Utah electric vehicle fee
Utah charges $180 a year on an electric car, on top of everything a gas car pays.
How much is the Utah EV registration fee?
$180 a year. That sits on top of the ordinary $150 registration, so an electric car costs $330 a year to keep on the road where a gas car costs $150.
Hybrids pay less: a plug-in hybrid pays $56.50 a year and a regular hybrid $21.75.
An electric car pays a $180.00 alternative fuel fee for a 2026 registration year, on top of the ordinary registration. Instead of the flat fee you can enroll in Utah's Road Usage Charge program and pay by the mile up to that same cap. A conventional hybrid pays $21.75 and a plug-in hybrid $56.50 under Utah Code 41-1a-1206, figures the state adjusts for inflation each January. Electric vehicles are exempt from the county air pollution fee, and they can register for 24 months at a time. source 6
| Fuel type | Extra per year | Total registration |
|---|---|---|
| Gas or diesel | Nothing | $150 |
| Hybrid | $21.75 | $171.75 |
| Plug-in hybrid | $56.50 | $206.50 |
| Electric | $180 | $330 |
What Utah's $180 adds up to
The yearly number understates it. Here is what Utah's $180 comes to the longer you keep the car.
| Years owned | Extra paid for driving electric in Utah |
|---|---|
| 1 | $180 |
| 3 | $540 |
| 5 | $900 |
| 10 | $1,800 |
Whether $180 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 Utah charge costs you more than the tax it replaces.
What the Utah charge is for
In Utah the charge is $180 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 Utah 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 Utah 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 Utah 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 Utah compares
Utah is 16th 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 |
| Idaho | $140 | $75 |
| Wyoming | $100 | $50 |
| Colorado | $89.05 | Not charged |
| Hawaii | $50 | Not charged |
| Arizona | Nothing | Nothing |
| Nevada | Nothing | Nothing |
| New Mexico | Nothing | Nothing |
Utah 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 Utah EV fee
How much is EV registration in Utah?
$180 a year on top of the normal registration, so $330 in total against $150 for a gas car.
Why is EV registration so expensive in Utah?
Because the fee is meant to replace the fuel tax an electric car does not pay. Utah has set that replacement at $180 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 Utah, yes, by $180 a year. Everything else on the bill is the same.
Is there a hybrid registration fee in Utah?
Yes. A plug-in hybrid pays $56.50 a year and a regular hybrid $21.75, less than the $180 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 Utah EV fee ever waived?
Not as a general rule. Utah 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 Utah
The electric vehicle charge is one line on a longer bill. These pages cover the rest for Utah:
Nearby states
Or see every state on the EV registration fee by state page.
Where these numbers come from
- Utah DMV, Registration Taxes and Fees, retrieved 2026-10-17
- Utah DMV, Summary of Common Fees, retrieved 2026-10-17
- Utah DMV, Uniform Fees (2026 age-based fee tables), Utah Code 59-2-405, retrieved 2026-10-17
- Utah State Tax Commission, Combined Sales and Use Tax Rates, retrieved 2026-09-18
- Utah Code 41-1a-1206, registration fee and alternative fuel vehicle fees, retrieved 2026-09-18
- Utah Road Usage Charge Program (UDOT), 2026 alternative fuel flat fee, retrieved 2026-09-18
- Utah Admin. Code R877-23V-14, dealer documentary service fee sign and contract disclosure, retrieved 2026-10-21
- Utah DMV, registering your vehicle in Utah (new residents, 60 days), retrieved 2026-10-17
- Utah DMV, inspections (emissions counties and schedule; safety inspections ended January 1, 2018), retrieved 2026-10-17
Not affiliated with Utah State Tax Commission, Motor Vehicle Division. Several states re-set this figure annually, so check the date above.