The short answer
| Item | West Virginia answer |
|---|---|
| Title fee | $15. A duplicate is also $15. |
| Deadline | No single buyer deadline. 10 days on the seller's registration, 60 days for the seller to hand over the title, 30 days for new residents. |
| Late title | No late title or renewal fee in the DMV's fee schedule. |
| Tax | 6% titling sales tax on the net price. $30 flat under $500. |
| Plates | Stay with the seller. Moving them to your next car is $10.50. |
How much does it cost to transfer a car title in West Virginia?
The title is the document that proves who owns the car. In West Virginia it costs $15. The DMV charges the same $15 for a duplicate title.
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Title | $15 |
| Lien (recording the lender's claim) | $10 per lien |
| Duplicate title | $15 |
| Moving your plates to another car | $10.50 |
| Duplicate plate | $10.50 |
The state law still prints $10 for a title, a duplicate title and a plate transfer, but it lets the DMV raise its fees with inflation. The amounts above are what the DMV charges on its own page and forms.
Worked example: $30,000 car, standard Class A registration
- Titling sales tax: 6% of $30,000 = $1,800.00
- Title: $15.00
- Registration, one year: $51.50
Total: $1,866.50.
The West Virginia calculator below starts from the same $1,866.50. It leaves out the county personal property tax, which you must pay before you can register, and the safety inspection, which you pay to the inspection station.
How many days do you have to transfer a title in West Virginia?
West Virginia doesn't publish one buyer deadline. Several clocks apply instead:
- 10 days: on a private sale, you may drive the car on the seller's registration for up to 10 days, with the seller's written consent.
- 60 days: the seller must sign over and deliver the title within 60 days of the sale.
- 30 days: new residents must title and register within 30 days of moving in.
Is there a late fee for a title transfer in West Virginia?
No late title fee and no late renewal fee appear in the DMV's fee schedule. But driving a car that isn't registered, or that has no title issued or applied for, is a misdemeanor, with a fine of up to $500 for a first offense.
West Virginia titling tax on a car: 6%
West Virginia charges a 6% titling sales tax on the net purchase price. The DMV collects it when you title. If the net price is under $500, the tax is a flat $30.
Some websites still quote a 5% "privilege tax." That tax was abolished on July 1, 2008. The rate has been 6% since July 1, 2017.
- Trade-ins: the trade-in comes off the price, but only if it's titled in West Virginia in exactly the same name and the tax was paid on it.
- Rebates: the tax is on the price before the manufacturer's rebate.
- Tax paid in another state: no credit at titling.
- Private sale of a car 2 years old or newer: taxed on its NADA Clean Loan value (a used-car price guide), whatever the price.
- Private sale of an older car: taxed on the price. If the price is under half the NADA Clean Loan value, you need a notarized bill of sale signed by both of you, or the tax is on the full book value.
Family sales and gifts
Only two kinds of gift are free of the tax:
- Between husband and wife.
- Between parent and child.
Both only if West Virginia tax was paid on the car before. For other gifts, the giver fills out Form DMV-5-TR, the Affidavit of Transfer of Ownership Without Consideration, signed by both of you. Without it, the tax is on the car's full book value.
A lien ends the exemption. If a lien is recorded on the new owner's title, the tax is 6% of the lien amount.
A car you inherit isn't taxed if the person who left it to you already paid the tax. A family sale for money is taxed like any other sale.
Registration fees
A standard Class A registration (cars and trucks up to 10,000 lbs) is $51.50 a year, or $103 for two years. The registration year runs July 1 to June 30, so a new registration is prorated by quarter:
| Registered between | Share of the yearly fee |
|---|---|
| July 1 and September 30 | Full fee |
| October 1 and December 31 | Three quarters |
| January 1 and March 31 | Half |
| April 1 and June 30 | One quarter |
County personal property tax: you must show you paid it before you can register or renew. The county sets the amount, so this guide can't give one.
Plates
Plates stay with the seller. When a car is sold, its registration ends. The seller can move the plates to another car they own within 60 days of buying it, for $10.50. The buyer registers the car in their own name.
Inspection
West Virginia requires a safety inspection every 24 months, costing up to $19, paid to the inspection station. It isn't in the total above.
The deadline for a car bought in West Virginia without a valid sticker depends on which DMV page you read: the Vehicle Inspection page says 3 days, the Registrations page says 10 days. New residents and cars bought out of state have 10 days from titling.
Electric and hybrid cars
- Electric car: $200 a year on top of registration.
- Hybrid or plug-in hybrid: $100 a year.
- Hydrogen or natural gas: $200 a year.
New residents
- Deadline: title and register within 30 days of moving to West Virginia.
- Tax: none on a car with an out-of-state title in your same name.
- Inspection: within 10 days of titling.
- Bring your out-of-state title, Form DMV-1-TR, the odometer disclosure and proof of insurance.
What documents do you need?
- The title signed over to you.
- Form DMV-1-TR, Application for Certificate of Title.
- Odometer disclosure, on the title or on Form DMV-TM-1.
- Proof of insurance.
- Your county personal property tax receipt, to register.
- For a gift outside spouse or parent and child: Form DMV-5-TR.
You apply at a DMV regional office or by mail.
What this guide doesn't cover
County personal property tax amounts, sheriff's fees, motorcycles, trucks over 10,000 lbs and special plates.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to transfer a car title in West Virginia?
$15. With the 6% titling tax and a year of registration, a $30,000 car comes to $1,866.50.
How much is the sales tax on a car in West Virginia?
6% of the net purchase price, or $30 if the price is under $500. There is no credit for tax paid to another state.
Do I pay tax on a car from a family member in West Virginia?
Not on a gift between spouses or between parent and child, if West Virginia tax was paid on the car before. A family sale for money is taxed.
How long do I have to transfer a title in West Virginia?
There is no single buyer deadline. You can drive on the seller's registration for up to 10 days, the seller has 60 days to give you the title, and new residents have 30 days.
How much is car registration in West Virginia?
$51.50 a year for a standard car, or $103 for two years. Electric cars add $200 and hybrids $100.
See title transfer fees for all 50 states
Calculate your West Virginia fees
Example for a $30,000 car. Enter your own price to update it.
- Registration (1 yr)Class A$51.50
- County personal property taxPaid to your county first; not in this totalnot available
- Safety inspectionUp to $19 every 2 years, paid to the station$19.00
- Title fee$15.00
- Titling sales tax6% of price$1,800.00
Total excludes items marked "not available".
What you'll pay later
Renewal at today's rates: $51.50/yr + items not available
Year 1 $1,866.50 · Years 2–5 $51.50/yr · 5-year total $2,072.50 + items not available
Estimate only, at today's rates for the same car.
Rates and sources for every fee are on the West Virginia car registration fee calculator page.
- West Virginia DMV – Titles (title $15, duplicate $15, 6% titling sales tax, $30 under $500, NADA Clean Loan rules, trade-in in the same name, no credit for other-state tax, rebates taxed, Form DMV-5-TR, lien $10)
- West Virginia DMV – Registrations (plates, duplicate plate $10.50, personal property tax receipt, inspection within 10 days)
- West Virginia DMV – Form DMV-1-TR, Application for Certificate of Title (Rev. 11/2022): title $15, lien $10 per lien, license plate transfer $10.50, 6% or $30 (cited by name, not linked)
- West Virginia DMV – Motor Vehicle Registration Fees brochure (Rev. 05/2024): Class A $51.50, hybrid +$100, electric and alternative fuel +$200 (cited by name, not linked)
- West Virginia DMV – Vehicle Inspection (every 24 months, up to $19, within three days for in-state purchases) (cited by name, not linked)
- West Virginia DMV – Moving to West Virginia (30 days, regular registration $51.50) (cited by name, not linked)
- West Virginia Code §§ 11-15-3c (6% consumers sales tax on vehicles since July 1, 2017), 17A-3-1 and 17A-3-1a (registration, new residents 30 days), 17A-3-3a (personal property tax), 17A-3-4 (title, family gifts, old 5% tax abolished July 1, 2008), 17A-4-1 and 17A-4-2 (plates, seller 60 days, 10 days on the seller's registration), 17A-10-3, 17A-10-3c, 17A-10-7, 17A-10-10 and 17A-10-11 (fees), 17C-16-6 (inspection fee) (cited by name, not linked)
General information, not tax or legal advice. Fees and tax rules change; confirm with the agency listed before you pay.
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