EV registration cost in North Carolina increase 28%

A new state budget is now in effect in North Carolina starting January 1, 2024, and it will increase the registration cost of an electric vehicle (EV) in the state by over 28%.

To start, the electric vehicle registration fees will increase from $140.25 to $180 annually. This fee will be deposited into the state Department of Transportation highway.

However, these fees will further increase around July 2024, adding a 19.1% hike and leading the overall registration fee to $214.38 annually.

According to the information, the state registration fee annually for passenger vehicles and trucks ranging upto 4,000 pounds is $38.75. The difference in the registration price is significant because electric vehicles don’t have to pay fuel tax at gas pumps.

This year, North Carolina increased gasoline tax by 2 cents compared to last year, leading the price to 40.5 cents per gallon.

In comparison, Pennsylvania charges 57.6 cents per gallon, California 51.1 cents, Washington 59.4 cents, and New Jersey 42.3 cents, reveals data from IGEN. To be mentioned, North Carolina has 8+ million gas or diesel vehicles registered.

Despite increased registration prices, Governor Roy Cooper is aiming to raise electric vehicles in North Carolina. Cooper wants to put at least 1.25 million zero-emissions and 50% of the light-duty electric vehicles on roads by 2030.

In terms of numbers, North Carolinians registered 75,000 electric vehicles through August 2023. This includes 55,000 electric and 20,000 plug-in hybrid EVs.

That’s not it, 18,000 electric vehicles were added in the first seven months of the last year. However, Cooper still needs a big boost of over 14,000 registrations each month to complete his 1.25 million on-road EVs dream by the due date.

(source – CB17)