West Virginia car registration fees

West Virginia charges a flat registration fee for passenger cars and light trucks up to 10,000 lbs: $50 a year plus a $1 litter fee and a 50-cent insurance enforcement fee, or $51.50 a year. You can register for one or two years, and a two-year registration costs twice the annual fee. Hybrids pay an extra $100 a year and electric cars an extra $200 a year. Titling a car adds a $15 title fee and 6% sales tax on the purchase price, and you must show your county personal property tax receipt to renew.

Confirm the final amount with West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV). Its official website is linked below the calculator and in this guide’s sources.

Registrations run for one or two years. Recurring amounts are per year; a two-year registration is twice the annual price (the calculator multiplies by the years you enter, but WV only offers 1 or 2). To renew or transfer, you must show a county personal property tax receipt or an Affidavit of Assessor: the prior tax year for a one-year registration, the prior two years for a two-year registration. The county assessor sets and the sheriff collects this tax; it is not paid to the DMV and is not included. Specialty plates cost more than the $51.50 standard plate (for example, $76.50 new and $66.50 renewal for many scenic and wildlife plates). Not included. Cars must pass a West Virginia safety inspection every 24 months at a licensed station; new residents have 10 days after titling. The station's inspection charge is not a DMV fee and is not included. The 6% sales tax is modeled only for purchases. New residents bringing a car already titled elsewhere should check with the DMV; that case is not modeled here. Statute 17A-10-3 lets the DMV raise the $50 base fee for inflation every five years; the DMV brochure revised 05/2024 still lists $51.50 for a standard plate.