Maryland car registration and title fees

• Title fee — $200.00. Certificate of title. Maryland doubled this from $100 on July 1, 2025. (Transp. Sec. 13-802(a); Ch. 604, Laws of MD 2025)
• Registration — varies. One year of registration, including the $40 emergency medical services surcharge. Maryland brackets this on the manufacturer's SHIPPING weight u2014 not curb weight or GVWR u2014 and the jump above 3,700 lbs is $66, which catches most three-row SUVs and electric vehicles. Two- and three-year terms are also available. (Transp. Sec. 13-912(b); Sec. 13-954(b)(1))
• Lien recording fee — $40.00. Charged per lien recorded when the purchase is financed. (Transp. Sec. 13-202(b)(1)(ii); MVA fee schedule)
• Zero-emission vehicle surcharge — $125.00. Annual surcharge on zero-emission vehicles, charged on top of registration. (Transp. Sec. 13-956(a))
• Plug-in hybrid surcharge — $100.00. Annual surcharge on a plug-in electric vehicle that is not zero-emission. (Transp. Sec. 13-956(a))

• Maryland registration renews every year, and the amount depends on your vehicle's shipping weight. Your renewal month is set by the month you take title, so there is no proration to game.
• Maryland requires an emissions test every two years in 13 counties and Baltimore City, at $30. A new vehicle is exempt for its first 72 months, and electric vehicles are never tested, so this does not apply to a new-car purchase.

• The $125 zero-emission surcharge recurs annually, and Maryland indexes it for inflation each year, so expect it to drift upward.
• The $100 plug-in hybrid surcharge recurs annually and is inflation-indexed.
• Maryland offers a $3,000 excise tax credit on a new zero-emission vehicle with a base price of $50,000 or less, titled before July 1, 2027. It is NOT a discount at the dealership u2014 you get a refund check about four to six weeks after the MVA processes the paperwork, and it depends on funding being available that year. It is not included in the total above for that reason.

• Registration is bracketed by your vehicle's manufacturer shipping weight, and crossing 3,700 lbs adds $66 a year. Many three-row SUVs and most electric vehicles are over that line.
• Maryland dealers are required by law to collect the tax and handle both title and registration for a passenger car, so the total above is what you should expect to pay at the dealership.

Source: Maryland MVA; Transportation Article Sec. 13-809; COMAR 11.15.33 · rules last verified Oct 1, 2026. Methodology.