Maine
Vehicle Resource Center
Maine is home to more than 1 million licensed drivers traveling across more than 46,000 miles of roads. All these drivers need to understand state driving rules and regulations, annual renewal tasks, and all the fees that come with being a vehicle owner and driver.
Ownership and Maintenance
Vehicle ownership in Maine requires regular inspections, driver's license renewals, and maintaining adequate insurance coverage.
Nearly every vehicle registered in Maine must undergo annual safety inspections. The vehicles are tested to verify they are roadworthy, and vehicles that do not pass may not have their registration renewed without first being repaired.
Vehicle inspections are completed at certified garages and inspection stations that offer the service throughout the state. Each vehicle receives a receipt and a sticker that showcases the expiration date of the safety inspection. Another inspection must be conducted before the sticker expires to keep the vehicle valid to drive on Maine roads.
Cumberland County Requires Emissions Inspections
Vehicles throughout Maine must have safety inspections, but the vehicles in Cumberland County must also go through emissions inspections. The vehicles must be tested at facilities that offer emissions checks, and the inspection cost is slightly higher when getting emissions testing as well as the standard safety check.
See the Maine Vehicle Inspection manual for more specifics about the state's inspection process.
Every vehicle owner in Maine must carry liability insurance and personal protection insurance to drive legally. Without at least the minimum amount of insurance coverage, it's legal to drive and risky as well. If the vehicle is involved in an accident where another person is injured or suffers property damage, the driver or vehicle owner could end up being liable for the damages from the accident. Not having adequate vehicle insurance can lead to lawsuits and serious fines.
Required Insurance Coverage
The following insurance coverage amounts are necessary for a Maine vehicle to be considered insured legally.
When each of the above minimums are met, a vehicle is considered adequately insured by the Maine government. Many vehicle owners opt to purchase higher coverage amounts for additional protection.
Each year, vehicles must have their registrations renewed, or they will expire. The registration renewal process is simple but requires either visiting a Bureau of Motor Vehicles location or going through the Rapid Renewal process online.
Vehicles are not eligible for online renewal if:
The Following Information is Needed for Registration:
Whether registering online or in-person, the owner must pay the flat registration fees as well as the sliding-scale excise tax to successfully register the vehicle.
Vehicle Inspections
Vehicle inspections cost $12.50 for the safety inspection, and they are $18.50 in Cumberland County, where emissions tests are also required.
Registration
Passenger vehicles under 12,000 pounds are charged a $35 fee each year for registration. Owners must also pay an excise tax that is constantly changing.
Excise Tax
Along with flat registration fees, there is an excise tax charged to each vehicle owner during their registration renewal. The tax is based on the original MSRP of the vehicle. The tax is a sliding scale that works in the following way.
Values Per 1,000 Dollars of MSRP:
Buying & Selling
When buying or selling a vehicle in Maine, it's essential to adhere to best practices and file the appropriate paperwork to avoid potential legal problems.
Have the Original Title
Sellers must have the vehicle's original title to complete a sale. That title must be free from liens. If the original title is lost, the seller can file form MVT-8 and pay a $33 fee to obtain a replacement title.
Remove the License Plates
A license plate must be removed from the vehicle prior to allowing the buyer to take it away. The plates can be returned to the MVB or transferred to another vehicle. Interested sellers can have this Plate Cancellation Request form notarized and submit it to the MVB to officially cancel the plates.
Sign the Title
Provide the original title and sign the back, ensuring that all the required information is added to the form before handing it over to the buyer. This form is mandatory when the buyer goes to register the vehicle at the BMV.
Cancel the Vehicle's Insurance
Once the buyer leaves with the vehicle, it's time to cancel the insurance. Talk with the insurance company and cancel the policy to avoid paying any longer.
Research the Vehicle Carefully
This is the most important step of any vehicle purchase. The seller should spend time learning about the vehicle before deciding whether to purchase it or not. Conducting research is straightforward with a Vehicle History Search, or VIN Check from GoodCar. These reports include detailed specifications and feature information for the specific vehicle model. The reports also have owner history and car accident history, title brand information, as well as data about open recalls and odometer information.
Obtain a Bill of Sale
The buyer must print a Bill of Sale document and bring it to a vehicle purchase to ensure they have documentation proving the vehicle purchase is legitimate. The document should include relevant vehicle information, including an Odometer disclosure statement, and must have a signature from the seller.
Get the Original Title
The buyer must carefully verify the vehicle's title, ensuring it has a matching VIN and vehicle description. Work with the seller to verify all the required information is included on the title and sign the necessary locations to finalize the sale. For added protection, the title can be signed in front of a notary, but this step is not required for the sale to be legal.
Obtain Vehicle Insurance
Work with an insurance agent to begin an insurance policy on the new vehicle that offers the legal minimum amount of coverage or better. Keep proof of the insurance to provide to the MVB employee when registering the vehicle.
Title and Register the Vehicle
After getting all the documentation, it's time for the buyer to register the vehicle. The buyer must bring money to pay the sales taxes as well as any title and registration fees for the vehicle. Along with money, the buyer needs the Bill of Sale, proof of insurance, and the original vehicle title, as well as proper identification. With all these documents, registering and titling the vehicle will be straightforward. The final documents will be sent to the mailing address associated with the vehicle's registration.
The buyer must pay all the required fees to successfully title and register the purchased vehicle. This is a straightforward process, but it's essential for the buyer to plan for these costs.
Sales Tax
Maine vehicle sales are charged a 5.5% tax rate. Buyers must pay 5.5% of the purchase price of the vehicle when titling and registering a purchased vehicle.
Registration
To register a purchased passenger vehicle, there is a flat fee of $35. It's likely the buyer will be subjected to several small miscellaneous fees as well as a sales tax requirement. For more unique registration fees, see the Maine State registration fee page.
Title
Obtaining a title for a recently purchased vehicle comes with a $33.00 fee as long as there are no liens; for more title fees, see the Maine state title fee page.
Laws and Regulations
Maine drivers must understand the state's laws to avoid legal trouble during everyday operations.
Under Maine seat belt regulations, all vehicle passengers must be properly restrained by a seat belt or child safety seat. All passengers over 18 years old are held personally responsible for failing to wear a seat belt and can be ticketed for $25. Passengers under 18 years of age are the responsibility of the driver, who can be ticketed for improperly buckled minors.
Along with basic seat belt regulations, Maine has specific car seat regulations as well. All children under eight must be fastened into the appropriate child safety seat as outlined in the list below.
See more information about potential punishments and seat belt regulations on the Maine Legislature seat belt legal page.
Many vehicle owners in Maine choose to add tint to their windows for additional privacy and sun protection. Owners must be certain they are putting on tint that's allowed by the state's tint guidelines.
Aside from the windshield, all other windows on a Maine vehicle can have tint as long as it allows 35% of all visible light or more into the vehicle. Owners who choose 35 VLT tint or higher should not have legal trouble.
Maine has some of the strictest laws in the country regarding driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. In Maine, the offense is termed an OUI, which stands for operating under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Drivers who are caught breaking the state's OUI laws are sentenced to up to 364 days in jail, up to a 3-year license suspension, and fines as high as $2,000. These punishments are incredibly strict for first-time offenders compared to most other states.
What are the OUI Limits?
Drivers who exceed the OUI limits can be charged with an OUI and face strict punishments that become progressively worse on repeat offenses.
To better understand Maine's OUI laws, view this legal OUI page.
Maine protects consumers who purchase new vehicles registered in the state from significant factory defects. Under the Lemon law, personal-use vehicles are protected for 18,000 miles, the duration of the warranty, or the first three years of use, whichever term is met first.
If a vehicle suffers from a significant defect, the buyer can report the issue to the manufacturer, who must make adequate repairs to resolve the issue. If the issue is not resolved, the buyer can bring their case to the State Arbitrator for free. If the vehicle is declared a lemon, the manufacturer must replace it or offer a refund of the purchase price.
Get more information on lemon law from the Maine Attorney General in this guide.
Useful Things to Know
Maine BMV Vehicle Forms
Access the full selection of Maine vehicle service forms from the BMV in one neat table. BMV Vehicle Forms
Locate Public EV Charging Stations
Maine residents who own electric vehicles (EVs) need to know where public electric charging stations are located. This search tool makes discovering nearby locations simple. Maine EV Charging Station Search Tool
Maine Crash Trends
Maine is safer than average, with 1.05 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles recorded by the IIHS in 2021. Even though the state is safer than most, there were 153 fatalities caused by 135 accidents in 2021. That's a significant amount and worth knowing more about. Build a complete understanding of state accidents using Maine car crash statistics from GoodCar.
Find a Maine Burea of Motor Vehicles
Maine residents must visit a Burea of Motor Vehicles (BMV) location occasionally to obtain vehicle services. Use this BMV office directory to find the most convenient location. Maine BMV Office Locations Directory
Get the Latest Maine Vehicle Information with GoodCar
Maine vehicle owners owe it to themselves to have the most up-to-date information about state laws, maintenance requirements, recalls, and more. Refer to this useful resource for residents looking for help and GoodCar's VIN Check and license plate lookup tools for help getting additional information about specific vehicles.