifts, military transfers), retrieved 2026-10-17
Not affiliated with North Dakota Department of Transportation, Motor Vehicle Division. Several states re-set this figure annually, so check the date above.