South Carolina electric vehicle fee
South Carolina charges $60 a year on an electric car, on top of everything a gas car pays.
How much is the South Carolina EV registration fee?
$60 a year. That sits on top of the ordinary $20 registration, so an electric car costs $80 a year to keep on the road where a gas car costs $20.
Hybrids pay less: a hybrid or plug-in hybrid pays $30 a year.
South Carolina charges a road use fee of $120.00 on an electric vehicle and $60.00 on a hybrid, and like the registration it is charged every two years rather than every year. The figures here are the yearly halves, so the bill you actually get is double them. source 1
| Fuel type | Extra per year | Total registration |
|---|---|---|
| Gas or diesel | Nothing | $20 |
| Hybrid or plug-in hybrid | $30 | $50 |
| Electric | $60 | $80 |
What South Carolina's $60 adds up to
$60 once sounds minor. Multiply it by the years you will own the car and the South Carolina figure starts to matter.
| Years owned | Extra paid for driving electric in South Carolina |
|---|---|
| 1 | $60 |
| 3 | $180 |
| 5 | $300 |
| 10 | $600 |
The offset is fuel tax you no longer pay. A high-mileage driver easily spends more than $60 a year in gas tax, so they gain; a light-mileage driver in South Carolina can end up paying more through this charge than they ever would at the pump.
What the South Carolina charge is for
Here is the South Carolina figure in proportion. The registration fee for any car is $20. The electric vehicle charge on top of it is $60, which is 3 times the fee it is added to. An electric car in South Carolina is not paying a slightly higher registration, it is paying a separate bill that happens to arrive with the registration.
Behind the number is a simple argument. Fuel tax funds the roads, an electric car pays none because it buys no gas, so South Carolina bills a flat charge in its place. 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 South Carolina 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 South Carolina 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 South Carolina compares
South Carolina is 40th highest of the 41 states that charge an electric car fee.
| State | Electric | Plug-in hybrid |
|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | $270 | Not charged |
| Georgia | $238.59 | Not charged |
| North Carolina | $214.50 | $107.25 |
| Tennessee | $200 | $100 |
| South Carolina | $60 | $30 |
| Hawaii | $50 | Not charged |
South Carolina 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 South Carolina EV fee
How much is EV registration in South Carolina?
$60 a year on top of the normal registration, so $80 in total against $20 for a gas car.
Why is EV registration so expensive in South Carolina?
Because the fee is meant to replace the fuel tax an electric car does not pay. South Carolina has set that replacement at $60 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 South Carolina, yes, by $60 a year. Everything else on the bill is the same.
Is there a hybrid registration fee in South Carolina?
Yes. A hybrid or plug-in hybrid pays $30 a year, less than the $60 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 South Carolina EV fee ever waived?
Not as a general rule. SCDMV 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 South Carolina
The electric vehicle charge is one line on a longer bill. These pages cover the rest for South Carolina:
Nearby states
Or see every state on the EV registration fee by state page.
Where these numbers come from
- SCDMV, fees, retrieved 2026-10-16
- South Carolina Department of Revenue, information letter 17-10, infrastructure maintenance fee, retrieved 2026-09-17
- South Carolina Code 37-2-307, motor vehicle closing fees, retrieved 2026-09-18
- SCDMV, moving to SC: titling and registering a vehicle, retrieved 2026-10-16
- Lexington County Auditor, motor vehicle tax FAQs, retrieved 2026-10-16
- SCDMV, License Plates (Where the Revolutionary War Was Won plate from January 1, 2026; $6 exchange; 60-day temporary plates), retrieved 2026-10-28
- SCDMV, Personalized Plates ($30 plus registration, Form MV-96), retrieved 2026-10-28
- SCDMV, License Plate Replacement (online exchange and replacement), retrieved 2026-10-28
- South Carolina Code 56-3-627, infrastructure maintenance fee and exclusions, retrieved 2026-10-30
Not affiliated with South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles. Several states re-set this figure annually, so check the date above.