How much does it cost to register a car?

First-year vehicle registration cost (title fee, purchase/excise tax, and annual renewal combined, for a comparably-valued reference vehicle) ranges from $229 (Montana) to $2,893 (Massachusetts) across the 49 directly-comparable states, with a national median of $2,003. The gap is driven mostly by whether a state charges an upfront sales/excise tax on the vehicle's value — states with no such tax cluster near the low end. Look up your own state's exact fees below.