Registration Renewals

Delaware sends out renewal notices for your vehicle registration 90 days before it expires. If your vehicle is older than five years, you must pass a vehicle inspection. You can renew your registration by mail or in person at your local DMV office.

When you renew, you'll need to provide a copy of your insurance and a current odometer reading.

The fee for regular passenger cars weighing less than 5,000 pounds is $40 per year. You may choose to renew your vehicle for one or two years at a time.

Commercial vehicles weighing more than 5,000 pounds have a renewal fee of $40 per year for the first 5,000 pounds, and $18 per year for each additional 1,000 pounds.

If you renew after your registration expires, you must pay a $10 late fee.

Registration fees are effective as of October 1, 2007.

Inspections

Delaware requires a vehicle inspection for all vehicles over five years old. If your vehicle is exactly five years old, the renewal will be valid for one year. If it is older than five years, the inspections and renewals are valid for two years; however, you may elect to only renew for one year at a time. The DMV will send you notice when it's time to renew again.

The inspections are performed at your local DMV office and consist of an emissions test and a safety inspection. The DMV will also test the fuel system for leaks.

If your vehicle fails the test, you must have the car repaired and then retested. There is no charge for a retest. Check out DMV.ORG's Smog and Emission Check pages for more information about waivers and extensions of the inspections.