ADOT debuts five-year vehicle registration option

New service provides savings, convenience to customers

PHOENIX - Drivers who want to save a few bucks while taking care of their vehicle registration for five years at a time will benefit from the Arizona Department of Transportation's (ADOT) new five-year registration option, which debuted on Aug. 29.

Those with vehicles that qualify for the program will be able to register for the five-year option at all Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) and third-party offices statewide, or by renewing their registration through the mail or online at ServiceArizona.com. Currently MVD offers drivers a two-year registration option in addition to the standard one-year registration.

Only vehicles that do not require an emissions test during the five-year period are eligible. Some vehicles that qualify for the five-year registration option include:

• Most vehicles of any model year registered outside the Phoenix and Tucson metro areas, where an emission testing is not required.

• New vehicles that have never been registered in Arizona or in any other state.

• Vehicles with model year 1966 and older.

"ADOT is pleased to offer this option to Arizona's drivers, which translates into both a savings and a convenience for our customers," said ADOT Director John Halikowski. "One of ADOT's biggest priorities is customer service and satisfaction, and this service now gives drivers one more option to ensure a smooth registration process while saving them money at the same time. Drivers won't have to worry about registering their vehicle for another five years."

Drivers who take advantage of the new option will only have to pay a one-year registration fee for the entire five-year period. The five-year registration option includes the vehicle license tax, as well as all other fees, calculated and paid for the entire five-year period at the time of registration. This includes fees for vehicles with special or personalized license plates.

The total amount paid by a vehicle owner for the five-year registration will go into two accounts. The first two years of registration will go into the Highway User Revenue Fund, which funds statewide roadway projects. The last three years of the registration will go to the state's general fund to help balance the Fiscal Year 2011 budget. This distribution of funds does not affect what a vehicle owner pays.

ADOT estimates that approximately 2 million of the 6.7 million registered vehicles in Arizona will be eligible for the five-year option. Currently, 23 percent of Arizona's vehicles are registered under the two-year option.

For more information about vehicle registration and other MVD services, visit www.azdot.gov/mvd. To conduct MVD transactions online, visit

www.ServiceArizona.com.