Owning A Car In Ohio Is About To Get More Expensive

The costs associated with owning a vehicle in the state of Ohio are going to rise starting next year. As part of the House Bill 96 that was introduced at the 136th General Assembly, the Department of Public Safety is raising the registration fee for passenger cars. Specifically, the annual motor vehicle registration and renewal fees will cost $16 starting January 1, 2026. Prior to the bill being codified as a law, car owners had to pay $11 for the same.

To be clear, the $16 annual fee only covers non-commercial cars. If you have a commercial vehicle registered in your name, the fee has been hiked from $30 to $35 per unit. The hike amount is being allocated to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, and will go towards the administration and enforcement of Ohio Motor Vehicle and Traffic Laws. In addition to the $5 jump in the cost of annual registration for passenger cars, the state is also increasing the prorated multi-year registration service fee paid to the Deputy Registrar and the Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV), which usually covers processes related to driver's licenses, state identification cards, motor vehicle registrations, and motor vehicle inspections. This fee is going up from $5 to $8 per registered car. 

Overall, the annual cost of vehicle ownership will increase by $8 per non-commercial vehicle for Ohio residents. In addition to the annual registration and BMV-related dues, the state is also raising the general certificate of title fee from $15 to $20. The situation, however, is far worse in other states. In Oregon, for example, the registration can range between $300 and $1000 per vehicle. 

As per WFMJ, House Bill 96 was approved by Governor Mike DeWine in June, but the financial aspects – including the surge in vehicle fees — will only come into effect starting next year. Until then, all the registration and service fees paid to — and processed by — the BMV will be charged at the existing rates through December. The standard $1 fee for transferring a vehicle's registration and license plate to a different car remains intact, but it will be waived for disabled veterans or folks honored with military service awards. Ohio won't be the only state where the cost of vehicle ownership is seeing a nominal hike. In Wisconsin, the vehicle registration fee has increased from $28 to $40, alongside airport parking charges and trail permits. In Maryland, the registration fee saw up to a 75% hike last year.

There is, however, some good news. In April, plans for a $20 federal yearly registration fee that was supposed to kick off in 2031 were dropped. There is some good news for hybrid car owners, too. In September, State Representatives David Thomas (R-Jefferson) and Joe Miller (D-Amherst) pushed a bill before the Ohio House of Representatives, urging the cancellation of this $100 registration and annual renewal fee destined for hybrid vehicles, which only adds to their cost of maintenance. 

In a press release about the bill, Representative David Thomas argued against the fee, saying, "Just because you have a hybrid or plug-in doesn't mean you use less gas and I don't think you should pay much higher fees for it." Owners of regular hybrid vehicles currently pay an additional $100 in registration, while plug-in hybrid and electric cars pay an additional $150 and $200, respectively. If the new bill were to pass, it would remove the $100 fee for regular hybrid cars.