How much is vehicle registration in Massachusetts?

Standard passenger vehicle registration in Massachusetts is a flat 60 dollar fee covering a two-year period, which works out to about 30 dollars per year. A new title costs 75 dollars and new standard plates carry their own charge.

What is the Massachusetts motor vehicle excise tax?

Massachusetts charges an annual excise of 25 dollars per 1,000 dollars of taxable value, billed by your city or town rather than the RMV. The taxable value is a percentage of the original manufacturer list price that drops as the car ages.

How does the excise value drop with age?

Massachusetts uses a fixed depreciation schedule: 90% of list price in the year before the model year, 90% in the model year, then 60%, 40%, 25%, and 10% in following years, with 10% as the floor for older cars.

Is the excise tax the same as registration?

No. The excise tax is separate from the RMV registration fee. The RMV collects the registration and title fees, while your local city or town assesses and bills the annual motor vehicle excise based on the car's value.

Are these fees exact?

They are close estimates of standard passenger-vehicle charges. Specialty plates, commercial vehicles, late fees, and municipal differences can change the total. Confirm current amounts with the Massachusetts RMV and your local assessor.

Massachusetts Vehicle Registration Fee Calculator

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Registering a car in Massachusetts involves a flat RMV registration fee plus an optional title and plate charge, and then a separate annual motor vehicle excise billed by your town. This calculator estimates all of them so you can see the upfront and recurring cost.

How it works

The RMV fees are mostly flat, while the excise tax depends on value and age:

Registration (2 yr) = $60   (passenger)
Title fee           = $75   (if titling)
New plates          = $20   (if new standard plates)
Excise = $25 per $1,000 of taxable value
taxable value = list price * age factor (90% -> 60% -> 40% -> 25% -> 10%)

Massachusetts depreciates the manufacturer’s list price on a fixed schedule as the car ages, then taxes the result at 25 dollars per 1,000 dollars. The excise is billed annually by your city or town, with a 10% floor for older vehicles.

Example

A two-year-old car with a 30,000 dollar list price sits at the 60% factor, giving a taxable value of 18,000 dollars. The annual excise is 18 times 25, or 450 dollars. Adding a 60 dollar registration, a 75 dollar title, and 20 dollars in plates brings the first-year RMV cost to 155 dollars, with the 450 dollar excise billed by your town.

Notes

These figures cover standard passenger vehicles. Commercial plates, vanity plates, late-payment penalties, and minimum excise amounts (a 5 dollar floor per bill) can shift the total. The excise schedule and registration fees are set by statute and the RMV. Confirm current amounts at mass.gov/rmv and with your local assessor’s office.