States · Illinois

Illinois Vehicle Registration Cost

Illinois has one of the highest base passenger registration fees in the country at $151/year, with a similarly high one-time title fee of $165. Combined with sales tax that can hit 10%+ in the Chicago metro area, Illinois is among the most expensive states for vehicle ownership. The state sales tax is 6.25%, but local additions can push combined rates much higher — Cook County and Chicago add roughly 3% combined, putting central Chicago at 9.5-10.25%. Illinois restored full trade-in credit on vehicle sales tax in January 2022 after a brief period (2020-2021) when trade-in credit was capped at $10,000. Electric vehicles pay an additional $100/year surcharge, bringing the BEV registration to $251/year. A new $35,000 vehicle in a 1%-local-rate county runs about $2,850-2,900 in first-year costs; in central Chicago that climbs to $3,900+.

How Illinois calculates registration

• Passenger Registration Fee — $151 (annual) Per 625 ILCS 5/3-806. Standard Plate B fee for passenger vehicles. Includes license plate cost for first-time issuance.
• Certificate of Title Fee — $165 (one-time) One-time fee at first titling or transfer. One of the highest title fees in the US.

Sales tax

Illinois charges 6.25% state sales tax , with typical local rates around 2.25% (range: 0%–4.75%). Trade-in credit: full. Tax basis: purchase price.

Illinois charges 6.25% state sales tax on vehicles purchased from dealers, with local additions ranging up to 4.75% (Chicago metro). Trade-in credit was capped at $10,000 from 2020-2021 but was restored to FULL trade-in credit effective January 1, 2022. Private-party sales use an age-based flat tax (RUT-50) instead of a percentage rate.

Electric vehicle surcharge

Illinois charges an additional $100/year for electric vehicles.

Per 625 ILCS 5/3-805. Electric vehicles pay $100/year on top of the $151 base registration = $251/year total. Added in 2020 as part of the Rebuild Illinois capital plan. Plug-in hybrids are not subject to this surcharge.

What makes Illinois distinctive

• Illinois has the highest combined title-plus-first-year-registration cost of any large state at $316 before sales tax ($165 title + $151 registration). For comparison, Texas pays $109 in the same category, Florida pays about $360 (including the $225 initial fee but with lower annual cost).
• Trade-in credit on Illinois vehicle sales tax was briefly CAPPED at $10,000 from January 2020 through December 2021 under the Rebuild Illinois Act, costing buyers thousands on trade-ins of expensive vehicles. Full trade-in credit was restored January 1, 2022 under HB 252 of 2021.
• Chicago residents face an additional City of Chicago vehicle sticker fee (~$105.18 for standard passenger vehicles in 2026) on top of state registration. This sticker is paid to the city, not the Secretary of State, and is separate from state registration costs.
• Illinois private-party vehicle sales use a flat age-based tax (Form RUT-50) instead of the 6.25% percentage rate that applies to dealer sales. For older inexpensive vehicles, the RUT-50 amount can be dramatically lower — a 10-year-old car under $15,000 may owe as little as $25 in private-party tax instead of hundreds at the percentage rate.
• Illinois charges $251/year to register a battery EV — among the highest EV registration fees among large states. The $100 surcharge added under the 2020 Rebuild Illinois package was originally proposed at $250/year before being negotiated down.