Half a million WA drivers have expired tabs, could cost WA more than $25 million in total fees
Jun 26, 2025, 4:15 PM | Updated: 4:18 pm
A person holds up a Washington license plate. (Photo: Tim Nwachukwu, Getty Images)
(Photo: Tim Nwachukwu, Getty Images)
Data released by CARFAX stated that more than half a million drivers in Washington have expired vehicle registrations.
The dataset listed that 593,000 Washington drivers currently have expired tabs, which ranks eighth across the U.S.
How much can expired tabs cost WA drivers
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Using Washington’s base fee ($43.25) for updating registration, and multiplying it by the 593,000 WA drivers with expired tabs, this could cost more than $25 million in fees to fix, according to FOX 13.
“The average lag for most drivers with expired tags is about four months, CARFAX data shows, more than enough time for fines or other penalties to accumulate,” CARFAX stated.
The study found that nearly 17 million drivers on U.S. roads started 2025 with expired registration on their vehicles.
“Data scientists analyzed relevant VIN-specific data from CARFAX sources. We have 165,000 sources. That information comes into our database, and our data scientists are able to estimate the number of cars with expired registrations per state,” Em Nguyen with CARFAX, told FOX 13.
How do expired tabs impact WA drivers?
“Driving with outdated tags can lead to serious consequences, including costly fees and fines, and in some cases, having the vehicle towed or impounded,” according to CARFAX.
CARFAX also stated that repeat offenders and drivers with significantly overdue registrations could face jail time.
“Some states have penalties that can run up to hundreds or even thousands of dollars, including in Washington, according to their DMV sites,” CARFAX stated.
A spokesperson from the Department of Licensing explained how they are handling the recent data.
“We don’t know how many vehicles are driving on Washington roads with expired registrations and that’s because there are a variety of reasons people don’t renew,” Rob Wieman with the DOL told FOX 13. “We simply don’t know, and we don’t ask why, and we don’t track them down. We only track active registrations.”
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