Rhode Island car registration and title fees

• Title fee — $50.00. The DMV's fee for a certificate of title in your name. (R.I. Gen. Laws 31-3.1-6(a); DMV Registration & Title Fees)
• DMV technology surcharge (title) — $3.50. The DMV adds $3.50 to every fee transaction. The DMV's fee table lists it on the title and again on the registration. If the DMV charges it once when you title and register together, this line is $3.50 too high. (R.I. Gen. Laws 31-2-27(a); DMV Registration & Title Fees)
• Registration (by weight, two years) — $80.00. Rhode Island sets the fee by the car's weight plus 150 lbs for each adult seat: $30 a year up to 4,000 lbs, $40 from 4,001 to 5,000 lbs, $48 from 5,001 to 6,000 lbs. Most new cars land in the $40 bracket, and a passenger registration runs two years, so this uses $80. The DMV prorates a new registration by date, so yours can be for a shorter period and cost less. (R.I. Gen. Laws 31-6-1(1), (3), 31-6-2, 31-6-5; DMV Registration & Title Fees)
• Highway maintenance surcharge — $40.00. A $40 surcharge on a two-year passenger registration ($20 a year), up from $30 on January 1, 2026. It goes to the state's highway maintenance account. (R.I. Gen. Laws 39-18.1-4(b)(1)-(2); DMV, Important Fee Changes Effective January 1, 2026)
• License plates — $8.00. $8 for a set of fully reflective plates, charged when new plates are issued. Not charged if you move your own plates to the car. (R.I. Gen. Laws 31-6-1(23); DMV Plate Fees)
• Registration transfer fee — $15.00. $15 to move your registration and plates to the new car, plus the difference if the new car falls in a higher weight bracket. You keep your current expiration date. The difference is not included here. (R.I. Gen. Laws 31-6-11)
• DMV technology surcharge (registration) — $3.50. The DMV adds $3.50 to every fee transaction, registration and plate transfer included. (R.I. Gen. Laws 31-2-27(a); DMV Registration & Title Fees)
• Electric vehicle registration fee (two years) — $400.00. $200 for each year of registration for a battery electric car, added to the weight fee and surcharge since January 1, 2026. A two-year registration pays $400. The DMV prorates a new registration by date, so a shorter period costs less. (R.I. Gen. Laws 31-6-1(27) (P.L. 2025, ch. 278, art. 11); DMV, Important Fee Changes Effective January 1, 2026)
• Plug-in hybrid registration fee (two years) — $200.00. $100 for each year of registration for a plug-in hybrid, since January 1, 2026. A two-year registration pays $200. The DMV prorates a new registration by date, so a shorter period costs less. (R.I. Gen. Laws 31-6-1(27) (P.L. 2025, ch. 278, art. 11); DMV, Important Fee Changes Effective January 1, 2026)
• Hybrid registration fee (two years) — $100.00. $50 for each year of registration for a hybrid that does not plug in, mild hybrids included, since January 1, 2026. A two-year registration pays $100. The DMV prorates a new registration by date, so a shorter period costs less. (R.I. Gen. Laws 31-6-1(27) (P.L. 2025, ch. 278, art. 11); DMV, Important Fee Changes Effective January 1, 2026)

• Title preparation fee (dealer) (est.) — $20.00 (capped by law). A Rhode Island dealer may charge up to $20 for preparing the title application and sales tax forms and registering and titling the car. It has to be listed separately and called a "Title Preparation Fee", and it is taxed. The Attorney General says it is negotiable and a dealer does not have to charge it. It is a dealer charge, so it belongs in the advertised price. (280-RICR-30-20-1, 1.9(M); 280-RICR-20-70-28, 28.6(B); Division of Taxation Notice 2017-14)

• Rhode Island does not have an annual car tax. The municipal motor vehicle excise tax was repealed starting with fiscal year 2023 (July 1, 2022; East Providence July 1, 2023), and the state reimburses cities and towns from general revenue.
• You pay the 7% sales tax by the 20th of the month after you buy, whether or not you have registered the car. After that, interest and penalties apply. You can pay it at the DMV when you register or to the Division of Taxation beforehand.
• Passenger registrations renew every two years. At renewal you pay the weight fee for the car ($30 a year up to 4,000 lbs, $40 from 4,001 to 5,000 lbs, and so on), a $40 highway maintenance surcharge and a $3.50 DMV technology surcharge. Electric cars add $200 a year, plug-in hybrids $100 and other hybrids $50.
• Rhode Island inspects cars every two years for $55, paid to the station. A new car's first inspection is due within two years or 24,000 miles. A used car sold by a Rhode Island dealer must carry an inspection sticker from within 90 days or 500 miles of the sale, at the dealer's expense. A car you buy privately or bring in from out of state needs a passing inspection within 5 days of registration.

• Who collects the tax: in Rhode Island you pay the 7% sales tax and the DMV's fees at the DMV, not to the dealer. The dealer completes the state's sale form, and can take your payment and register the car for you. Some dealers charge for that service, usually $100 to $300 according to the Attorney General, and have to refund any amount above the DMV's actual fees. The calculator includes the tax and fees because you pay them either way.
• The dealer's doc fee (a "documentary preparation fee") is capped at $400 and may be charged only on a sale over $10,000. A separate title preparation fee is capped at $20. Both are taxed. The Attorney General says both are negotiable and a dealer does not have to charge either. These limits apply to dealers located in Rhode Island.
• The registration figure is an estimate. It assumes a car in the 4,001 to 5,000 lb bracket and a two-year registration. The DMV prorates a new registration by date, so it can be lower. Heavier SUVs and trucks pay more: $48 a year from 5,001 to 6,000 lbs, and up.

Source: RI Division of Taxation — Sales & Use Tax · rules last verified Oct 11, 2026. Methodology.