Louisiana car registration fee calculator

How we calculate each line

Totals add up every line that has an amount; lines marked "not available" are left out. More on our method: how we calculate.

Louisiana vehicle fees at a glance (2026)

Download this fee summary (PDF)

Louisiana fee history

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

State sales tax rate

What this estimate does and does not include

• Plate fee (R.S. 47:463): $10 a year for a car worth $10,000 or less, plus $1 a year for every $1,000 of value above $10,000; $500 or more rounds up to the next $1,000. Plates are sold for two years, so the calculator shows two years. The value is fixed when you buy the car and is used again at every renewal.
• Sales tax is 5% to the state (from January 1, 2025 until December 31, 2029, per the Department of Revenue) plus the local rate where you live, from the OMV's Parish & Municipality Tax Table. Dealer purchases are taxed on the price minus your trade-in and any manufacturer rebate. Tax on an in-state purchase is due by the 40th day after the sale. The Department of Revenue's motor vehicle tax guide (R-20164) is dated June 2020 and still shows the old 4.45% state rate.
• The OMV says a local fee of up to $6 may apply when you title and register. It isn't published by parish, so it shows as not available.
• Electric and hybrid vehicles pay a road usage fee of $110 or $60 a year (R.S. 32:461). It's a yearly fee paid separately from the two-year plate: from 2026 the OMV collects it through its own road usage fee form, and it's prorated by month if you own the car for part of the year (Department of Revenue). The calculator shows one year ($110 or $60) next to the receipt but leaves it out of the total, because it is billed separately. The law (R.S. 32:461) says the OMV collects it with the plate fee for the same period, so you may be asked for more than one year at once. Plug-in hybrids count as hybrids. The fee for 2025 was paid to the Department of Revenue instead.
• Moving to Louisiana: register within 30 days of getting your Louisiana driver's license (R.S. 47:513.2). Use tax is due on the car's value, minus credit for tax you paid in another state that gives Louisiana the same credit. Since January 1, 2025 it can't be more than $90 if the car is for personal use, was registered in your name in the other state and you register it within 90 days of bringing it here (RIB 25-011). The calculator assumes you qualify for that cap.
• A car received by an act of donation pays no sales tax when no loan is taken over (OMV policy 52.00); you still pay the title, handling and plate fees. Taking over a loan makes the outstanding loan amount taxable, unless it's your spouse's; that case isn't covered here.
• Renewals pay the plate fee (and any road usage fee) but no $8 handling fee (OMV policy 91.00). Public tag agents may add their own convenience fee, which isn't included. Your yearly inspection sticker is bought at an inspection station and isn't included either.
• Trucks, motor homes, trailers and motorcycles have different plate fees and aren't covered by this calculator.

Louisiana guides

• LouisianaLouisiana Car Title Transfer Fees: Tax, Title and License, the 40-Day Tax Deadline and the Act of DonationLouisiana tax, title and license: $68.50 title fee plus $8 handling, 5% state tax plus parish tax due by the 40th day, two-year plates, and the Act of Donation.Updated Oct 2026 · 6 min readRead guide →
• PenaltiesCar registration late fees in all 50 statesLate registration renewal fees by state from official sources: $5 in Missouri, $10 in Michigan and Virginia, $20 in Illinois, none in Maryland or Pennsylvania.Updated Oct 2026 · 7 min readRead guide →
• RankingsCheapest and most expensive states to register a car in 2026The 50 states we cover, ranked by what it costs to register a $30,000 car in 2026: fees alone and with sales tax, from official rates.Updated Oct 2026 · 2 min readRead guide →
• PenaltiesGot a ticket for expired registration? What it costs and how to fix itExpired registration ticket fines from official sources: NY $40 to $300, TX up to $200, FL $30, CA fix-it ticket with a $25 fee. Plus late renewal fees.Updated Oct 2026 · 8 min readRead guide →
• GuideMoving? How long you have to register your car, by stateDeadlines to register a car after moving: Florida 10 days, California and Pennsylvania 20, most others 30 (Alabama, Iowa, Louisiana, Missouri, Texas, New York).Updated Oct 2026 · 3 min readRead guide →
• Electric vehiclesEV registration fees by state in 202641 states charge an extra yearly fee to register an electric car in 2026, from $50 to $270. See every state's EV, plug-in hybrid and hybrid fee, with sources.Updated Oct 2026 · 3 min readRead guide →

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