How much is North Carolina vehicle registration?

The base annual plate fee for a private passenger vehicle is $38.75. Electric vehicles pay an additional flat highway-use fee and plug-in hybrids pay a smaller surcharge. Many drivers also owe a county vehicle property tax collected at the same time.

What is Tag and Tax Together in North Carolina?

North Carolina collects your annual vehicle property tax at the same time as your registration renewal through the Tag and Tax Together program. You pay one combined bill to the DMV that covers both the plate fee and the county property tax on the vehicle.

How is the North Carolina vehicle property tax calculated?

The county assesses your vehicle's value and multiplies it by the combined county and municipal property tax rate, expressed per $100 of value. A $20,000 vehicle in a county with a $0.75 rate per $100 would owe about $150 in vehicle property tax.

Do electric vehicles pay extra in North Carolina?

Yes. Because EV owners buy no gasoline, North Carolina charges an additional annual highway-use fee on electric vehicles, with a smaller surcharge for plug-in hybrids, to help fund roads. This is added on top of the base registration fee.

How much is a North Carolina title fee?

Titling a vehicle in North Carolina costs about $56 as a one-time fee, separate from the annual plate fee. You pay it when you first title a vehicle in the state, such as after a purchase or a move from another state.

North Carolina Vehicle Registration Fee Calculator

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North Carolina bundles two charges into one renewal: a flat annual plate fee set by the DMV and a county vehicle property tax based on your vehicle’s value. The state’s Tag and Tax Together program collects both at once. This calculator estimates the total so renewal time holds no surprises.

How it works

The fixed pieces are straightforward. A private passenger plate is 38.75 dollars a year. Electric vehicles add a flat highway-use fee and plug-in hybrids add a smaller one, because those drivers pay little or no gas tax. A one-time title fee of about 56 dollars applies when you first title the vehicle.

The variable piece is the county vehicle property tax. The county assesses your vehicle’s value, then multiplies it by the combined local rate stated per 100 dollars of value:

property tax = assessed value / 100 * rate per $100

Some counties also add a small regional transit registration fee, which the tool lets you include.

Example

A 20,000 dollar gasoline car in a county with a 0.75 dollar rate per 100 dollars owes 150 dollars of property tax plus the 38.75 dollar plate fee, for about 188.75 dollars a year. Titling it for the first time adds roughly 56 dollars once.

Notes

Property tax assessments and local rates vary by county and change yearly, and EV and regional fees are periodically adjusted. This is a planning estimate; confirm the exact figures on your renewal notice or at ncdot.gov/dmv.