RegistryFee

Cost to Register a Car After Moving to South Dakota

Moving to South Dakotameans re-titling and re-registering your vehicle as a new resident. Here's what that actually costs, computed from the state's current fee schedule.

One-time costs when you arrive

  • Title fee
    $10.00
  • One-time total$10.00

Your ongoing annual cost

For a typical three-year-old gas vehicle, expect about $72.00 per year — driving an EV changes that to $172.00. South Dakota registers passenger vehicles by weight — $36 (≤2,000 lbs), $72 (to 4,000), $108 (to 6,000), $144 above — with vehicles 10+ years old paying 70% of those amounts, plus a 4% motor vehicle excise tax at purchase and a $2 technology fee per transaction. The EV fee doubled to $100 in 2025. Like Montana, its friendly fees attract out-of-state registrations.

Before you budget

  • EV fee doubled from $50 to $100 in the 2025 session (HB 1227).

Estimate your exact South Dakota cost

Your vehicle

Estimated annual cost
$72.00/ year
  • Registration fee (2,001–4,000 lbs tier shown)
    $72.00
One-time fees (first registration)
  • Title fee
    $10.00
One-time total: $10.00

Estimate only — actual fees are set by your state and county at the time of registration. Data last reviewed 2026-07-16. This state's full local formula is not yet implemented; see the notes below the calculator.

South Dakota vehicle fees →South Dakota boat fees →Moving to South Dakota? →

All figures computed from official fee schedules — sources: https://dor.sd.gov/individuals/motor-vehicle/all-vehicles-title-fees-registration/ — last reviewed 2026-07-16.