Official fees
Massachusetts registration fee chart
Passenger vehicle registration
$60
covers 2 years
Motorcycle registration
$20
renews every year
Motor vehicle excise
$25 / $1,000
of MSRP × age-based percentage, min. $5
Inspection sticker (car)
$35
annual, both safety and emissions
Inspection sticker (motorcycle)
$15
annual
Figures verified July 2026 against official sources (listed below). Always confirm the final amount with the Massachusetts RMV - counties can add small local fees.
Step by step
How Massachusetts bills you for a registered car each year
- 1
The RMV charges registration once every 2 years for cars, every year for motorcycles - no separate action needed until it's due.
- 2
Your city or town's assessor mails an excise bill (usually late winter/spring) based on the state's fixed MSRP depreciation schedule for your vehicle's age.
- 3
Pay the excise within 30 days of the bill date - unpaid excise can eventually block your RMV registration renewal, unrelated to when your plates expire.
- 4
Get the annual inspection sticker at any licensed station; it's due every 12 months no matter where you are in your 2-year registration cycle.
- Registration
- $60 / 2 yrs (car), $20/yr (motorcycle)
- Excise tax
- $25 per $1,000 of MSRP, yearly
- Excise minimum
- $5
- Inspection
- $35/yr (car), $15/yr (motorcycle)
- Excise billed by
- Your city or town
Overview
Layer on the $35 inspection sticker, due every year regardless of your two-year registration cycle, and the true annual cost of keeping a Massachusetts car legal is registration (occasionally) plus excise (every year) plus inspection (every year) - three different bills on three different calendars. This calculator adds them up for your vehicle.
Same state, other costs
More Massachusetts vehicle costs
Common questions
Massachusetts registration fees FAQ
- How much does it cost to keep a car registered in Massachusetts per year?
- Roughly $60/2 = $30/year in RMV registration, plus the excise tax (commonly $100–$400 depending on the car's MSRP and age) and the $35 annual inspection. A typical mid-value car often lands around $150–$450 a year once excise is included.
- Why did my neighbor's identical car get a different excise bill than mine?
- Excise is based on the vehicle's original MSRP, not what either of you paid or what it's worth now. If your trim level or options differed even slightly, your MSRPs - and therefore your excise bills - differ too, even on the same model year.
- Does excise tax go down every year forever?
- It drops on a fixed schedule - 50% of MSRP the year before the model year, 90% in the model year, 60% in year two, 40% in year three, 25% in year four - then it locks at 10% of MSRP for the fifth year and every year after that, for as long as you own the car.
- What happens if I don't pay my excise bill?
- After 30 days the town can send a demand notice (up to a $30 fee) and start charging 12% annual interest. Keep ignoring it and your town can ask the RMV to block your next registration renewal - clearing that mark costs a separate $20 release fee on top of the excise itself.
- Do electric vehicles pay a special registration fee in Massachusetts?
- No - as of 2026 Massachusetts has no EV-specific registration surcharge. EVs pay the same $60 two-year registration as any other passenger vehicle, plus the same excise tax structure based on MSRP.
- Is the inspection fee part of my registration renewal?
- No, they're unrelated. Registration is an RMV transaction every 1 or 2 years; inspection is a separate annual requirement paid at a private inspection station. You can be mid-cycle on registration and still owe an inspection that same year.
Receipts
Official sources
Every number on this page comes from these documents - check them yourself.
