To help you figure how much it will cost you to title your Oklahoma vehicle and register the tag, the Oklahoma Tax Commission provides a current schedule of all title, tag registration and miscellaneous fees on its website. Oklahoma also charges excise tax on all vehicles that aren't statutorily excepted and provides an online guide to the calculation formulas for these fees as well. Calculating your tag, tax and title is a matter of identifying which formulas apply to your vehicle and plugging in the required data to arrive at the total amount you'll owe.
Title Fees
Title fees as of 2015 are listed for the three classes of vehicle ownership:
- Standard titles: $11
- Junk titles: $4
- Certificates of ownership: $4
Tag Registration Fees
Noncommercial Vehicles
Registration fees for noncommercial cars and trucks depend on several circumstances:
- By year. Fees decrease in increments depending on how long the vehicle has been titled. Years one through four are the highest at $91; fees decrease after the fourth year and again after years eight, 12 and 16, when the fee is $21.
- By vehicle type. Fees for motorcycle registration are a bit higher than those charged for cars and trucks, starting at $94 for motorcycles up to 4 years old and decreasing to $24 for motorcycles 17 years old and older.
- By owner. Oklahoma reduces the fees charged to register your vehicle under certain circumstances. If you are active military, you pay $21; a disabled veteran pays $5.
Calculation of Noncommercial Tag and Title
The basic cost for noncommercial vehicle registration and tag is calculated by adding the appropriate title fee to the amount charged for the age of your vehicle.
Examples: A new car with a standard title would pay the standard title fee of $11, plus the tag fee charged for a vehicle that's one to four years old ($94), for a total of $105. For motorcycles, the owner of a 12-year-old motorcycle would pay the standard title fee of $11, plus the tag fee of $64 for motorcycles that are nine to 12 years of age, for a total of $75.
Commercial Vehicles
Registration of commercial truck tractors and trucks is calculated according to the gross laden weight. If that weight is less than 15,000 pounds, the vehicle's age is also considered. Those 1 to 5 years old pay $104; 6 years, $56; and 7 years old and older, $33. Tag fees for commercial vehicles weighing 15,001 pounds or greater are based on gross laden weight; registrants should contact the OTC for correct calculation of fees.
Other Commercial Vehicles
A flat registration fee is applied to the following:
- Nonexpiring commercial trailers: $46 for new owner with $4 annual renewal.
- Special mobilized machinery: $556.
- Forest power units and trailers: $256.
- City and private school buses: According to seating capacity.
- Taxis: $31.
Ambulances and limousines have several choices for registration.
Excise Tax
Oklahoma assesses excise tax on all vehicles every time a new title is issued. If you are a resident of Oklahoma, you are assessed this tax even if you purchased your vehicle in another state. If you are a nonresident but purchase a vehicle in Oklahoma, you are not assessed the tax as long as you title and register the vehicle in your home state. Tax rates are calculated differently for each category of vehicle:
- New vehicle: 3.25 percent of purchase price.
- Used vehicle: $20 up to a value of $1,500, plus 3.25 percent on the remainder value.
- All terrain vehicle: 4.5 percent of the purchase price, minimum $5.
Tip
Many Oklahoma-based Native American tribes, such as the Cherokee Nation, issue their own vehicle registrations and tags to registered members of the tribe. Fees may differ from those charged by the state of Oklahoma. If you are eligible for a tribal tag, contact your tribe's tax commission for a list of applicable fees.