All vehicles must be registered to legally be driven in Iowa. The annual registration fees are determined by Iowa Code sections 321.109 and 321.115 through 321.124 and are to be paid to the county treasurer’s office in the county of residence.
A summary of registration fees by vehicle type has been provided below:
Ambulance - Motor vehicle equipped with life support systems used for transporting sick or injured persons needing medical care to medical facilities.
$50
Antique Vehicles - Motor vehicle 25 years old or older
Purchased/Transferred on or after January 1, 2009:
Grandfather Clause – Titled/Registered prior to January 1, 2009
Autocycle - An autocycle is a three-wheeled vehicle that has a steering wheel and seating that does not require the operator to straddle or sit astride. These vehicles typically have bucket seats, seat belts, a steering wheel, and gas and brake pedals similar to a car.
Model Years Old
Fee
Buses - Excluding church, private school and transit bus
Fee is formulated based on gross weight of empty vehicle plus 150 pounds multiplied by the number of passenger seats in the vehicle.
Church Bus
$25
Private-School Bus
No Fee – Plates Issued at State Level
Transit Bus
No Fee – Plates Issued at State Level
Electric Vehicles - Fee is based on weight and list price of the vehicle. Beginning with January 2020 renewals, an additional supplemental registration fee will be imposed on Battery Electric and Plug-in Hybrid Electric vehicles as required by the Iowa Legislature, HF767. The purpose of the supplemental registration fee is to mitigate the impact of those vehicles generating little to no fuel tax used to fund Iowa roads. The supplemental registration fee will be phased in over three years beginning January 1, 2020.
The formula to calculate the registration fee for electric vehicles is as follows: $0.40 per hundred pounds of vehicle weight, plus a percentage of the vehicle list price (reduced for older model years), plus the supplemental registration fee (based on vehicle type and phased in period).
Registration Fee Based on List Price and Age of Vehicle
Model Years Old
Percent of List Price
