Missouri / passenger vehicles
Missouri Car Registration Fee & Title Calculator
A Missouri passenger car registration costs $18.25 to $51.25 a year, set by the taxable horsepower on your title, plus $9 processing at a license office. Buying adds an $8.50 title and another $9 to process it. At 30 taxable HP a one-year renewal is $33.25; a purchase with title is $50.75 before sales tax.
Use the taxable horsepower on your Missouri paperwork, the approved registration period and the actual processing category. Registration, title, county personal property tax and special fuel decals are separate charges.
DOR fee page and RSMo 136.055 and 301.190 reread October 12, 2026. Independent calculator, not a government service.
Read the registration receipt
Full-term registration and processing
The current DOR table includes the railroad crossing charge in its registration amount. RSMo 301.055 supplies the underlying horsepower or flat fee; 389.612 supplies the crossing charge. The published two-year registration amounts are twice the one-year amounts. Do not add another crossing charge to the DOR total. Fee schedule.
| Vehicle class | 1-year registration | Processing | 2-year registration | Processing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 12 taxable HP | $18.25 | $9.00 | $36.50 | $18.00 |
| 12–23 taxable HP | $21.25 | $9.00 | $42.50 | $18.00 |
| 24–35 taxable HP | $24.25 | $9.00 | $48.50 | $18.00 |
| 36–47 taxable HP | $33.25 | $9.00 | $66.50 | $18.00 |
| 48–59 taxable HP | $39.25 | $9.00 | $78.50 | $18.00 |
| 60–71 taxable HP | $45.25 | $9.00 | $90.50 | $18.00 |
| 72 or more taxable HP | $51.25 | $9.00 | $102.50 | $18.00 |
| Motorcycle | $8.75 | $9.00 | $17.50 | $18.00 |
| Motortricycle | $10.25 | $9.00 | $20.50 | $18.00 |
| Autocycle | $10.25 | $9.00 | $20.50 | $18.00 |
A 30-taxable-HP example: the approved full one-year registration is $24.25 and office processing is $9, making a $33.25 registration subtotal. A confirmed full two-year term is $48.50 plus $18, or $66.50. If the same ordinary one-year transaction also requires a new title at a license office, add $8.50 title and $9 title processing: $50.75 before purchase taxes and other excluded charges.
Section 136.055’s processing schedule took effect August 28, 2025. It distinguishes annual registration, biennial registration and each title application. Its authorized dealer-agent exception is specific: purchasing a car from a dealer does not by itself establish that the dealer qualifies to process the transaction without these fees.
Use the vehicle’s recorded taxable horsepower
Taxable horsepower is the figure on the Missouri title or registration application. It is different from the engine’s advertised power. A vehicle recorded at 30 belongs in the 24–35 band even if an advertisement describes a much higher output. Purchase price and current resale value do not select this ordinary registration tier.
A two-year registration is an agency-approved period, not an option every vehicle automatically receives. RSMo 301.147 ties renewal to even or odd model-year parity and requires the registration documents. Choose the period actually approved; the worksheet does not certify eligibility from horsepower.
Motorcycle registration expires in June, and the agency prorates it according to the application month. The table shows complete one- and two-year terms only. Use the combined registration and processing quote for a shorter period instead of charging the full table amount.
Electric and low-speed vehicles need the agency quote
Two official sources currently disagree. DOR’s live fee page lists electric and low-speed vehicles with the under-12-HP row, at $18.25 for one year. Form 1659, revised August 2025, puts them with the 12–23-HP row, at $21.25. Neither document establishes here that it supersedes the other. The calculator therefore requires the actual combined registration and processing quote for these classes and adds neither tier automatically.
A fuel decal is a different annual obligation. DOR’s January 2026 passenger schedule lists $150 for an eligible electric vehicle or $75 for an eligible plug-in hybrid, plus a separate $9 decal processing charge. Ordinary non-plug-in gasoline hybrids are excluded from that decal requirement. Exemptions, proration, transfers and later dates require their own assessment. These decal amounts are not included in the registration receipt or automatically doubled for a two-year registration.
County tax records and title deadlines
Prepare the required paid personal-property tax receipts or approved statement that no tax was due. The county assessment is separate from the registration fee, and missing required records can prevent renewal. Use DOR’s renewal checklist rather than treating this calculator as proof that a tax receipt or waiver qualifies.
An ordinary original title costs $8.50 before applicable office processing. Section 301.190 also provides $25 per thirty days of title delinquency, capped at $200. Its dealer-delivered-title provisions can change which date begins the application deadline. The receipt does not determine that date, penalties, liens, notary work or inspection requirements.
Each amount and its law
Missouri registration and title amounts, dated
| Charge | Amount | Version in force | Where it is set |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registration by taxable horsepower | $18.25 (under 12 HP) to $51.25 (72 HP or more) a year; two-year terms are double | Current DOR fee page | DOR fees; RSMo 301.055 and 389.612 |
| Registration processing | $9 annual, $18 biennial | Effective August 28, 2025 (S.B. 3) | RSMo 136.055 |
| Original certificate of ownership (title) | $8.50 | Version effective August 28, 2020 | RSMo 301.190.5 |
| Title application processing | $9 | Effective August 28, 2025 | RSMo 136.055 |
| Late title application | $25 per 30 days late, $200 maximum | Version effective August 28, 2020 | RSMo 301.190 |
Before you use the estimate
Why is my notice higher than the registration table?
Compare the individual lines. Title processing, plates, inspections, special fuel decals, sales/use taxes, county property taxes, payment charges or penalties can all be separate. A difference alone does not establish which charge applies or whether the notice is wrong.
What belongs in the quoted registration field?
Only the actual combined registration and registration-processing amount. Include any crossing charge already in that quote. Exclude title, purchase taxes, county property tax and the fuel decal. The worksheet adds no second registration-processing charge to this number.
Can I use a partial registration or an exempt class?
Use the applicable agency quote rather than the full-term table. A blank quote remains unresolved. The general quote worksheet can record a broader agency determination without claiming that its amount was independently calculated.
Other registration worksheets
Registration classes and fees change across the border. Compare Iowa, Illinois, Arkansas or Kansas for their own rules. The jurisdiction directory links all 50 states and DC; a Missouri quote does not establish another state’s charge.
Updated · Published by DMV Fee Calculator Editorial Team.