OWNERSHIP FEE FOR KENTUCKY EV AND HYBRID VEHICLE OWNERS
Effective January 1, 2024, an ownership fee will be charged to electric vehicles, including plug-in hybrids and electric motorcycle owners, per House Bill 360. This new fee is used to pay for the maintenance and construction of roads and bridges. The motor fuels tax motorists pay when they fuel up at gas stations is the primary contributor to that fund. Reducing gas consumption impacts revenues used to maintain the infrastructure used by all vehicles on the road. The EV and hybrid ownership fees will offset a reduction in gas tax revenues by ensuring vehicle owners who drive on Kentucky roads, regardless of their power source, contribute to the shared cost of building and maintaining roads and bridges.
New Annual Ownership Fee Structure:
An Electric Vehicle is any vehicle that has plug-in charging capability, regardless of whether the vehicle is powered by:
A Hybrid Vehicle is any vehicle that does not have plug-in charging capability and is powered by a combination of an internal combustion engine and an electric motor.
An Electric Motorcycle means the same as a "motorcycle" or "motor scooter" as defined in KRS 186.010, that is powered by a:
The fee will be due at initial registration and at each annual vehicle registration renewal.
Payments can be conveniently made online or in person at your county clerk's office during registration renewal. Remember to take the postcard with you if you pay in person.
NEW 2025 FEES AND LEGISLATION
Beginning Jan. 1, 2025, the fee for electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid EVs will change to $126, and the fee for electric motorcycles will change to $63. This represents a 5% increase, which is the maximum annual increase allowed by law. Per KRS 138.475 (4), the fee is subject to adjustment annually based upon the percentage change in the quarterly National Highway Construction Cost Index 2.0 from the current year to the previous year. The percentage change from 2023 compared to 2024 was 12%.
Beginning Jan. 1, 2025, the fee for hybrid vehicles (that do not have plug-in charging capabilities) will no longer be collected due to recently passed legislation.
Additionally, House Bill 8 enforces a dealer tax of 3 cents per kilowatt-hour of electricity used EV charging stations installed on or after July 1, 2022. Similar to Kentucky's Motor Fuels Tax, this will be added to charging station prices, contributing to the Road Fund.
For comprehensive information on Kentucky's electric vehicle infrastructure, fast charging locations, maps, future high-priority routes, and more, visit
evcharging.ky.gov.