VT · Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles
Vermont car registration fees and purchase and use tax
Vermont keeps one flat registration price for every car and one 6% tax, but it checks the price you paid against a book value.
Taxes and fees due when you buy · Vermont
$2,233
Due at purchase $2,233 · out the door $37,233
Then about $91 a year to renew, plus the items without a fixed price.
| Purchase and use tax (6%)6% of the price or the J.D. Power clean trade-in value, whichever is greater, minus the trade-in. | $2,100.00 |
| Certificate of title | $42.00 |
| Auto registration (1 year) | $89.00 |
| Clean Air Fund feeIncluded in the $91 gas, hybrid and plug-in hybrid registration; not charged on a battery electric car. | $2.00 |
| Not added: no single official amount | |
| Yearly safety and OBD emissions inspection (station price)Due within 15 days of registering in Vermont, then once a year; each station sets and posts its price. | varies |
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
- purchase and use tax
- 6.00%
- Title fee
- $42.00
- Registration based on
- flat
- EV surcharge
- $89.00/yr
Registering a new $35,000 gasoline car bought from a Vermont dealer costs $2,233.00 at the DMV: $2,100.00 of purchase and use tax at 6%, the $42 certificate of title and $91 for a one-year registration, which includes the $2 Clean Air Fund fee. A $10,000 trade-in lowers the tax to $1,500.00. The registration does not depend on weight or value, so the next year costs the same $91.00. Fuel type is what changes it: a plug-in hybrid pays $135.50 a year and a battery electric car $178, because of the EV infrastructure fee, so a new electric SUV comes to $2,320.00 at purchase and $178.00 a year after that. Every car also needs a yearly safety inspection, with an emissions check up to 16 model years, at a price each station posts. A lien on the title adds $14, and any dealer documentation fee is extra.
Price or book value, whichever is higher
The 6% is not always charged on the bill of sale. The DMV purchase and use tax page applies it to the purchase price or the J.D. Power clean trade-in value, whichever is greater, then subtracts the value of a trade-in. On a dealer sale the two are usually close. On a private sale at a friendly price, the tax can be due on a higher figure than you paid. If the car is worth less than the book says, because of damage or high mileage, a Vermont dealer can fill out an appraisal form, and DMV does not accept values found on websites. Cars and light trucks have no maximum tax; only heavy trucks and trailers are capped.
Why electric cars pay more to register
Road maintenance in Vermont is funded largely by gas and diesel taxes, which battery electric owners never pay and plug-in hybrid owners pay far less of. The EV infrastructure fee is $89 a year for a battery electric car and $44.50 for a plug-in hybrid, added to the $89 base registration; the money goes to charging stations until a mileage-based fee is designed. Electric cars skip the $2 Clean Air Fund fee, which is why a gas car and an EV differ by $87, not $89. A new plug-in hybrid comes to $2,277.50 at purchase. Two-year registrations cost $167 for a gas car and $341 for an electric one.
Inspection within 15 days
A car new to Vermont must pass inspection within 15 days of being registered, then once a year. The check covers safety items and, for vehicles 16 model years old or newer, the on-board emissions system. Stations set and post their own price, so our calculator lists the inspection without an amount. For a comparison with a neighbor that also inspects every year and charges more to title a car, look at New York, or use the inspection cost table for every state.
What sets Vermont apart
- Vermont charges a 6% purchase and use tax on the price or the J.D. Power clean trade-in value, whichever is greater (Vermont DMV).
- The value of a trade-in vehicle is subtracted before the 6% is applied (Vermont DMV).
- A buyer who thinks the J.D. Power value is too high can submit a Vermont Dealer Appraisal form, and DMV does not accept values from online research (Vermont DMV).
- Cars and light trucks have no maximum purchase and use tax; only trucks of 10,100 lb or more and trailers are capped at $2,486 (Vermont DMV).
- Every certificate of title costs $42, and recording a lien adds $14 (Vermont DMV).
- A one-year car registration costs $91 for a gas car, $135.50 for a plug-in hybrid and $178 for a battery electric car (Vermont DMV).
- The electric premium is an EV infrastructure fee of $89 a year for a battery electric car and $44.50 for a plug-in hybrid, meant for charging stations until a mileage-based fee exists (Vermont DMV).
- The gas and plug-in hybrid registration includes a $2 Clean Air Fund fee, which is why the base fee of a battery electric car is $89 instead of $91 (Vermont DMV).
- Every Vermont-registered vehicle must pass a safety inspection once a year, plus an OBD emissions check when it is 16 model years old or less (23 V.S.A. § 1222).
- A car new to Vermont must be inspected within 15 days of registration, and each station sets and posts its own inspection price (23 V.S.A. § 1222).
What the Vermont calculation cannot know
- Purchase and use tax is due on the greater of the price and the J.D. Power clean trade-in value; the form does not ask the book value, so the engine taxes the price (a private sale below book value would owe more).
- Safety and emissions inspection prices are set and posted by each private station; the state does not publish a fee, so the inspection is shown without an amount.
- No dealer documentation fee cap was read on an official Vermont page for this release; type the dealer's fee.
- Whether a dealer documentation fee is part of the taxable purchase price was not read on an official Vermont page; the engine leaves it out of the taxed amount.
- Registration can also be bought for two years ($167 for a gas car, $341 for a battery electric car); the engine shows the one-year option.
Line by line: the reference car in Vermont
| Fee | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase and use tax (6%) | $2,100.00 | Vermont DMV |
| Certificate of title | $42.00 | Vermont DMV |
| Auto registration (1 year) | $89.00 | Vermont DMV |
| Clean Air Fund fee | $2.00 | Vermont DMV |
| Yearly safety and OBD emissions inspection (station price) | varies | 23 V.S.A. § 1222 |