NH · New Hampshire Division of Motor Vehicles
New Hampshire car registration cost
New Hampshire has no sales tax, so the cost of a car shows up at the town clerk, through a permit fee that shrinks as the car ages.
Taxes and fees due when you buy · New Hampshire
$738
Due at purchase $738 · out the door $35,738
Then about $589 a year to renew.
| Certificate of title (state fee from January 1, 2026) | $35.00 |
| Standard passenger plates (set of two)Not charged when you transfer your current plates. | $8.00 |
| Municipal permit fee (18 mills per dollar of list price)Paid to your city or town; based on the original list price and the model year, prorated when the first registration is shorter or longer than 12 months. | $630.00 |
| State registration fee (by weight, 2026 schedule) | $48.00 |
| Title application fee (City of Manchester) | $2.00 |
| Town clerk fee (City of Manchester) | $2.00 |
| Municipal agent fee (City of Manchester) | $3.00 |
| Waste reclamation fee (City of Manchester) | $3.00 |
| Municipal transportation improvement fee (City of Manchester) | $5.00 |
| Parking trust fund fee (City of Manchester) | $2.00 |
DMV and state schedules read on 2026-10-11. Some lines have no single official amount and are listed apart. How this is calculated.
Fee schedules read on · Built by Radif Partners · How the fees are calculated
- no sales tax (municipal permit fee on list price)
- 0.00%
- Title fee
- $35.00
- Registration based on
- mixed
- EV surcharge
- $100.00/yr
A new $35,000 gasoline car registered in Manchester costs $738 in public charges, with no sales tax. Most of it is the municipal permit fee: $630, or 18 mills per dollar of the list price for a current model year car, paid to the city. The state adds $48 for a car of 3,001 to 5,000 lb under the fee schedule in force since January 1, 2026, a $35 title and $8 for two plates, and Manchester adds $17 of its own small fees. The permit falls every year, to 15 mills, then 12, 9 and 6, and settles at 3 mills from the fifth year, so the same car costs about $589 to renew the next year and about $169 in year six. A battery electric car pays a $100 yearly surcharge, which puts it at $838 when new.
The permit fee, town by town
Registering a car in New Hampshire starts at your city or town office, which collects the permit fee before the state part can be done. The fee is set by law on the maker's list price and the model year, not on what you paid: $18 per $1,000 for the current model year, then $15, $12, $9, $6 and $3, as the Manchester tax collector lists it. A first registration is prorated to your renewal month, so the first bill can be a little higher or lower than a full year. Towns also add small fees of their own, such as a clerk fee, a municipal agent fee or a transportation improvement fee; in Manchester they total $15 a year, plus $2 for the title application.
The state fees went up in 2026
The 2026-2027 state budget raised several DMV charges on January 1, 2026: the title went from $25 to $35, and the weight-based state registration fee from $31.20 to $42 for vehicles up to 3,000 lb, from $43.20 to $48 between 3,001 and 5,000 lb and from $55.20 to $66 up to 8,000 lb. Battery electric cars pay a $100 surcharge and plug-in hybrids $50, at every annual registration. Next door, Vermont charges a purchase tax that New Hampshire does not.
Inspections are on hold
The same budget repealed the yearly safety and emissions inspection for most passenger cars. A federal court case followed, and since February 2026 the Division of Motor Vehicles says the program is suspended: stations no longer issue stickers and no annual inspection is required for now. Owners remain responsible for keeping their cars safe, and the rule could change if the courts decide otherwise.
What sets New Hampshire apart
- New Hampshire charges no sales tax on cars; the big bill is the municipal permit fee paid to your city or town at every registration (City of Manchester).
- The permit fee is $18 per $1,000 of the original list price for a current model year car, then $15, $12, $9, $6 and finally $3 from the fifth year (City of Manchester).
- The state part of the registration rose on January 1, 2026 to $42 a year up to 3,000 lb, $48 from 3,001 to 5,000 lb and $66 from 5,001 to 8,000 lb (Town of Chesterfield).
- The title fee rose from $25 to $35 on January 1, 2026 (Town of Chesterfield).
- Battery electric cars pay a $100 yearly surcharge and plug-in hybrids $50, deposited in the highway fund (City of Manchester).
- Manchester adds its own fees: $2 clerk, $3 municipal agent, $3 waste reclamation, $5 transportation improvement and $2 parking trust fund, plus $2 for a title application (City of Manchester).
- A set of two standard passenger plates costs $8, once (Town of Jackson).
- The yearly vehicle inspection program has been suspended since February 2026, and stations no longer issue state stickers (NH Division of Motor Vehicles).
- Registration starts at the town office, which collects the permit, and the town can then complete the state part as an agent of the DMV (City of Manchester).
What the New Hampshire calculation cannot know
- Each city or town adds its own small fees at registration (clerk, municipal agent, transportation improvement fund, waste or parking funds). Only Manchester's list was read on an official page; for other towns the line has no amount.
- The municipal permit fee is charged on the maker's list price; when you do not type the MSRP the engine uses the price, which understates it for a used car. A first registration that is shorter or longer than 12 months is prorated by the town.
- The state fee applies to the gross weight bands of RSA 261:141 (up to 3,000 lb, 3,001 to 5,000 lb, 5,001 to 8,000 lb); the engine places the car by the weight typed.
- The 2026 state fees (title $35, weight fees $42, $48 and $66) were read on a town's official copy of the HB 2 fee table; the DMV's own PDF and the RSA pages blocked automated reading.
- The safety and emissions inspection program has been suspended since February 2026 while the state's repeal is litigated in federal court; if the courts restore it, an inspection would be due again.
- New Hampshire has no sales tax on vehicles. No dealer documentation fee cap was read in New Hampshire law for this release.
Line by line: the reference car in New Hampshire
| Fee | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate of title (state fee from January 1, 2026) | $35.00 | Town of Chesterfield |
| Standard passenger plates (set of two) | $8.00 | Town of Jackson |
| Municipal permit fee (18 mills per dollar of list price) | $630.00 | City of Manchester |
| State registration fee (by weight, 2026 schedule) | $48.00 | Town of Chesterfield |
| Title application fee (City of Manchester) | $2.00 | City of Manchester |
| Town clerk fee (City of Manchester) | $2.00 | City of Manchester |
| Municipal agent fee (City of Manchester) | $3.00 | City of Manchester |
| Waste reclamation fee (City of Manchester) | $3.00 | City of Manchester |
| Municipal transportation improvement fee (City of Manchester) | $5.00 | City of Manchester |
| Parking trust fund fee (City of Manchester) | $2.00 | City of Manchester |