Official fees
Nebraska registration fee chart
Base registration (car or motorcycle)
$15.00
Emergency Medical System fund
$0.50
DMV Cash Fund
$2.00
State Recreation Road Fund
$1.50
County General Fund
$1.50
$5.00 for non-residents
New plates (first issuance)
$8.20
$4.10 per plate, $3.30 single plate for motorcycles
Motor vehicle tax
$25–$1,900 × age factor
by original MSRP bracket
Motor vehicle fee
$5, $20 or $30 × age band
smaller companion charge
Electric/hydrogen vehicle fee
$150/yr
plug-in hybrid: $75/yr
Figures verified July 2026 against official sources (listed below). Always confirm the final amount with your county treasurer (Nebraska DMV) - counties can add small local fees.
- Base registration
- $15 + $5.50 funds
- Motor vehicle tax
- $25–$1,900 × age factor
- Motor vehicle fee
- $5–$30
- City wheel tax
- Omaha $100 / Lincoln $74
- EV fee
- $150/yr
Overview
Add a city wheel tax if you're registering in Omaha ($100/yr) or Lincoln ($74/yr), and an EV or plug-in hybrid surcharge if that's what you drive, and you have the full picture. This calculator runs the real MSRP-and-age math instead of a flat estimate, because in Nebraska that math IS the registration bill.
Same state, other costs
More Nebraska vehicle costs
Common questions
Nebraska registration fees FAQ
- How much does it cost to register a car in Nebraska?
- It varies hugely by the car's original MSRP and age - that's the point of Nebraska's system. A brand-new $30,000-MSRP car owes roughly $520 in its first year (motor vehicle tax + fee) plus about $28.70 in base registration and plate fees; the same car at year 10 owes about $89 in tax and fee. Add $100 if you're in Omaha, $74 in Lincoln.
- Why does the registration fee shrink every year even though I didn't do anything?
- Nebraska's motor vehicle tax is built to decline automatically - the age factor drops from 100% in year one to 90%, 80%, 70% and onward down to 0% by year fourteen. It's a fixed depreciation schedule set in statute, not tied to the vehicle's actual condition or mileage.
- Does a more expensive car always cost more to register?
- Yes, but by original MSRP bracket, not resale value. A car that listed for $45,000 new pays motor vehicle tax based on the $44,000–$45,999 bracket forever, even if it's now worth $8,000 - a cheap used car with a high original sticker price can register for more than a pricier car that started life cheap.
- What's the difference between the motor vehicle tax and the motor vehicle fee?
- Both are collected together and both use the vehicle's original MSRP and age, but they're legally separate line items with separate bracket tables. The tax ranges from $25 to $1,900 (before the age factor); the fee is much smaller - $5 flat for cars under $20,000 MSRP, up to $30 for cars $40,000 and over in years one through five.
- Do motorcycles pay the same registration fees as cars?
- The $15 base registration and the state funds are identical, but motorcycles get their own flat motor vehicle fee ($10 in years 1–5, $7 in years 6–10, $3.50 after) regardless of MSRP, and a cheaper single plate at $3.30 instead of $8.20 for two.
- Is there a Nebraska registration fee for electric or hybrid cars?
- Fully electric and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles pay $150 a year (raised from $75 effective January 2025); plug-in hybrids pay $75 a year. Regular (non-plug-in) hybrids pay no surcharge at all.
Receipts
Official sources
Every number on this page comes from these documents - check them yourself.
