Vermont electric vehicle fee
Vermont charges $87 a year on an electric car, on top of everything a gas car pays.
How much is the Vermont EV registration fee?
$87 a year. That sits on top of the ordinary $91 registration, so an electric car costs $178 a year to keep on the road where a gas car costs $91.
Hybrids pay less: a plug-in hybrid pays $44.50 a year, and a regular hybrid that does not plug in pays nothing extra.
Vermont adds an infrastructure fee to every plug-in car at registration. A battery-electric car pays $178 a year in total, an $89 registration plus an $89 infrastructure fee; it skips the $2 Clean Air Fund fee, so it costs $87 more than a gas car. A plug-in hybrid pays the regular $91 plus $44.50, or $135.50. A regular hybrid pays nothing extra. The money goes to charging infrastructure until Vermont designs a mileage-based fee. source 4
| Fuel type | Extra per year | Total registration |
|---|---|---|
| Gas or diesel | Nothing | $91 |
| Plug-in hybrid | $44.50 | $135.50 |
| Electric | $87 | $178 |
What Vermont's $87 adds up to
$87 once sounds minor. Multiply it by the years you will own the car and the Vermont figure starts to matter.
| Years owned | Extra paid for driving electric in Vermont |
|---|---|
| 1 | $87 |
| 3 | $261 |
| 5 | $435 |
| 10 | $870 |
The offset is fuel tax you no longer pay. A high-mileage driver easily spends more than $87 a year in gas tax, so they gain; a light-mileage driver in Vermont can end up paying more through this charge than they ever would at the pump.
What the Vermont charge is for
In Vermont the charge is $87 a year, on top of whatever the registration itself costs.
Behind the number is a simple argument. Fuel tax funds the roads, an electric car pays none because it buys no gas, so Vermont 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 Vermont 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 Vermont 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 Vermont compares
Vermont is 39th highest of the 41 states that charge an electric car fee.
| State | Electric | Plug-in hybrid |
|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | $270 | Not charged |
| Vermont | $87 | $44.50 |
| Hawaii | $50 | Not charged |
| Massachusetts | Nothing | Nothing |
| New York | Nothing | Nothing |
Vermont 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 Vermont EV fee
How much is EV registration in Vermont?
$87 a year on top of the normal registration, so $178 in total against $91 for a gas car.
Why is EV registration so expensive in Vermont?
Because the fee is meant to replace the fuel tax an electric car does not pay. Vermont has set that replacement at $87 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 Vermont, yes, by $87 a year. Everything else on the bill is the same.
Is there a hybrid registration fee in Vermont?
Yes. A plug-in hybrid pays $44.50 a year, and a regular hybrid that does not plug in pays nothing extra, less than the $87 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 Vermont EV fee ever waived?
Not as a general rule. Vermont 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 Vermont
The electric vehicle charge is one line on a longer bill. These pages cover the rest for Vermont:
Nearby states
Or see every state on the EV registration fee by state page.
Where these numbers come from
- Vermont DMV, Registration Fees, retrieved 2026-10-17
- Vermont DMV, Vehicle Taxation (Purchase and Use Tax), retrieved 2026-10-17
- 32 V.S.A. section 8903, Motor Vehicle Purchase and Use Tax (6%, cap only above 10,100 lbs), retrieved 2026-10-17
- Vermont DMV, Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fee, retrieved 2026-10-17
- Vermont DMV, Title Fees ($42 title, $14 lien, March 19, 2026), retrieved 2026-10-17
- Vermont DMV, Moving to Vermont (60 days, inspection within 15 days), retrieved 2026-10-17
- Vermont DMV, Purchase and Use Tax credits and refunds (3-month sale rule), retrieved 2026-10-17
- Vermont DMV, Purchase and Use Tax exemptions (tax paid elsewhere, 3+ years registered out of state), retrieved 2026-10-17
- Vermont DMV, Gifts (32 V.S.A. 8911(8) family list), retrieved 2026-10-17
- Vermont DMV FAQ, grace period and early renewal (no grace period, renew 60 days early), retrieved 2026-10-17
- Vermont DMV, Vanity (Personalized) Plates (character rules), retrieved 2026-10-28
- Vermont DMV, Faded Plates (free replacement for manufacturing faults, Form VD-016), retrieved 2026-10-28
- Vermont DMV, Registration, New (Act 41 of 2023 ended validation stickers), retrieved 2026-10-28
- Vermont DMV, Vermont Strong ’23 commemorative plates ($5 per plate), retrieved 2026-10-28
- Road & Track, Vermont closes loophole allowing out-of-state registrations, July 7, 2023, retrieved 2026-10-28
Not affiliated with Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles. Several states re-set this figure annually, so check the date above.