North Carolina car registration and title fees

• Title fee — $66.75. Certificate of title. On a financed purchase the lienholder is recorded on this same title u2014 North Carolina has no separate initial lien fee. (G.S. 20-85(a)(1))
• Registration and plate — $46.25. One year of registration for a private passenger vehicle. The license plate is included u2014 there is no separate plate charge. This renews annually. (G.S. 20-87(5))
• Regional transportation tax — $17.00. An annual county and regional transit registration tax charged in Wake, Durham and Orange counties ($7 county + $10 regional). (G.S. Ch. 105 Art. 51 and Art. 52)
• Regional transportation tax — $2.00. An annual county and regional transit registration tax charged in Randolph County ($1 county + $1 PART). (G.S. Ch. 105 Art. 51 and Art. 52)
• EV registration fee — $214.50. Additional annual fee for a plug-in electric vehicle, charged at initial registration and at every renewal. (G.S. 20-87(13))
• Plug-in hybrid registration fee — $107.25. Additional annual fee for a plug-in hybrid, charged at initial registration and at every renewal. (G.S. 20-87(13a))

• North Carolina bills vehicle property tax with your registration renewal each year (Tag & Tax Together). It is not part of your purchase u2014 the dealer is not permitted to collect it u2014 but you will get a bill within 60 days on a limited registration plate. That deadline is hard, with no grace period, and interest starts at 5%. The amount depends on your county's rate and the county's assessed value of the car.
• Registration renews every year at $46.25, plus the county transit tax if you live in Wake, Durham, Orange or Randolph.
• North Carolina requires an annual safety inspection everywhere in the state, and an emissions inspection in 19 counties. A new vehicle is inspected by the dealer before delivery, and new cars are exempt from emissions testing for their first three model years.

• The $214.50 electric-vehicle fee recurs every year at renewal.
• The $107.25 plug-in hybrid fee recurs every year at renewal.

• There is no cap on the Highway Use Tax for an ordinary car. The $2,000 cap applies to commercial vehicles and RVs, and the $250 cap only to a vehicle you have already held titled in your own name in another state for at least 90 days u2014 which never applies to a car you are buying today.
• North Carolina dealers handle everything u2014 the tax, the title and your plates u2014 so the total above is what you should expect to pay at the dealership.

Source: N.C. General Statutes, Chapter 105, Article 5A — North Carolina Highway Use Tax, § 105-187.3 · rules last verified Oct 1, 2026. Methodology.