Registering An Electric Car

After purchasing an electric car the first thing you're going to have to do is register it to get license tags for it. In the case of highway capable electric vehicles that meet all the safety standards of a traditional car it shouldn't be much different than registering any car. Other electrics may see some hurdles and benefits.

Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEV) will be registered in most states as a Low Speed Vehicle (LSV). They will often get a special license plate that will indicate that the vehicle is only allowed on roads with a speed limit of 35 miles per hour or less and that the vehicle must be speed limited to a maximum of 25 miles per hour.

Some states will require that a LSV be able to maintain a minimum speed of 20 miles per hour so be sure to check with your state DMV and with the manufacturer of your vehicle that it will be able to maintain this speed even in "limp-home" mode in case you need to use it.

Some states exempt electric vehicles from emissions testing or annual vehicle inspections and even offer price/tax incentives on the registration cost. See our article on state benefts for electric cars to see if your state qualifies. We also recommend contacting your state's Department of Motor Vehicles to check on any unpublished benefits or restrictions.

Three wheeled electric vehicles that avoid NTSB safety standards and travel faster than 25mph by claiming to be motorcycles can be problematic. Last year Massachusets pulled the plug on some ZAP Xebra owners because the car did not fit the legal definition of a car or a motorcycle. Doing this effectively made the cars useless since they could no longer be registered. Ohio also refuses to register the 3 wheeled electric vehicles that class themselves as a motorcycle.

In states with a motorcycle helmet law you may be required to wear a helmet while you drive one of these. The laws and regulations regarding these are currently in flux just about everywhere so it pays to be dillegent and check with the DMV before considering a purchase of one of these vehicles.

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