If you drive one of these kinds of vehicles, expect to pay more for your SC plates

Drivers renewing their South Carolina license plates will see fee increases in the new year, and drivers with hybrid or electric vehicles — which are more fuel-efficient and considered more environmentally friendly — will pay an extra charge on top of that.

Warren Stern of Hilton Head Island said he was expecting to pay $36 to renew the registration on his Lexus but was caught off guard when he paid his fees for 2018 early and was charged an extra $60 because he drives a hybrid.

Stern is among South Carolina’s roughly 44,000 hybrid vehicle owners. The state’s 460 electric-vehicle owners will pay an extra $120.

“I think a lot of people will be surprised,” Stern said.

The increased registration fees, which are paid by drivers every two years, are part of the Legislature’s plan to improve South Carolina’s crumbling roads and bridges. The bill approved in May also increased the state’s gas tax two cents a year for six years.

Lawmakers explained the extra fees for hybrids and electric vehicles by saying that those vehicles are more fuel-efficient and do not generate as much in gas taxes.

“Everyone that uses the road needs to pay,” S.C. House Majority leader Gary Simrill, R-York, told The State newspaper in May.

To offset the gas tax, South Carolina taxpayers will be able to claim a new income tax credit by saving receipts when fueling up their vehicles and when paying for regular vehicle maintenance.

Here’s the breakdown of the increasing car registration fees, according to the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles, effective Jan. 1:

▪  Passenger cars: $40 (up $16 from $24)

▪  People who are 64: $38 (up $16 from $22)

▪  People who are 65 or older or disabled: $36 (up $16 from $20)

▪  RVs: $40 (up $16 from $24)

These fees are not increasing:

▪  Motorcycles: $10

▪  Permanent trailer plate: $87

▪  Title: $15

▪  Trailers with an empty weight more than 2,500 pounds: $20

▪  Utility or camper trailers: $10

This story was originally published December 11, 2017 at 1:09 PM with the headline "If you drive one of these kinds of vehicles, expect to pay more for your SC plates."