The EV registration fee
Under SB 505, passed by the 88th Legislature, Texas has charged an extra fee on fully electric vehicles since September 1, 2023:
- $200 a year at each renewal, for EVs with a gross weight of 10,000 lb or less.
- $400 up front for a new EV, covering its first two-year registration.
- It is on top of normal registration fees, and the money goes to the state highway fund.
- Hybrids, motorcycles, mopeds, autocycles and neighborhood electric vehicles are exempt.
Plug-in hybrids are not fully electric, so the fee should not apply to them, but TxDMV's wording addresses only "hybrid". If you drive a plug-in hybrid, check your renewal notice or ask your county tax office.
There is no inspection visit anymore, but there is a line on the bill where it used to be.
Inspections: what changed in 2025
HB 3297 ended safety inspections for non-commercial vehicles on January 1, 2025. In their place, every non-commercial vehicle pays an inspection program replacement fee of $7.50 at registration. A brand-new vehicle that has never been registered pays $16.75 up front, covering two years. Commercial vehicles still need safety inspections. There is no inspection visit anymore, but there is a line on the bill where it used to be.
Emissions testing is a separate program, and it continues in 17 Texas counties: Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwall and Tarrant around DFW; Brazoria, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris and Montgomery around Houston; Travis and Williamson around Austin; and El Paso. Bexar County (San Antonio) is due to start on November 1, 2026. It applies to gasoline vehicles 2 to 24 years old. TCEQ lists electric vehicles as not required to be tested, since there is no tailpipe. Plug-in hybrids burn gasoline, so expect them to be tested in those counties; confirm with DPS.
One thing that did not change: Texas window tint limits are still enforced at traffic stops even without inspections. See Texas tint law.
What you pay at renewal
| Item | Fully electric personal car in Texas |
|---|---|
| Base registration and local county fees | Yes, same as any car |
| EV fee | $200 (or $400 up front when new) |
| Inspection program replacement fee | $7.50 (or $16.75 up front when new) |
| Safety inspection visit | No longer required |
| Emissions test | Not required for EVs |
TxDMV notes that the sample amounts on its own fee chart are for illustration, so your notice is the final word.
Incentives in 2026: what is left
Not much, and it pays to know that before a salesperson or a stale web page tells you otherwise.
- Texas Light-Duty Motor Vehicle Purchase or Lease Incentive Program (LDPLIP). Run by TCEQ as part of TERP. The FY26 round paid $2,500 for a new EV or plug-in hybrid bought (or leased for three years or more) on or after September 1, 2025, and titled in Texas; shorter leases got $1,665 or $832.50. The law caps electric-drive grants at 2,000 per round. TCEQ received more than that and stopped taking electric-drive applications on December 10, 2025. The program page shows it as closed, and no new round had been announced when we checked. If you want the next one, join TCEQ's TERP email list and apply as soon as a round opens.
- Federal new EV credit (30D): not available for vehicles acquired after September 30, 2025. A vehicle counts as acquired once a binding written contract is signed and a payment is made, even if delivery came later.
- Federal used EV credit (25E): ended on the same date.
- Federal home charger credit (30C): covered equipment placed in service at your main home through June 30, 2026, so it has now ended.
- City of Denton (DFW): a $1,000 rebate for an electric vehicle for residents inside city limits, with an application due within 90 days of purchase. Check the city's page for current funding and terms.
- Austin Energy: a home charger rebate of up to $500 or 50% of the price of a qualifying Level 2 station (a 240 V home charger). You must enroll in its Power Partner EV managed-charging program, and funding is limited. See the Austin page.
- CPS Energy (San Antonio): no rebate for buying a charger or a vehicle, but EV Smart Rewards pays a $30 bill credit for enrolling plus $10 a month for managed charging. See the San Antonio page.
- Other utilities: we found no residential charger rebate from Oncor, Garland Power & Light or CoServ in DFW, or from CenterPoint or the City of Houston (see the Houston page).
Keep on file
- Registration and proof of insurance. Digital proof of insurance is accepted in Texas.
- Your purchase contract, with the date it was signed and the payment made. That date decided credit eligibility, and it is still the record of when you acquired the car.
- Your home charger's permit, inspection sign-off and invoice, if you installed one. These help with insurance and when you sell the house; see our home charging guide.
- Service records, including software-only fixes listed in the car's release notes. Tesla owners can also record work in the car's Maintenance Summary.
- Recall completion records. Our recall lookup lists recalls for your model and year; NHTSA's VIN lookup shows which are still open on your car.
If you are buying
The end of the federal credits changes the math on new and used EVs alike, and the $400 up-front fee is easy to forget in a budget. Our used Tesla checklist covers warranty and recall checks, and for running costs, see the DFW electricity plans guide (DFW only) or the Houston, Austin and San Antonio pages.
This is general information, not legal or tax advice. The Texas DMV (txdmv.gov), TCEQ and the IRS have the current rules.
Sources
- Texas DMV, register your vehicle ($200 and $400 EV fees, $7.50 and $16.75 replacement fees) (checked October 2026)
- TxDMV bulletin on SB 505 and exemptions (checked October 2026)
- Texas DPS, vehicle safety inspection changes from January 2025 (checked October 2026)
- TCEQ, vehicle emissions quick facts and county list (checked October 2026)
- AFDC, Texas electric vehicle emissions exemption (checked October 2026)
- TCEQ, LDPLIP program page, FY26 RFGA and Addendum 1 (checked October 2026)
- IRS, clean vehicle credit (30D) and refueling property credit (30C) (checked October 2026)
- EY tax news summary of credit termination dates, including 25E (checked October 2026)
- City of Denton, sustainability incentives (checked October 2026)
- TxDMV, Bexar County emissions testing reminder, September 15, 2026 (checked October 2026)
- Austin Energy, Home EV Charger Rebate (checked October 2026)
- CPS Energy, EV charging solutions (EV Smart Rewards) (checked October 2026)
- CenterPoint Energy electric utility FAQ (checked October 2026)
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