How much do car tabs cost in Washington? Weight fees, RTA and TBD explained

Updated October 27, 2026 · Figures checked against the official sources listed below

The short answer

Renewing the tabs on a gasoline car up to 4,000 lbs costs $83 a year in Washington: a $30 license fee, a $35 weight fee and $18 in filing, service and plate technology fees. Heavier cars pay a weight fee of $65, $82.50 or $96. An electric car adds $225 a year and a hybrid $75. If you live inside the Sound Transit district, you also pay an RTA tax of 1.1% of the car's depreciated value, and many cities and counties add a transportation benefit district fee of up to $100. Trucks and pickups are priced differently, by declared gross weight.

The three charges every car pays

Washington has no single tab fee. Every passenger car, SUV and motorcycle renewal is built from the same three parts:

The last four add up to $18 on every renewal. The $0.25 plate technology fee is a separate charge on top of the $0.75 license service fee: the law sets them in two different sections.

Weight fees went up in 2026

The weight fee is set by the vehicle's scale weight, which is its empty weight. A weight between two bands goes into the higher band. These amounts apply from January 1, 2026; before that the bands were $25, $45, $65 and $72, and the filing and service fees were lower too, so older fee lists you find online are out of date.

Motorcycles pay the same license fee and weight fee as a car, so a motorcycle in the lightest band renews for $83. The statute already sets new bands for January 1, 2029 ($35, $75, $90 and $110); until then the 2026 table applies.

If you see a $43.25 "basic fee" on the DOL's tab fee page, that is the pre-2026 stack: $30 license fee + $4.50 filing + $8 service + $0.50 license service + $0.25 plate technology. The 2026 amounts above replace it.

Electric cars and hybrids

These fees are added at renewal only, not when you first register a car you just bought (RCW 46.17.323 and 46.17.324).

The RTA tax (Sound Transit district only)

If your vehicle is kept inside the Sound Transit Regional Transit Authority district, which covers parts of King, Pierce and Snohomish counties, you pay a motor vehicle excise tax of 1.1% of its value each year (DOL). The district doesn't follow county lines, so check your address with the lookup on the DOL's RTA page. Outside the district there is no RTA tax, and Washington has no statewide car tab tax.

For a car, the value is 85% of the manufacturer's base MSRP (without options, taxes or delivery), reduced each year by the state's depreciation schedule. For a truck, it is the latest purchase price, reduced by a separate truck schedule (RCW 82.44.035). Year of service is this year minus the model year, plus 1.

A car with a $30,000 base MSRP: $30,000 x 85% = $25,500. In year 1 the tax is $25,500 x 1.1% = $280.50. In year 5 it is $25,500 x 55% x 1.1% = $154.28. If you don't know the base MSRP, your renewal notice is the place to look; our calculator leaves the RTA line as not available rather than guess it from the price you paid.

Transportation benefit district (TBD) fees

Many Washington cities, and some counties, have a transportation benefit district that adds its own vehicle fee at tab renewal. A district can charge up to $20 per vehicle without a public vote, and up to $100 with voter approval (DOL). The fee applies to passenger vehicles, motorcycles and trucks of 6,000 lbs or less.

City-by-city amounts are not available here: we haven't verified a current list from an official source, and fees change when a district's charge expires or a new one is approved. Your renewal notice shows the amount for your address, and you can type it into the calculator.

Trucks and pickups pay by declared gross weight

A truck, pickups included, doesn't pay the $30 license fee or the car weight fee. Instead it pays a license fee by declared gross weight: its empty weight plus the most it will carry, plus any trailer it tows (RCW 46.17.355). From July 1, 2026 the amounts printed in the statute go up 2%, rounded to the nearest 5 cents, and they rise 2% again each year after. Two add-ons apply: $10 if the declared weight is 12,000 lbs or less, and a freight project fee of 15% of the license fee, rounded to the dollar, above 10,000 lbs. The $18 in filing, service and plate technology fees applies too.

Heavier trucks use the same rules. The table below shows the amounts in force from July 1, 2026 (the statute amounts x 1.02). The statute has two schedules: Schedule A for trucks that don't tow a trailer and Schedule B for trucks that do. They are the same up to 40,000 lbs and Schedule B costs more above that. Every renewal total includes the 15% freight project fee and the $18 in filing, service and plate technology fees.

Over 105,500 lbs isn't covered. Farm trucks aren't covered here. A truck inside the Sound Transit district also pays the RTA tax on its purchase price, and a truck of 6,000 lbs or less pays any local TBD fee.

What this guide doesn't cover

Buying a car (title fees, plates, sales and use tax), trucks over 105,500 lbs, farm trucks, motor homes, trailers, specialty and personalized plates, and city-by-city TBD amounts. For what you pay when you buy or bring in a vehicle, see the Washington title transfer and use tax guide. For other states, see car registration late fees by state.

Frequently asked questions

General information, not tax or legal advice. Fees and tax rules change; confirm with the agency listed before you pay.