Official fees
South Carolina tax, title & license fee chart
Infrastructure Maintenance Fee
5% of price, capped at $500
trade-in reduces the taxable base on dealer sales
Title fee
$15.00
Base registration (biennial)
$40.00
$38 at age 64, $36 at 65+
EV road-use fee
$120.00
biennial, on top of base registration
Hybrid road-use fee
$60.00
biennial, on top of base registration
First-year property tax
value × 6% × millage
paid to your county, due before the first renewal
Out-of-state vehicle (new resident)
$250 flat IMF
Figures verified July 2026 against official sources (listed below). Always confirm the final amount with your county treasurer/auditor for property tax, then the SCDMV for title and registration - counties can add small local fees.
Step by step
How South Carolina's first-year bill actually works
- 1
Buy the vehicle; a dealer collects the IMF and title paperwork, or a private seller signs the title over to you.
- 2
File Form 400 (Title and Registration Application) with the SCDMV within 45 days of the sale.
- 3
Pay the IMF (or the flat $250 if you're titling a vehicle you already owned out of state), the $15 title fee, and the $40 (or discounted senior) registration.
- 4
Watch for your county's first vehicle property tax bill - it arrives separately and is due before your registration can renew.
- 5
Pay the county treasurer directly (online, by mail, or in person); the county then clears you with the SCDMV to renew.
- Infrastructure Maintenance Fee
- 5%, capped at $500
- Title fee
- $15
- Registration
- $40 / 2 yrs
- Annual property tax
- 6% × county millage
- Pay at
- County treasurer, then SCDMV
Overview
What doesn't look the same is what shows up next: South Carolina taxes cars every year as personal property, based on 6% of the vehicle's value times your county's millage rate, and - unlike the IMF - that bill has no cap. A buyer who chases the $500 IMF ceiling on a luxury truck can end up owing more in year-one property tax alone than the IMF and title fee combined. The calculator below itemizes both pieces so you see the whole picture, not just the counter total.
Same state, other costs
More South Carolina vehicle costs
Common questions
South Carolina tax, title & license FAQ
- How much does it cost to title and register a $30,000 car in South Carolina?
- The IMF hits its $500 cap on anything over $10,000, so a $30,000 purchase owes $500 IMF + $15 title + $40 registration = $555 at the SCDMV. Your county's separate first-year property tax bill (6% of value × local millage) typically adds several hundred more.
- Is the $500 IMF cap real - does a $100,000 truck really pay the same as a $10,000 car?
- Yes. The IMF caps at $500 for every vehicle titled at or above $10,000, so the state's title-time cut on a six-figure truck and a compact sedan is identical. It's the reason South Carolina's headline vehicle tax looks cheap for expensive vehicles - the annual property tax is where that flips.
- Why does my county send me a separate tax bill after I already paid the SCDMV?
- The IMF and property tax are two different systems entirely. The IMF is a one-time SCDMV fee at titling; the annual property tax is billed by your county treasurer based on the vehicle's assessed value and never disappears - you'll get a new bill every year you own the car.
- Does a trade-in lower my South Carolina IMF?
- At a dealership, yes - the IMF is 5% of the price minus your trade-in allowance, still capped at $500. Trading a $10,000 vehicle against a $25,000 purchase drops the taxable base to $15,000, but since 5% of $15,000 is $750, you'd still just pay the $500 cap either way on a purchase this size.
- I'm moving to South Carolina with a car I already own - what do I owe?
- A flat $250 IMF instead of the 5%/$500 calculation, since you're not buying anything new - you're just titling an existing vehicle in the state. Add the $15 title fee and $40 registration, then expect your new county's property tax bill on top.
- Do I pay property tax before or after I register?
- Before. South Carolina requires a paid property tax receipt from your county before the SCDMV will issue or renew your registration - it's the opposite order of most states, and it's the single biggest point of confusion for new residents.
Receipts
Official sources
Every number on this page comes from these documents - check them yourself.
