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Alabama car registration fee calculator

How much does it cost to register a car in Alabama? The yearly registration fee for a passenger car is $23, plus a $1.25 issuance fee at your county office. Electric cars add $203 and plug-in hybrids $103. When you buy, add a $15 title fee plus a $1.50 processing commission, and 2% state sales tax plus your local rate: $640.75 for a $30,000 car from a dealer before local sales tax and the yearly ad valorem tax.

Your vehicle

$
Not needed for renewals, gifts or new residents.
$
Tax is charged on the price minus the trade-in.
%
Dealer: the rate where the dealership is. Private sale: the rate where you live. Leave blank if you don't know it.
Collected by your county with the registration every year: the car's market value × 15% × your local millage.
$
The county uses the Department of Revenue's value for your car, not what you paid. Enter your best estimate.
mills
Your county license office publishes it, often as a decimal: 0.058 = 58 mills.
Estimated total
$640.75

Example for a $30,000 car. Enter your own price to update it.

  • Registration fee$13 + $10 additional (passenger car)$23.00
  • Issuance feeCounty license office$1.25
  • Local issuance / city feesVary by county and citynot available
  • Title application$15.00
  • Title processing commissionDesignated agent$1.50
  • State sales tax2% of price$600.00
  • Local sales taxEnter your county + city ratenot available

Total excludes items marked "not available".

What you'll pay later

Renewal at today's rates: $24.25/yr + items not available

Year 1 $640.75 · Years 2–5 $24.25/yr · 5-year total $737.75 + items not available

Estimate only, at today's rates for the same car.

Estimate only. Rates checked October 15, 2026 · Alabama. Confirm with the Alabama Department of Revenue, Motor Vehicle Division (through your county license office).

Alabama vehicle fees at a glance (2026)

Registration (passenger car)$23/yr ($13 + $10)
Issuance fee (county)$1.25
Electric vehicle fee$203/yr
Plug-in hybrid fee$103/yr
Title application$15 + $1.50 commission
Sales tax2% state + local (trade-in deducted)
Ad valorem tax (county, yearly)Market value × 15% × local millage

Download this fee summary (PDF)

Alabama fee history

Past, current and already-scheduled amounts, only where an official source prints them. The calculator uses the row marked "now".

Additional fee, battery electric vehicle

In effectAmountSource
Jan 1, 2020 – Jun 30, 2023$200Alabama Department of Revenue – MVD Memo 2023-002Checked October 15, 2026
From Jul 1, 2023 (now)$203Rises $3 every fourth year; next increase July 1, 2027Alabama Department of Revenue – MVD Memo 2023-002Checked October 15, 2026

Additional fee, plug-in hybrid

In effectAmountSource
Jan 1, 2020 – Jun 30, 2023$100Alabama Department of Revenue – MVD Memo 2023-002Checked October 15, 2026
From Jul 1, 2023 (now)$103Rises $3 every fourth year; next increase July 1, 2027Alabama Department of Revenue – MVD Memo 2023-002Checked October 15, 2026

What this estimate does and does not include

  • Registration: $23 a year for a private passenger car. The Department of Revenue lists $23; the Code of Alabama builds it from two sections: $13 under § 40-12-242 plus an additional $10 under § 40-12-273. Pickup trucks pay $23 to $105 depending on weight and are not covered here.
  • Issuance fee: $1.25 for each tag, paid to your county probate judge or license commissioner (§ 40-12-271). Some counties add their own local issuance fees and cities may add up to $5 a year (Act 2014-007); these vary and are shown as not available.
  • Electric vehicles: battery electric cars pay an additional $203 a year and plug-in hybrids $103 (Department of Revenue memo 2023-002). The law raises both by $3 every fourth year after July 1, 2023, so the next increase is due July 1, 2027. Regular hybrids that don't plug in pay no extra fee.
  • Title: the title application fee is $15. Designated agents add a $1.50 commission, included here. Your license office may add another $1.50 commission and some counties charge local title fees; those are not included (not available).
  • Sales tax: the state rate on vehicles is 2%, plus local county and city taxes. A dealer collects the local tax for the dealership's location. After a private sale, you pay state and local tax at your county license office when you register, at the rate where you live. A trade-in is deducted before tax (§ 40-23-103). Local rates vary, so enter yours; if you leave it blank, the local share is shown as not available.
  • Private sales: tax is on the price on a sworn purchaser report and bill of sale. Instead, you can agree to the Department of Revenue's standard value for the car's year, make and model (§ 40-23-104).
  • Gifts and family transfers: we did not find an official Department of Revenue rule on whether tax is due when a car is given or moved within a family, so the tax line is shown as not available. Ask your county license office.
  • New residents: register within 30 days of moving to Alabama. No sales or use tax is due on a used car that was substantially used in another state; registering or titling it in your old state counts as evidence (Department of Revenue notice, 2019).
  • Ad valorem tax: every year, with the registration, your county collects a property tax on the car: market value × 15% (Class IV, private passenger vehicles) × your local millage. The county uses the Department of Revenue's market value, not the price you paid, so the estimate here is only as good as the value you enter. Whether the first year is pro-rated is not covered.
  • Deadline: get your plate within 20 calendar days of buying a vehicle; the title application must be done first.
  • Not included: specialty and personalized plates (most specialty plates are $50 a year), local county and city fees, mail or online processing charges, and late penalties.
Official sources · Last checked October 15, 2026 · Next monthly check: November 2026

Alabama registration questions

How much is car registration in Alabama?

$23 a year for a passenger car ($13 plus an additional $10 under state law), plus a $1.25 issuance fee at your county office. Your county also collects a yearly ad valorem (property) tax based on the car's value, and some counties and cities add local fees.

How much is the electric vehicle fee in Alabama?

$203 a year for a battery electric vehicle and $103 for a plug-in hybrid, on top of the regular $23. Both rise by $3 every fourth year; the next increase is due July 1, 2027.

How much is sales tax on a car in Alabama?

2% state tax plus local county and city taxes. A dealer charges the local rate where the dealership is; after a private sale you pay at the rate where you live when you register. A trade-in is deducted before tax.

How much is a title in Alabama?

The title application fee is $15, plus a $1.50 designated agent commission. Your license office may add another $1.50 and some counties charge local fees.

How long do I have to register a car in Alabama?

20 calendar days after you buy it, and 30 days after you move to Alabama with a car registered in another state.

What is ad valorem tax on a car in Alabama?

A yearly property tax collected with your registration: market value × 15% × your local millage. For example, a car valued at $20,000 in a 58-mill area pays $20,000 × 15% × 0.058 = $174.

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