Car title vs registration: the difference, and what each costs
Title vs registration, in a sentence each: the title proves you own the car. The registration is the state's permission to drive it on public roads. You pay for a title once, when the car becomes yours, and it costs $4 to $214.50 depending on the state. Registration comes round every year or two, from $20 to $457 a year on a typical car. Mix the two up and you can end up making two trips to the DMV instead of one.
- Title: ownership, once per owner, kept at home.
- Registration: permission to drive, renewed, kept in the car with the plates.
- When you buy a car you usually pay for both at the same visit. When you renew, you pay only for the registration.
The title: proof of ownership
A certificate of title records who owns the car, its vehicle identification number, and any lender with a claim on it. It also carries any brand the car has picked up, such as salvage or rebuilt (see what a branded title means). It is issued once for each owner. You get a new one when you buy the car and sign it over when you sell.
The registration: permission to drive
Registration is what makes the car legal to use on public roads. It comes with the plates, the sticker and a registration card, which is your proof of registration if you are pulled over. It runs out: depending on the state you renew every year or every two years, and most states will not register a car without proof of insurance.
| Title | Registration | |
|---|---|---|
| What it proves | Who owns the car | That the car may be driven on public roads |
| How often you pay | Once per owner | Every year or two |
| What you keep | A paper or electronic certificate, kept somewhere safe, not in the car | Plates, a sticker and a card kept in the car |
| When it changes | When the car is sold or the loan is paid off | At every renewal, and when you move states |
| What it costs | $4 to $214.50, once | $20 to $457 a year on a typical car |
What comes first, title or registration?
The title. A state will only register a car to the person it can see owns it, so ownership has to be settled first. That is why a lost title holds up a registration, and why a new car comes with a manufacturer's certificate that the dealer swaps for your first title. In practice you rarely notice the order: most states take the title application and the registration on the same form, at the same visit.
Who holds the title for a car?
If you paid cash, you do. If the car is financed, the lender is listed on the title as lienholder, and in many states it keeps the title until the loan is paid off, increasingly as an electronic record rather than paper. Once the last payment clears, the lender releases its lien and the title comes to you. A leased car is different again: the leasing company owns it and stays on the title for the whole lease.
Does the title have to match the registration?
The VIN has to match. That is the one detail that ties both documents to the same car. Names usually match as well, with two common exceptions: on a lease the leasing company is on the title and you are on the registration, and a car bought by two people can show both on the title but only one on the registration. After a sale, a marriage or a move, check both documents, because a mismatch is a common reason a renewal or a transfer gets held up.
Title fee vs registration fee: the price ranges
Across the 51 states where we have a published figure, a title runs from $4 in Arizona to $214.50 in Wisconsin, and the typical state charges about $15. Registration is the bigger number over time: on a typical car it runs from $20 a year in Georgia to $457 in California, and the median state charges about $86. On a purchase, the sales tax is usually larger than either. Each state's title fee is in the title transfer guide by state, and each state's yearly figure in the registration renewal guide.
Why you pay for both when you buy a car
Buying a car changes the owner, so the title has to be moved into your name. It also has to be registered to you before you can drive it, so the registration is issued or transferred too. Most states handle both on one application, which is why the two charges arrive together and are easy to confuse. Renewing is different: the title does not change, so you only pay for the registration.
Where to find your title, and what to do if it is lost
Look wherever you keep important papers at home. If the car is financed, your lender may have it. If it is genuinely gone, the owner on record can order a duplicate from the state, usually for a small fee, and the lost car title guide covers how that works. Scrapping the car instead? Some states let a yard take it with a state form in place of the title, covered in junking a car with no title. Your registration card is easier: most states let you print or order a replacement online.
Keep them apart
Keep the registration in the car, because you may be asked for it at a traffic stop. Keep the title at home. A title left in the glove box goes with the car if it is stolen, and that makes a thief's job easier.