General Questions
- Electric Vehicle (EV) - A motor vehicle that delivers power to its drive wheel or wheels solely by use of a battery-powered electric motor.
- Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) - A motor vehicle that can deliver power to the drive wheels solely by a battery-powered electric motor, but which also incorporates the use of another fuel to power a combustion engine. The battery of the vehicle must be capable of receiving energy from an external source, such as an outlet or charging station.
In 2024, Act 85 (later amended by Act 149) was passed by the Pennsylvania General Assembly and signed into law by Governor Josh Shapiro, establishing a way for electric vehicle (EV) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) owners to support road and bridge maintenance. Gas-powered car owners help maintain Pennsylvania’s road and bridge network through gas taxes. The new law created a way for all drivers to help maintain Pennsylvania’s transportation network, ensuring that EV and PHEV owners who pay no or very little gas tax are also contributing to Pennsylvania’s Motor License Fund for highway and bridge maintenance.
On April 1, 2025, Pennsylvania began to charge EV and PHEV owners a yearly Road User Charge (RUC).
All EVs or PHEVs are subject to the fee, except for the exempt vehicles listed below:
- Golf carts.
- Electric motorcycles.
- Vehicles from 1990 or older.
- Certain government vehicles.
- Vehicles over 14,000 pound gross vehicle weight rating.
You must enroll in and make your first RUC payment before you will be able to renew your vehicle registration.
If you do not pay your RUC balance in full by the time your vehicle registration renewal is due, you will not be able to renew your vehicle registration.
You will receive RUC reenrollment information in the mail approximately two months before your vehicle registration is due, which will outline your payment options.
No, the RUC is not refundable. The RUC is applied at the time of registration issuance or renewal for either the one-year or two-year registration period.
Initial Enrollment
The agent or dealer will assist you with completing your initial RUC enrollment, along with the application for the vehicle’s registration. You will have the option to enroll with a flat (one-time per registration period) payment or in a payment plan. The chosen RUC enrollment period must match the length of the vehicle registration period. The agent or dealer will collect the appropriate payment and forward it to PennDOT.
If you enrolled in a payment plan, you will receive payment coupons in the mail. Because you made your first payment upon enrollment, the one-year payment plan will include five payment coupons, and the two-year payment plan will include eleven payment coupons.
You may pay by mail using the payment coupons, through the online RUC portal, or in person at the Riverfront Office Center in Harrisburg.
Customers are expected to pay monthly until they have paid the RUC in full. The full balance must be paid prior to renewing your vehicle’s registration.
RUC Reenrollment and Vehicle Registration Renewals
You can pay online, by mail, or in person at the Riverfront Office Center in Harrisburg.
You may enroll in RUC and choose to make a flat (one-time per registration period) payment, or enroll in a one-year or two-year payment plan. For both payment options, the length of your RUC enrollment period and the length of your vehicle’s next registration must match.
- If you choose to make a flat (one-time per registration period) payment, the total payment will be due upon enrollment.
- If you enroll in a one-year payment plan, the initial payment is due upon enrollment. You will have five remaining payments.
- If you enroll in a two-year payment plan, the initial payment is due upon enrollment. You will have 11 remaining payments.
Yes. An agent can assist you with completing the application and forwarding it to the Department.
- If you choose to make a flat (one-time per registration period) payment, the total payment will be due upon enrollment.
- If you choose the payment plan option, the first payment will be due at the time of enrollment.
- If enrolling in a payment plan, you will see the entire remaining balance in your online RUC portal. After making each payment, you can log into the online RUC portal again to see the new total amount due. Please note, if you pay by mail, the online RUC portal will be updated after the payment is received and processed.
At this time, you cannot make a lump sum payment for the remaining balance through the online RUC portal. If you want to make multiple payments at the same time through the online RUC portal, you will have to make each payment individually.
You can pay your RUC instantly online. You will need the following information to log in and pay:
- The first eight digits of your title number.
- Your plate number.
- Your current odometer reading if logging in to the online RUC portal for the first time.
- A valid credit or debit card.
When it is time to enroll in the RUC and renew your vehicle registration, you will receive two separate invoices in the mail. If paying the RUC by mail, please mail your vehicle registration renewal invoice with payment, as well as one of the following RUC enrollment documents:
- For a flat (one-time per registration period) payment, please return the RUC enrollment invoice that you received in the mail with payment.
- For the payment plan, please return the payment plan enrollment form that you received in the mail with the first payment.
Additional Questions
If you’re enrolled in a payment plan and you sell your EV/PHEV, you must still pay the full balance of the RUC for the current registration period.
Yes, you must enroll in and pay the RUC when you title and register your vehicle in Pennsylvania.
If you are transferring your license plate, your RUC balance will transfer to the new EV/PHEV for the same registration period.
You must pay the RUC balance in full to renew that vehicle registration in Pennsylvania.
The retired status vehicle registration has no effect on the RUC. You must still enroll in and pay the RUC in addition to the retired status registration rate.
The free vehicle registration for eligible veterans has no effect on the RUC. You must still enroll in and pay the RUC. The law only exempts certain veterans from paying title and registration fees. The RUC is a separate fee.
Note: Eligibility requirements for free vehicle registration for veterans can be found here.