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Texas · TxDMV

Texas Vehicle Registration & Title Fees 2026 (Calculator)

Texas charges 6.25% motor vehicle sales tax, a $28 or $33 title fee and about $74 a year to register a car (with a typical $10 county fee). New residents pay a flat $90 instead of sales tax.

Checked against official sources on September 24, 2026 · Sources

What are you doing?

$
$

Leave at 0 if you're not trading in.

lbs

Pickups over 6,000 lbs pay $54 instead of $50.75.

Set by your county: $0 to $31.50. It’s on your renewal notice.

Due at the DMV

$2,048

Then about $74 a year to renew

  • New vehicles get two years of registration at purchase, so the first renewal comes in year three.
  • Safety inspections ended for most non-commercial vehicles in 2025. Emissions tests (in 17 counties) are paid at the station.

Estimate only. Fees from Texas's official fee schedules; confirm the final amount with the agency before you pay.

Texas vehicle fees at a glance

Motor vehicle sales tax Price minus trade-in; private sales use the higher of price or 80% of SPV 6.25%
New resident tax Instead of use tax $90
Title application fee $33 in emissions (nonattainment) counties $28 / $33
Base registration — car or light truck +$1 TexasSure; pickups over 6,000 lbs $54 $50.75/yr
Motorcycle registration $30/yr
County local fees $0–$31.50/yr
Inspection program replacement fee $16.75 for a new vehicle’s first two years $7.50/yr
Electric vehicle fee $400 at purchase for a new EV (2 years) $200/yr
Processing and handling $4.75

How Texas calculates it

Sales tax: 6.25% of the price minus any trade-in when you buy from a dealer. In a private sale, Texas taxes the higher of what you paid or 80% of the vehicle's standard presumptive value (SPV) — a book value TxDMV publishes — unless you have a certified appraisal.

Moving to Texas? If the vehicle was registered in your name in another state, you pay a flat $90 new resident tax instead of use tax. Register within 30 days of moving.

Registration is $50.75 for cars and light trucks plus $1 for TexasSure, your county's local fees ($0–$31.50), a $7.50 inspection program replacement fee (Texas ended safety inspections for most vehicles in 2025) and $4.75 processing. New vehicles are registered for two years at purchase.

Electric vehicles pay $200 a year — $400 up front for a new EV's first two years.

What to bring

  • Form 130-U, Application for Texas Title and/or Registration
  • The title signed over to you
  • Proof of Texas liability insurance
  • A passing emissions test if you live in one of the 17 emissions counties

Texas registration questions

How much does it cost to register a car in Texas?
A yearly renewal for a car is about $74 with a $10 county fee: $50.75 base, $1 TexasSure, $7.50 inspection program fee and $4.75 processing. County fees range from $0 to $31.50.
How much is the Texas title transfer fee?
$33 if you live in an emissions (nonattainment) county such as Harris, Dallas, Tarrant or Travis, and $28 elsewhere, plus 6.25% sales tax on the sale.
How is sales tax calculated on a private-party car sale in Texas?
At 6.25% of the greater of the purchase price or 80% of the standard presumptive value (SPV). A certified appraisal can lower the taxable value if the car is worth less.
What do new residents pay in Texas?
A $90 new resident tax (instead of use tax) if the vehicle was already registered in your name in another state, plus the title and registration fees.
How much is the Texas EV fee?
$200 a year at renewal, or $400 for a new electric vehicle’s first two years of registration.

Sources

All figures on this page were checked against these sources on September 24, 2026. Found something out of date? Tell us.

  1. 1. TxDMV — Register Your Vehicle (fees)
  2. 2. Texas Comptroller — Motor Vehicle Sales and Use Tax
  3. 3. Texas Comptroller — Private-Party Purchases and Standard Presumptive Values
  4. 4. Texas Transportation Code §501.138 (title application fee)