Massachusetts car registration and title fees

• Title fee — $75.00. Certificate of title. If you finance, the lienholder is recorded on this same title u2014 there is no separate lien fee at purchase. (RMV fee schedule)
• Title preparation fee — $5.00. Massachusetts caps what a dealer may charge for procuring your title at $5. It is separate from the doc fee, which is why a Massachusetts buyer's order usually shows two paperwork lines. (MGL c.90D Sec. 33)
• Registration — $60.00. Two years of registration for a passenger vehicle u2014 Massachusetts registration is biennial, not annual. The plate is included; there is no separate plate charge. (MGL c.90 Sec. 33(2); RMV fee schedule)
• Registration transfer — $25.00. Moving a plate you already own to this vehicle costs $25 instead of the $60 new registration. (RMV fee schedule)

• Massachusetts cities and towns bill an annual motor vehicle excise of $25 per $1,000 of value, and the value is a percentage of the manufacturer's list price rather than what you paid u2014 90% in the model year, then 60%, 40%, 25%, and 10% from the fifth year on. For a car with a $40,000 list price that is roughly $900 the first full year. None of it is due at purchase; the bill comes later from the town where the car is garaged and is due 30 days after it is issued. Your first year is prorated from the month you register.
• Registration renews every two years at $60, not annually.
• Massachusetts requires an annual inspection, $35, and a newly bought car has to pass within 7 days of registration. There is no exemption for a brand-new vehicle. You pay the inspection station directly, so it is not part of the dealer's total.
• Massachusetts charges no extra registration fee for an electric or hybrid vehicle u2014 the Electric plate type costs the same $60 as a standard passenger plate.

• Massachusetts has a reputation for taxing cars on book value. That rule is real but applies only to private-party sales: when you buy from a dealer registered with the Massachusetts DOR, tax is calculated on the price you actually negotiated.
• Your trade-in reduces the taxable amount with no dollar cap, on new and used purchases alike u2014 but only at a Massachusetts-registered dealer. A private trade gets no credit at all.
• Buying from an out-of-state dealer that is not registered with Massachusetts DOR is the expensive case: you lose the trade-in credit AND get taxed on the higher of your price or book value.
• The doc fee is taxable and is not capped. Separately, the dealer's charge for getting your title is capped at $5 by law, which is why you will usually see two paperwork lines.
• One quirk worth knowing: Massachusetts law forbids the dealer from collecting the sales tax. You owe it to the Registry, and paying it is a precondition of getting registered u2014 though in practice the dealer prepares the paperwork and remits it for you electronically. You remain responsible for making sure it was actually paid.

Source: Mass. DOR — Motor Vehicle and Trailer Sales and Use Tax; MGL c.64H/c.64I; RMV fee schedule · rules last verified Oct 1, 2026. Methodology.