Utah Vehicle Registration Fees: What You'll Actually Pay Each Year
Utah's vehicle registration bill is assembled from several separate line items, and the renewal notice rarely explains any of them. Here is what each charge is, the official 2026 amounts, and where to get an exact figure for your own vehicle.
The 2026 uniform age-based fee
This is the largest line on most Utah renewals, and the one that changes over time. Rather than assessing your vehicle's market value every year, Utah charges most passenger vehicles a flat fee tied to model year under Utah Code §59-2-405.
These are the official 2026 figures for passenger cars, light trucks, SUVs and vans:
| Model years | Uniform statewide age-based fee |
|---|---|
| 2024 - 2026 | $150 |
| 2021 - 2023 | $110 |
| 2018 - 2020 | $80 |
| 2015 - 2017 | $50 |
| 2014 & older | $10 |
Note that these are model year bands, not vehicle age. The bands shift each calendar year, so a vehicle can drop a bracket simply because the year changed.
The step from the 2015-2017 band to the 2014-and-older band is the steep one: $50 down to $10. If you are weighing an older used vehicle against a slightly newer one, that difference is worth putting into your running-cost comparison alongside fuel and insurance.
Other vehicle types
The same age-based structure applies across vehicle classes at different amounts. Two that come up often for Utah households:
Street motorcycles
| Model years | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2024 - 2026 | $95 |
| 2021 - 2023 | $70 |
| 2018 - 2020 | $50 |
| 2015 - 2017 | $35 |
| 2014 & older | $10 |
Travel trailers and park model RVs
| Model years | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2024 - 2026 | $175 |
| 2021 - 2023 | $135 |
| 2018 - 2020 | $90 |
| 2015 - 2017 | $65 |
| 2014 & older | $20 |
Motor homes are the notable exception. They are not age-based at all - they pay a uniform fee in lieu of property tax at 1.0 percent of fair market value. Medium and heavy duty trucks, commercial trailers and vessels 31 feet and longer pay 1.5 percent of fair market value.
The county add-ons
Two county-level charges appear on Wasatch Front registrations.
Corridor preservation fee - $10. Under Utah Code §41-1a-1222, this $10 highway construction and transportation corridor preservation fee applies in Salt Lake, Davis, Utah, Weber, Summit, Wasatch, Iron, Box Elder, Washington, Tooele and Morgan counties.
Air Pollution Control fee. Under Utah Code §41-1a-1223, counties running a mandatory emissions inspection program charge an APC fee, sometimes shown as a local emissions control fee:
- Salt Lake County - $3.00
- Davis County - $3.00
- Cache County - $3.00
- Utah County - $2.00
- Weber County - $2.00
Electric vehicles are exempt from the APC fee. If you want the detail on which vehicles need testing and how often, our Utah safety and emissions testing guide breaks it down county by county.
The small statewide fees
- Automobile driver education fee - $2.50 per motor vehicle at registration, under §41-1a-1204. Motorcycles and Purple Heart plate vehicles are exempt.
- Uninsured motorist identification fee - $1.00 per year, under §41-1a-1218. Fleet commercial vehicles, government vehicles and Purple Heart plates are exempt.
Title and permit costs
- New title - $6.00
- Duplicate title - $6.00
- Title correction, including name change and lien release - $6.00
- 96-hour temporary permit - $2.50
- Standard temporary permit - $6.00
For the full title transfer process - the forms, the lien release trap and what to check before money changes hands - see our Utah title transfer guide.
Electric and alternative fuel vehicles
Because electric vehicles pay little or no fuel tax, Utah charges EV owners an offsetting amount on top of standard registration. There are two options, and choosing correctly can save a low-mileage driver real money:
- Road Usage Charge (RUC). You pay the Utah Department of Transportation per mile driven, capped at the flat fee amount. Enrolment is through Utah's Road Usage Charge program.
- Flat annual fee paid to the DMV in addition to normal registration fees.
Because RUC is capped at the flat fee, it can only ever cost you the same or less. A low-mileage EV driver who defaults to the flat fee is leaving money on the table. A high-mileage driver hits the cap and pays the same either way.
One other EV-specific detail worth knowing: Utah offers a 24-month registration option for electric vehicles, along with trailers, off-highway vehicles and street-legal ATVs.
Why the DMV won't quote you a single number
If you have searched for a flat "Utah registration fee" figure and come up empty, that is not an oversight. The base registration fee varies by vehicle type, registered weight, county and fuel type, and the DMV deliberately does not publish a single rate. It directs everyone to a calculator instead.
For an exact figure, use the official tools:
- Fee Estimator - for a vehicle you are buying or bringing into Utah
- Get Renewal Information - for a vehicle you already own, within 60 days of expiration
You can also call the DMV directly on 801-297-7780, or 1-800-DMV-UTAH (800-368-8824), Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm.
Registration is separate from sales tax
These fees are what you pay every year to keep the vehicle on the road. They are entirely separate from the one-time sales tax you pay when you buy. Sales tax in Utah is based on purchase price and varies by locality - our Utah car sales tax guide covers the rates and the trade-in credit that reduces them.
A useful way to think about the total cost of a vehicle purchase in Utah: sales tax once, registration and uniform fee every year, emissions testing in testing years.
Deadlines worth knowing
- Renewal opens 60 days before expiration. Registration expires on the last day of the month shown on your decal.
- New Utah residents must title and register after establishing residency. Confirm your specific deadline with the DMV on 801-297-7780 rather than assuming - penalties accrue once it passes.
- Private-party purchases need to be titled and registered promptly after the purchase date. Again, confirm the window with the DMV.
- Dealer purchases are handled for you. Your first renewal notice is usually the first time you will see these fees itemised separately.
If you are working through the process itself rather than the cost - what to bring, what happens after you buy, how long plates take - see our guide on how to get plates and registration in Utah.
Renewal can be done online through the Utah Motor Vehicle Portal, at an On-Demand kiosk in many Wasatch Front grocery stores, by mail, or in person at a DMV branch. The kiosks are the most underused option - they print your decal on the spot.
Shopping in Sandy
If you are working out the running cost of a vehicle before you buy, the model-year table above is the number to plan around, and it is worth checking which bracket a vehicle falls into before you commit. Southtowne Auto Mall brings twelve dealerships together on Auto Mall Drive in Sandy, so you can compare model years across brands in one stop rather than driving between lots. Browse current used inventory.
Fee figures on this page are drawn from the Utah DMV's published 2026 uniform fee tables and current fee schedules. Amounts are set by the Utah Legislature and can change - always confirm with the DMV Fee Estimator before relying on a figure.
