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Wisconsin car registration fee calculator

How much does it cost to register a car in Wisconsin? $85 a year, plus any wheel tax your county and municipality charge (Madison and Dane County together add $80). Electric cars pay a $175 surcharge and hybrids $75 every year. Buying a car adds the $214.50 title, $6 per plate and sales tax: 5% state plus 0.5% county tax in most counties, more in Milwaukee.

Your vehicle

The truck's weight plus the heaviest load you plan to carry.
Electric vehicles pay $175 and hybrids $75 a year extra (cars and trucks up to 8,000 lbs).
$
$
Deducted only when the sale and the trade-in are one transaction.
%
5% state plus your county's 0.5% (if it has a county tax). Leave blank if you don't know it.
County and municipal wheel taxes stack. Not listed: Wauwatosa (amount not readable on our copy of the WisDOT list); Grand Chute ($30) and St. Croix Falls ($30) start January 1, 2027.
Estimated total
$2,041.50

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

  • Registration (1 yr)Automobile$85.00
  • County wheel tax$40.00
  • Municipal wheel tax$40.00
  • Title fee$214.50
  • License plates2 plates x $6$12.00
  • Sales tax5.5% of price$1,650.00

What you'll pay later

Renewal at today's rates: $165.00/yr

Year 1 $2,041.50 · Years 2–5 $165.00/yr · 5-year total $2,701.50

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

Estimate only. Rates checked October 21, 2026 · Wisconsin. Confirm with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, Division of Motor Vehicles (WisDOT DMV).

Wisconsin vehicle fees at a glance (2026)

Registration, passenger car$85/yr
Truck$100 (up to 6,000 lbs) - $2,816 (80,000 lbs) a year by gross weight
Motorcycle$23 for 2 years
Electric / hybrid surcharge$175 / $75 a year (plug-in hybrids pay the hybrid rate)
Wheel taxSet by some counties and municipalities, $10 - $50 each (Madison + Dane County $80)
Title / plates$214.50 / $6 per plate
Sales tax5% state + 0.5% county (0.9% Milwaukee County, + 2% City of Milwaukee)

Download this fee summary (PDF)

What this estimate does and does not include

  • Wheel tax: counties, cities, villages and towns may each add an annual fee, collected with the registration and at every renewal. A county and a municipal wheel tax can both apply. It covers cars and trucks of 8,000 lbs or less, not motorcycles. The lists come from WisDOT's wheel tax page.
  • Electric and hybrid surcharges are yearly, at first registration and every renewal, for cars and trucks registered at 8,000 lbs or less. WisDOT publishes only 'hybrid' ($75) and 'electric' ($175); a plug-in hybrid can run on fuel, so it falls under the statute's hybrid definition and pays $75. Motorcycles don't pay a surcharge.
  • Sales tax: 5% state plus county tax where the vehicle is kept (0.5%, or 0.9% in Milwaukee County) plus 2% in the City of Milwaukee. The official county-by-county list wasn't readable, so for other counties type your rate. Dealer and private sales are taxed the same way; a trade-in counts only in the same transaction.
  • Trucks pay by maximum gross weight from the WisDOT chart effective on or after October 1, 2025 (10% higher than before).
  • Not included: counter service fees ($5 title, $3 renewal at a DMV service center; up to $38 / $16.25 at third-party providers), card fees, the emissions test in Kenosha, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Sheboygan, Washington and Waukesha counties (fee not published), and the fast-service title fee (no amount published). There's no scheduled late title fee; failing to title right away can bring a forfeiture of up to $200. The title fee is $0 only when a car passes on after the owner dies (Form MV2300); a living family member who buys the car pays the full $214.50.
Official sources · Last checked October 21, 2026 · Next monthly check: November 2026

Wisconsin registration questions

How much is car registration in Wisconsin?

$85 a year for a passenger car, plus any county and municipal wheel tax. In Madison (Dane County) the renewal is $165: $85 + $40 + $40.

How much are the fees on a $30,000 car in Madison?

$2,041.50: $1,650 sales tax (5.5%), $214.50 title, $85 registration, $12 for two plates and $80 wheel tax.

What does an electric car pay to register in Wisconsin?

A $175 surcharge every year on top of the $85 registration. Hybrids and plug-in hybrids pay $75.

How much is motorcycle registration in Wisconsin?

$23 for two years, with no wheel tax and no electric surcharge. A new title is $214.50 and the plate $6.

What is the late fee for Wisconsin registration?

$10 if your renewal reaches the DMV after the expiration date (not for trucks over 8,000 lbs).

Wisconsin guides

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