There's stuff all over the internets saying the Volt is exempt, but it appears that changed in 2016: http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread...-tax-exemptions-on-Volt&p=2618282#post2618282RCW 46.17.323
Electric vehicle registration renewal fees.
(1) Before accepting an application for an annual vehicle registration renewal for a vehicle that both
(a) uses at least one method of propulsion that is capable of being reenergized by an external source of electricity and
(b) is capable of traveling at least thirty miles using only battery power,
the department, county auditor or other agent, or subagent appointed by the director must require the applicant to pay a one hundred dollar fee in addition to any other fees and taxes required by law. The one hundred dollar fee is due only at the time of annual registration renewal.
(2) This section only applies to a vehicle that is designed to have the capability to drive at a speed of more than thirty-five miles per hour.
However, I also read in that WA recently expanded their EV sales tax exemption to include the Volt. They changed the rules to include PHEV/EREV's with 30+ mile range, and also raised the sales price cap from $35k to $42k (I guess this might come into play with a a well-optioned Volt without many discounts).Yep. Thirty miles or more in ev mode and you pay. Really sucks.
The gas tax is a pretty good approximation of a miles and weight system, the weight of a vehicle is a significant contributor to it's MPG. A miles and weight system for EVs is trivial to implement and it would be fair. The EV miles are already reported to OnStar, if VoltStats can read it then a State could also. The State already knows how heavy your vehicle is because you told them what model car it is when you registered it.Excellent description of the Washington EV ripoff bjrosen. And further, at my Volt's current 94mpg lifetime mileage, I'd have to drive over 28000 miles to burn up 300 gallons of gas. Many of us poorer folks have waited to buy a nice used Volt as I did. No sales tax exemption on used cars. That $150 fee alone probably makes it more economical to drive a Prius. But I love my Volt, and its not the car's fault that these fees have been enacted. Washington is wanting to move to a miles-based fee system, or a mixture of that and gross weight. Meanwhile, the dollars fly out of the wallet.
How goofy...Yep. Thirty miles or more in ev mode and you pay. Really sucks.
Exactly. Although that doesn't help anyone who bought a Volt before the sales tax exemption was expanded.I did benefit, however, from the sales tax exemption (up to I think $30k of sale price, and I paid sales tax on remaining $2k of the price). So I guess the annual $150 fee is covered by the $3200 I saved in sales tax for the next 21 years.
Like many states, Washington's gasoline tax is a flat per-gallon amount and they don't charge (percentage-based) sales tax on it. So, if anything, a lower price of gas increases consumption and leads to higher gas tax revenues.It was inevitable with gas prices down they would be looking for more sources of revenue.
