Missouri vehicle registration fee calculator

How Missouri sets the registration fee

The annual fee for a motor vehicle other than a commercial one is in section 301.055 of the Revised Statutes of Missouri. It is a table keyed to horsepower: less than 12 horsepower, $18.00; 12 and less than 24, $21.00; 24 and less than 36, $24.00; 36 and less than 48, $33.00; 48 and less than 60, $39.00; 60 and less than 72, $45.00; and 72 or more, $51.00. Motorcycles are $8.50, motortricycles $10.00 and autocycles $10.00. Missouri does not take weight or price into account in this table, which makes it simple to compute but easy to get wrong if you are used to states that tax value.

The horsepower figure is the department's assigned rating for the vehicle, which appears in its registration and title record. The statute text read for this page does not spell out how the number is computed, so this calculator asks you to read it from your own record or renewal notice rather than guessing from the engine specification.

Annual and biennial registration

Section 301.147 lets the director of revenue offer biennial registration. The fee collected includes the annual fee plus a pro rata amount for the additional twelve months, so for a flat annual rate the biennial total is twice the annual fee. Which vehicles renew in odd or even years depends on the model year: an even-numbered model year renews in even calendar years, and an odd-numbered model year renews in odd years. The calculator therefore multiplies by two for the two-year option and does not attempt the pro-rating that applies to a registration of unusual length.

To renew, the statute requires the paperwork that goes with Missouri registration: a personal property tax receipt or a statement that none was due, proof of a safety inspection and any emission inspection done within 60 days before the application, and proof of insurance. Those are requirements, not fees, but a missing receipt is the usual reason a renewal is refused at the counter.

The title fee and late penalty

Section 301.190 sets the fee for each original certificate of ownership at $8.50, in addition to the registration fee. An application is due within 30 days of acquiring the vehicle. If you are late, there is a delinquency penalty of $25 for the first 30 days and $25 for each 30 days after that, to a total of $200, which the director may waive for good cause. A request for expedited handling that requires special handling adds $5, and an inspection and verification for a title from another state for which no prior inspection was made is $25. The calculator includes only the $8.50 original title fee. A department fee schedule can list a higher total for a title transaction than the statute alone because the department can include other statutory charges; check your receipt.

Fee offices and processing charges

Many Missouri registrations are processed by contract fee offices, not by the department directly. Section 136.055 authorizes those agents to collect additional fees as their compensation: up to $9 for an annual registration or $18 for a biennial one, and up to $9 for an application or transfer of title, with a $2 charge for a notary or electronic transmission. The calculator shows the fee-office maximum separately, so the statutory part and the possible agent part do not blur together. Ask the office for its actual charge, and remember that the office also collects any sales or use tax due on a purchase.

Worked examples

One year, new title. A vehicle rated 36 horsepower falls in the 36 to under 48 band at $33. One year of registration plus the $8.50 title is $41.50.

Two years at a fee office. A vehicle rated 28 horsepower is in the 24 to under 36 band at $24 a year. Two years is $48, plus the title $8.50, for $56.50. A fee office may add up to $18 for the biennial registration and $9 for the title, which brings the possible total to $83.50.

Motorcycle. One year of registration for a motorcycle is $8.50, with no horsepower input needed.

What is not in the estimate

Personal property tax, which Missouri counties assess and which you must show as paid before renewing, is not part of this estimate, and neither are sales or use tax on a purchase, plate fees for personalized or special plates, the transfer of plates (the statute charges $2 plus a pro rata portion of any difference in fees when plates move to another vehicle) and the temporary permit, which cannot cost more than $5. Commercial, trailer and heavy vehicle fees are in other sections.

Sources

• Revised Statutes of Missouri 301.055, Annual registration fees; motor vehicles other than commercial: the horsepower table and motorcycle, motortricycle and autocycle fees. Read November 2, 2026.
• RSMo 301.190, Certificate of registration; application; fees; delinquency penalty: subsection 5 ($8.50 original certificate, delinquency penalty) and subsection 6 (special handling). Read November 2, 2026.
• RSMo 301.147, Biennial registration: biennial fee and renewal documents. Read November 2, 2026.
• RSMo 136.055, Agent to collect motor vehicle taxes and issue licenses; fees: fee-office charges. Read November 2, 2026.
• RSMo 301.140, Transfer of plates: plate transfer fee. Read November 2, 2026.

Official handoff: Missouri Department of Revenue: motor vehicle. Figures on this page were read from the sources above on November 2, 2026 and can change when the legislature or agency updates them; always confirm the amount with Missouri DOR before paying. This page summarizes public sources and does not replace them.