Electric vehicle ownership in Pennsylvania just got more expensive.
Under a new law, EV owners will have to pay an extra $200 fee when they register their vehicle in 2025. The fee jumps to $250 in 2026, then will be tied to inflation after that. Owners will have the option to pay in installments.
Owners of plug-in hybrid EVs will owe 25% of the fee for fully electric vehicles.
The fee passed the legislature with bipartisan support. Lawmakers say it makes EV owners pay their fair share for road maintenance, since they are avoiding taxes at the gas pump.
Zachary Barber, a clean air advocate with PennEnvironment, is disappointed with the law. He said the legislature should be making it easier to buy and own an EV, not harder.
”Because at the end of the day, electric vehicles are absolutely in our best interest as Pennsylvanians. They lead to cleaner air, healthier lives, healthier children, and a more sustainable climate,” Barber said.
The fees are among the highest in the country. Pennsylvania now joins states such as Ohio, West Virginia, Georgia, and Alabama in charging EV owners at least $200 extra per year.
The fee is lower than initially proposed. Sen. Greg Rothman’s (R-Cumberland) original bill would have charged $380 per year for private vehicles and $450 for commercial EVs.
EVs create less emissions over their lifespan than a gas-powered car, even with the current electric grid make-up.
“There’s already a huge benefit to going electric, but that is something we can then compound over time as we, hopefully, make our electric generation system more renewable-powered,” Barber said.
The Electrification Coalition said more widespread adoption of EVs is critical to ending the country’s dependence on oil and strengthening economic and national security.
“While EV drivers should pay their fair share to maintain Pennsylvania’s roads, they should not be penalized for switching away from gas-fueled vehicles. The passed fee penalizes EV drivers for making efficient choices,” said Anne Blair, the group’s vice president of policy.
The coalition said a mileage-based user fee would be more appropriate.
That could be difficult to enforce.
Pennsylvania had an alternative fuel tax that was repealed as part of the law establishing the new fee. EV owners were supposed to file monthly statements with the state Department of Revenue and pay a tax on how much electricity their vehicle used.
“However, most electric vehicle owners do not do this, or are inconsistent at doing so, due to the process for remitting the alternative fuel tax being cumbersome. In addition, many electric vehicle owners are not aware they are required to file a monthly statement to the PA Department of Revenue,” Rothman said in his co-sponsorship memo.
Long-term, the coalition said road funding methods need a fundamental redesign to be fuel-neutral.
This story is produced in partnership with StateImpact Pennsylvania, a collaboration among WESA, The Allegheny Front, WITF and WHYY.
