Official fees
Maryland registration fee chart
Passenger vehicle ≤ 3,500 lbs
$120.50/yr
$241 for a full 2-year term
Passenger vehicle 3,501–3,700 lbs
$125.50/yr
$251 for 2 years
Passenger vehicle > 3,700 lbs
$191.50/yr
$383 for 2 years
Motorcycle
$105.00/yr
$210 for 2 years
Trailer ≤ 3,000 lbs
$55.50/yr
Trailer 3,001–5,000 lbs
$81.00/yr
Trailer 5,001–10,000 lbs
$110.00/yr
Trailer 10,001–20,000 lbs
$154.00/yr
EMS System surcharge
$40.00/yr
cars & motorcycles; trailers/farm/historic exempt
Zero-emission vehicle surcharge
$125.00/yr
$250 per 2-year term
Plug-in hybrid surcharge
$100.00/yr
$200 per 2-year term
Figures verified July 2026 against official sources (listed below). Always confirm the final amount with the Maryland MVA - counties can add small local fees.
Step by step
How to register a vehicle in Maryland
- 1
Have Maryland liability insurance in force before you apply - the MVA verifies it electronically.
- 2
If it's a newly-purchased used vehicle or one titled elsewhere, complete the safety inspection first.
- 3
Bring the title (or dealer paperwork), proof of insurance, and ID to an MVA branch or licensed tag & title agent.
- 4
Pay the two-year registration for your weight class, the EMS surcharge, and any EV surcharge in the same visit as titling.
- 5
Your plates and registration card are issued on the spot for most in-person transactions.
- ≤ 3,500 lbs
- $241 / 2 yrs
- 3,501–3,700 lbs
- $251 / 2 yrs
- > 3,700 lbs
- $383 / 2 yrs
- Motorcycle
- $210 / 2 yrs
- EMS surcharge
- $40/yr (included above)
Overview
These aren't small increases from a few years ago: the ≤3,500-lb rate alone roughly doubled between 2023 and 2025 across two consecutive budget cycles. Motorcycles get their own $105-a-year rate ($210 for two years), and trailers are priced purely by weight with no EMS surcharge attached. Electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles add a biennial surcharge on top - $250 for fully electric, $200 for plug-in hybrids - introduced to offset the gas tax revenue those vehicles don't generate.
Same state, other costs
More Maryland vehicle costs
Common questions
Maryland registration fees FAQ
- How much does it cost to register a car in Maryland for two years?
- $241 for a passenger vehicle at 3,500 lbs or under, $251 for 3,501–3,700 lbs, or $383 over 3,700 lbs - every figure already includes the $40-a-year EMS surcharge. Electric vehicles add $250 for the two-year term; plug-in hybrids add $200.
- Why did my registration nearly double compared to a few years ago?
- Two separate budget-driven increases hit back to back: one in July 2024 and a second in July 2025 under House Bill 352. The ≤3,500-lb passenger rate moved from roughly $87/yr to $110.50/yr to $120.50/yr across those two rounds, and the EMS surcharge alone grew from $17 to $40 a year.
- What is the EMS surcharge, and can I opt out?
- It's a flat annual fee that funds Maryland's Emergency Medical Services system - ambulances, med-evac helicopters, and trauma centers. It's mandatory for cars and motorcycles and already folded into the registration totals above; trailers, farm vehicles, and historic (Class L) vehicles are exempt from it.
- Do trailers pay the EMS surcharge or the electric vehicle surcharge?
- No to both. Trailer registration in Maryland is priced purely by gross weight - $55.50 to $154 a year depending on the band - with no EMS or fuel-type surcharge added.
- Can I register a Maryland vehicle for one year instead of two?
- Some classes allow 1-year or 3-year terms at a pro-rated share of the 2-year fee, but the standard default - and what most private owners get - is the full 2-year registration cycle.
- Is there a weight cutoff I should double-check before I register?
- Yes - the 3,500-lb and 3,700-lb thresholds are exact curb-weight cutoffs from the title, not rough estimates. A vehicle at 3,510 lbs pays the middle band's $251 rate, not the bottom band's $241, even though the difference is a few pounds.
Receipts
Official sources
Every number on this page comes from these documents - check them yourself.
