Travel in Wisconsin is a relative bargain

March 16, 2012

State motor fuel tax and registration fees are lower here compared to neighboring states

The owner of a typical mid-size sedan in Wisconsin can expect to pay about $319 annually in state motor fuel taxes and vehicle registration fees – the lowest among neighboring states. The owner of a similar vehicle would pay about $407 in Michigan, $446 in Iowa, $511 in Minnesota, and $600 in Illinois.

"People may be unaware that operating a motor vehicle in Wisconsin is a relative bargain compared to neighboring states," said Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) Secretary Mark Gottlieb.

The analysis from WisDOT compares vehicle registration fees and state motor fuel taxes in Wisconsin and neighboring states. The study considers annual costs to operate a 2010 model year mid-size sedan that gets 22 miles-per-gallon. Driving such a vehicle 15,000 miles per year would cost the Wisconsin vehicle owner about $319 in state motor fuel taxes and for vehicle registration.

"To put this into perspective, the typical Wisconsin motorist currently pays less than a dollar a day to use Wisconsin’s 113,000 miles of federal, state and local roadways," Secretary Gottlieb said.

The fee comparison was recently presented to the Wisconsin Transportation Finance and Policy Commission as it examines issues related to the future of transportation finance in Wisconsin. A state analysis shows a potential $15 billion gap between the funding needed to sustain current transportation services and the amount of revenue that’s expected from existing sources over the next 10 years.

The state motor fuel tax in Wisconsin is 30.9 cents-per-gallon (an additional 2-cents per gallon is collected for a petroleum inspection fee). The flat per gallon rate is not affected by changes in fuel prices.

The state’s annual passenger vehicle registration fee of $75 is among the lowest in the Midwest. Complete details on the state fee comparison are available at the WisDOT web.

The Transportation Finance and Policy Commission will hold a public listening session on Thursday, March 22, from 5 to 7 p.m. at WisDOT’s Southeast Freeway Office, 1001 West Saint Paul Avenue in Milwaukee.

For more information, contact:
Peg Schmitt, WisDOT Office of Public Affairs
(608) 266-7744, peg.schmitt@dot.wi.gov