The True Cost to Own a Car by State (2026)
Owning a car costs from about $20/year in Georgia to $463/year in Connecticut — just in recurring registration and annual vehicle taxes on a typical $30,000, 3-year-old car. The national middle is around $129/year. The gap is driven almost entirely by whether a state charges an annual value-based property or ad-valorem tax on top of the registration fee.
These are the recurring annual costs of keeping a car registered — the registration fee plus any annual vehicle property/ad-valorem tax — computed from each state's actual fee structure for the same vehicle: a $30,000, 3-year-old gas car. One-time costs at purchase (sales tax, title) and insurance, fuel, and maintenance are excluded.
Cheapest to own
Georgia ($20), Louisiana ($27), Arkansas ($28), New York ($28), Tennessee ($29).
Most expensive
Connecticut ($463), Minnesota ($413), Missouri ($405), Virginia ($403), Nebraska ($394).
| Rank | State | Annual cost |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgia | $20/yr |
| 2 | Louisiana | $27/yr |
| 3 | Arkansas | $28/yr |
| 4 | New York | $28/yr |
| 5 | Tennessee | $29/yr |
| 6 | Ohio | $36/yr |
| 7 | Delaware | $40/yr |
| 8 | Kansas | $43/yr |
| 9 | Florida | $46/yr |
| 10 | Pennsylvania | $48/yr |
| 11 | Alaska | $50/yr |
| 12 | Rhode Island | $50/yr |
| 13 | West Virginia | $52/yr |
| 14 | Idaho | $65/yr |
| 15 | Oregon | $68/yr |
| 16 | New Jersey | $72/yr |
| 17 | New Mexico | $74/yr |
| 18 | South Dakota | $74/yr |
| 19 | Texas | $80/yr |
| 20 | Washington | $82/yr |
| 21 | Wisconsin | $85/yr |
| 22 | Vermont | $91/yr |
| 23 | North Dakota | $93/yr |
| 24 | Oklahoma | $98/yr |
| 25 | Maryland | $121/yr |
| 26 | Michigan | $129/yr |
| 27 | Alabama | $135/yr |
| 28 | North Carolina | $143/yr |
| 29 | Illinois | $151/yr |
| 30 | Utah | $154/yr |
| 31 | Indiana | $188/yr |
| 32 | Montana | $217/yr |
| 33 | Kentucky | $240/yr |
| 34 | Mississippi | $277/yr |
| 35 | Colorado | $294/yr |
| 36 | Wyoming | $300/yr |
| 37 | Iowa | $314/yr |
| 38 | Arizona | $315/yr |
| 39 | New Hampshire | $324/yr |
| 40 | Massachusetts | $330/yr |
| 41 | South Carolina | $332/yr |
| 42 | California | $333/yr |
| 43 | Maine | $335/yr |
| 44 | Nevada | $348/yr |
| 45 | Hawaii | $380/yr |
| 46 | Nebraska | $394/yr |
| 47 | Virginia | $403/yr |
| 48 | Missouri | $405/yr |
| 49 | Minnesota | $413/yr |
| 50 | Connecticut | $463/yr |
Computed July 2026 from each state's registration formula and annual vehicle tax, on a standard $30,000, 3-year-old car. County-tax states use a representative county. See how we verify fees.
Frequently asked questions
Which state is the most expensive to own a car?
On recurring annual costs for a standard $30,000, 3-year-old car, Connecticut ($463/yr) tops the list, followed by Minnesota, Missouri, and Virginia. These states layer an annual value-based property or ad-valorem tax on top of the registration fee.
Which state is the cheapest to own a car?
Georgia is the cheapest at about $20/year, with Louisiana, Arkansas, and New York close behind. These states charge a flat or weight-based registration fee and no annual vehicle property tax.
What does this cost include?
The recurring annual cost of keeping a car registered: the state registration fee plus any annual vehicle property or ad-valorem tax, on a standard $30,000, 3-year-old gas car. It excludes one-time costs (sales/use tax and title fees at purchase), insurance, fuel, and maintenance.
Why do some states cost so much more?
Because roughly half of states charge only a flat or weight-based registration fee, while the other half also levy an annual tax on the car's value — a 'motor vehicle,' 'ad valorem,' or 'personal property' tax — which can run several hundred dollars a year and dwarfs the registration fee.
Cite this data
Free to use with attribution (CC-BY 4.0). Please credit RegistryFee.com with a link to this page. Journalists & researchers — custom cuts of this data (by vehicle value, age, or county) are available: admin@registryfee.com. See our data & press page.