FAQ

A road usage charge, or RUC, is a new way to pay for Hawaiʻi roads. It is a per-mile fee that drivers pay instead of fuel taxes. Most gasoline and diesel-fueled vehicles pay fuel taxes that are built into the cost of gas at the pump. As more cars on Hawaiʻi roads are electric, hybrid or increasingly fuel efficient, gas tax revenues to fund roads, bridges, and infrastructure are declining. In Hawaiʻi, the HiRUC Program began on July 1, 2025, for EV drivers only, to help maintain funding for our transportation system.

Hawaiʻi’s fuel tax currently provides a significant portion of revenue to fund the maintenance of the state’s roads and bridges. While gasoline-powered vehicles pay the state fuel tax and electric vehicles (EVs) paid the state’s previous annual EV registration surcharge, these taxes and surcharges do not necessarily correlate with the usage of Hawaii’s roads. 

As our state’s vehicles become more fuel-efficient, hybrid, or all-electric, the fuel tax revenues needed to maintain our roads will continue to decline. A transition to a RUC will help to ensure fair, long-term, sustainable funding for Hawaiʻi’s roads.

The HiRUC Program began as a demonstration and research project to evaluate the feasibility of road usage charging (RUC) in Hawaiʻi. The Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) led a three-year research effort that allowed Hawaiʻi drivers to experience the mechanism of paying for Hawaiʻi’s roads through a per-mile road usage charge, without owing real money. Based on public feedback and recommendations, the HDOT sought legislation to enact a RUC program. 

In July 2023, the Hawaiʻi State Legislature enacted legislation to implement a state RUC program starting with EVs beginning July 1, 2025. 

Hawaiʻi’s Road Usage Charge (HiRUC) Program began on July 1, 2025, for eligible EV drivers. On their registration renewal notice sent after July 1, 2025, eligible EV drivers may see the choice between the state per-mile RUC ($8 per 1,000 miles driven, capped at $50) or the state flat annual RUC of $50.

If a driver chooses the state per-mile RUC, they will continue to pay the state per-mile RUC in future renewals. If a driver chooses the state flat annual RUC, they will continue to have the option to choose the state per-mile RUC in future renewals.

Beginning July 1, 2028, all EV drivers will automatically be enrolled in the state per-mile RUC. EV drivers can explore their RUC rate via the HiRUC Program’s RUC Estimator.

Eligible vehicles subject to the HiRUC Program meet the following criteria:

• Are registered in Hawaiʻi
• Are electric vehicles (not plug-in hybrid or hybrid)
• Have three or more wheels
• Can operate at or above 35 miles per hour 
• Have a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or less

Electric vehicles (EVs) that have missed two consecutive odometer readings, have late safety inspections from the previous registration year, or have registrations more than 13 months late, default to the state flat annual RUC of $50. 

Newly purchased EVs will not owe RUC upon purchase. For the first registration renewal of new EVs, the state mileage-based road usage charge (RUC) assessed shall be $50, per statute. This is because a safety check is not required after the first year of a newly purchased EV, so the state per-mile RUC amount owed cannot be calculated. However, for EVs purchased on or after July 1, 2025, the $50 paid will be subtracted from the state RUC owed on their second registration renewal (the charge cannot go below $0; no refund is issued for the unused portion of the credit).

To determine the state per-mile RUC in future years, mileage is calculated as the difference between the most recent safety inspection odometer reading that has not already been used in a prior RUC calculation and the last paid odometer reading (per Hawaii Administrative Rule §19-154-7) at the time of registration renewal notice printing (about 60 days before the registration expires). EV drivers who schedule their next safety inspection within this window should see the per-mile RUC option on their registration renewal notice.

Electric vehicles (EVs) are currently the only vehicles eligible for the HiRUC Program. Eligible EV drivers will make their RUC choice (if applicable) and pay for their RUC at the time of vehicle registration renewal. Vehicle registration, renewal, and payment processes remain unchanged, except for the following as of July 1, 2025:

• Most vehicles will have their odometers read and recorded as part of their annual vehicle inspection, also known as a “safety check.” That odometer reading will inform how many miles were driven, and the RUC amount owed.
• Owners of EVs eligible for the HiRUC Program may see a choice of the state per-mile RUC or the flat annual RUC on their annual registration renewal notice.
• During their registration renewal process, eligible EV owners may be prompted to choose between the state per-mile RUC of $8 per 1,000 miles, capped at $50, or the state flat annual RUC of $50.
• To choose the per-mile RUC, EV drivers must complete their safety inspection at least 60 days before their registration expires. If there is incorrect, inaccurate, or missing mileage data, the RUC amount due will default to the state flat annual RUC of $50.
• Eligible EV owners will be able to make their RUC choice (if applicable) through any existing registration renewal method (kiosk, online, in-person, or mail/drop box). The most convenient renewal options are at the Hawaiʻi NOW Self-Service Kiosks (visit hawaiidmvnowkiosk.com) and online through your county DMV website.
• The RUC amount owed will be due at the time of vehicle registration renewal, and payments can be processed by any existing registration renewal method.

Non-EVs, including hybrids and plug-in hybrids, are not eligible for the HiRUC Program at this time.

Registration renewal notices list the RUC amount owed. Eligible EV drivers may have the choice between the state per-mile RUC ($8 per 1,000 miles driven, capped at $50), or the state flat annual RUC of $50.

If there is incorrect, inaccurate, or missing mileage data, the RUC amount due will default to the state flat annual RUC of $50. See the FAQ “How can EV drivers get the HiRUC choice?” to learn more about qualifying for the HiRUC choice.

EV drivers must have two valid odometer readings to be eligible for the per-mile RUC choice. This requires EV drivers to complete their safety check prior to their registration renewal notice being printed, which is about 60 days prior to expiration.

If EV drivers do not have two valid odometer readings before the registration renewal is printed, they will default to the state flat annual RUC of $50.

You may not have seen the per-mile RUC option because:

• Your vehicle is new and doesn’t yet have two valid odometer readings,
• Mileage data is missing due to a lack of two valid odometer readings, or
• You chose the state per-mile RUC in a past registration renewal

To determine the state per-mile RUC, the mileage is calculated as the difference between the most recent safety inspection odometer reading not already used in a prior RUC calculation and the last paid odometer reading (per Hawaii Administrative Rule §19-154-7) available at the time of registration renewal notice printing (about 60 days before the registration expires). If there is incorrect, inaccurate, or missing mileage data, the RUC amount due will default to the state flat annual RUC of $50.

It is recommended that you complete your safety check about 60 days before your registration expires. This helps ensure that the odometer reading is captured before the renewal notice is printed, allowing the per-mile RUC option to be calculated and offered.

If you previously chose the state per-mile RUC, you will continue to pay the state per-mile RUC in future renewals. If you previously chose the state flat annual RUC, you will continue to have the option to choose the state per-mile RUC in future renewals.

To determine a state per-mile RUC, the mileage difference between the previous two odometer readings is used at the time of registration renewal notice printing (about 60 days before registration expires). Unfortunately, there is not a way for the DMV to recalculate your HiRUC for this year. The reason renewal notice printing is used as the calculation cutoff date is to avoid mismatched information in the DMV system and what drivers see on their notice.

Once you align your safety inspection with this timeframe (about 60 days before your registration expires), you shouldn’t experience this issue again and should see the per-mile option on your registration renewal notice.

No – once drivers choose the state per-mile RUC at their annual registration renewal, all future renewals will use the state per-mile RUC. This is because the state per-mile RUC becomes mandatory in 2028.

If drivers purchase an EV with the state per-mile RUC already chosen, they cannot change their RUC choice to the state flat annual RUC. This is because the RUC choice follows the vehicle, not the owner.

If you previously paid a default $50 RUC, it will be subtracted from your per-mile RUC this year, so you are not charged twice for the same miles (the charge cannot go below $0; no refund is issued for the unused portion of the credit).

Hybrid and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles are not eligible for the HiRUC Program when it launches on July 1, 2025. The HiRUC Program is only applicable to eligible EVs (as described in the FAQ “Which EVs are eligible for the HiRUC Program?”).

The Hawaii Department of Transportation is researching future road usage charge options for the expansion of the HiRUC Program. Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) are one of the vehicle types under consideration for future HiRUC Program eligibility. PHEVs purchase and use some gasoline, so it will be important to determine how drivers of PHEVs would be credited for those fuel taxes paid at the pump. 

In some instances, hybrids and plug-in electric hybrid vehicles have been registered as electric vehicles (EVs) and have paid the state’s previous EV registration surcharge of $50. These vehicles are not eligible for the HiRUC Program and should contact their local County Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) for any further questions.

Starting July 1, 2028, EV drivers will be required to pay the state per-mile RUC. The option of the state flat annual RUC of $50 will be removed. The Hawaii Department of Transportation is working on a plan to transition all light-duty vehicles to the HiRUC Program by 2033. 

The Hawaiʻi State Legislature, based on the funding needed to maintain and improve the state highway transportation system, will determine the next steps. 

As is written in Act 222, the initial small-scale road usage charge (RUC) program for electric vehicles is a first step in the eventual statewide transition to a per-mile RUC for all vehicles, which will serve as a replacement of the state motor fuel tax.

Act 222 directed HDOT to develop a Long-Term Transition Plan to transition all light-duty vehicles to RUC by 2033. The plan aims to ensure that drivers do not pay both RUC and the state fuel tax. The details as to how this will legislatively and technically be implemented are still to be determined and will be guided by the Long-Term Transition Plan that the HDOT submitted to the state legislature prior to the 2026 session. The plan includes findings, recommendations, implementation phase schedules and proposed legislation for the deployment of a state mileage-based road usage charge program to encompass all passenger vehicles and light duty trucks by December 31, 2033.