Official fees
Tennessee registration fee chart
Passenger car / truck
$26.50
Motorcycle / autocycle
$19.50
Shelby County (Memphis) wheel tax
$75
$20 for motorcycles
Davidson County (Nashville) wheel tax
$55
same for motorcycles
Knox County (Knoxville) wheel tax
$36
all motorized vehicles, incl. motorcycles
Electric vehicle surcharge
$200
rises to $274/yr Jan 1, 2027
Hybrid / plug-in hybrid surcharge
$100
Figures verified July 2026 against official sources (listed below). Always confirm the final amount with your county clerk (TN Dept. of Revenue) - counties can add small local fees.
Step by step
How to register a vehicle in Tennessee
- 1
Have the title (or dealer paperwork) and proof of Tennessee liability insurance ready.
- 2
Visit your county clerk's office - Tennessee registers vehicles at the county level, not a state DMV.
- 3
The clerk verifies insurance, collects any sales tax owed on a new purchase, and calculates your county's wheel tax.
- 4
Pay the base registration, wheel tax if applicable, and EV/hybrid surcharge if it applies to your vehicle.
- 5
Renew annually - most counties mail a renewal notice, but registration is due by your expiration month regardless.
- Car/truck base
- $26.50/yr
- Motorcycle base
- $19.50/yr
- County wheel tax
- $0–$75/yr
- EV surcharge
- $200/yr (2026)
- Hybrid surcharge
- $100/yr
Overview
Electric and hybrid vehicles pay an additional annual surcharge on top of the base fee - $200 for a fully electric vehicle through the end of 2026 (climbing to $274 in 2027), $100 for hybrids and plug-in hybrids - meant to replace the gas tax revenue those vehicles don't generate. Use the calculator below for your exact county and vehicle type.
Same state, other costs
More Tennessee vehicle costs
Common questions
Tennessee registration fees FAQ
- How much does it cost to register a car in Tennessee per year?
- $26.50 statewide, plus whatever your county's wheel tax is. In a no-wheel-tax county that's the whole bill; in Shelby County (Memphis) it's $101.50; in Davidson County (Nashville) it's $81.50; in Knox County (Knoxville) it's $62.50.
- Which Tennessee counties don't charge a wheel tax?
- Roughly a third of the state's 95 counties charge no wheel tax at all - it's set locally, county by county, and some cities layer on their own on top of the county's. Check your county clerk's fee page; there's no statewide list because it changes as county commissions vote to add or repeal it.
- Do electric vehicles pay more to register in Tennessee?
- Yes - $200 a year on top of the base $26.50, through registrations renewing before January 1, 2027. After that the EV surcharge rises to $274 and then adjusts for inflation. Plug-in and standard hybrids pay a separate $100 surcharge instead.
- Is registration cheaper if I register online?
- The state fees are identical either way; what changes is convenience. Most Tennessee county clerks offer online renewal (often through tncountyclerk.com) which skips the counter line, though a small card-processing fee sometimes applies that a mailed or in-person payment avoids.
- Do I need an emissions test to register in Tennessee?
- No - no Tennessee county still requires it. The last holdout counties, including Davidson (Nashville) and Shelby (Memphis), ended emissions testing in early 2022.
- Why is my county clerk charging me a bit more than $26.50?
- Beyond the wheel tax, some counties add a small local processing or issuance fee of a dollar or two on top of the state's $26.50 - separate from the wheel tax and set by the county rather than the state.
Receipts
Official sources
Every number on this page comes from these documents - check them yourself.
