Washington State my fees for my 2012 F 350 were around $140 and that included $35 for vanity name plates. California's vehicle license fees, nations top ranking gas tax, state income tax, sales tax, sanctuary city laws, DEQ inspection fees, are just other examples of a ultra liberal governed state. To the OP, there are a plethora of issues that are dragging your state down besides Vehicle Registration Fees.

$353 a year here in PA for 14,000 GVWR.

In Texas here as was said earlier approx. $80, but I am from California and have to tell you the roads here SUCK! Cannot believe how poorly they are maintained and how safety is a low priority here. Until I drive over to Louisiana, then I am grateful to be back in TX.

Have you been to Arkansas, they almost give Louisiana a run for their money.

With the exception of a state income tax, you're describing our state. I believe WA is second only to PA in high gas taxes.

Rob

Why is it called "registration"?

That implies a one-time ... registration, a nominal fee to cover the cost of collecting and storing the information (which of course in this day and age of digital storage is next to nothing)

Not the annual ever increasing equivalent of "Hey nice truck you got there!! You should give us $800".

I feel your pain, I live in San Diego and my 2016 last year was $621.00. This year it is $732.00 thanks to Moonbeam Governor who has completely ruined this state. Soon there will be two types of people living here, the wealthy Silicon/Hollywood types and the poor living off of government assistance. Meanwhile we build a 100 billion dollar high speed train that goes from nowhere to nowhere that no one will ride. At least San Diego voted to NOT become a sanctuary city. I have lived my entire life in this state and will be retiring soon and getting the hell out as well as all my friends.
The other taxes that really infuriate me is the personal property tax on my boat, I already paid sales tax when I bought it. Isn't there a law about double taxation?

My wife was born here in Walnut Creek and all our kids are here. I try to pry her foot off the ground every day.. I tell her how much stuff cost and she doesn't like it but I tell her you must love it because you refuse to leave. She will pay for my tags this year because she loves it here so much.
Like Wrighton said we pay so much for so little. I wana go fast ju8st not on a train.
They tried that in Washington state and look at how that turned out.

Didn't see anyone post from Oklahoma here are my fees

1996 Isuzu Rodeo - $27.50
2016 Niissan Rogue - $97.50
2016 F250 - $107.50 it's registered commercial truck and 15000 GVW

I believe I have you all beat, my 2017 F-350 dually first registered in 2016 was well over $1400 here in NH. My second 2017 F-250 first registered in 2017 was over $1200. NH registration is based upon GVWR and price when new. The GVWR fee never changes; they do factor in depreciation each year, but it takes a long time to come down. My 2017 F-250 will still be over $1100 this year. After 10 years, they stop depreciating and that will be the fee you are charged forever. My 21-year old Range Rover was still costing me over $200 per year to register when I had it.

Other registration examples: my 20-foot long equipment hauler tandem axle trailer with a 16,200GVW rating costs over $200 to register. My Harley-Davidson Road King Classic costs nearly $100.

BUT...we pay no sales tax in this state. Buy a brand new vehicle...zero sales tax. So that is nice. We also have no state income tax, you can carry concealed without a permit and you can still buy an AR-15 platform rifle with a 30-round mag without issue. But our state and surrounding states are quite liberal and these liberties may evaporate soon.

I will note how utterly unfair it is to base a registration fee off vehicle MSRP. How does a $100k Porsche 911 impact road wear and tear more than a $25k Mazda? That's nothing more than a luxury tax. Basing registration off from GVWR at least makes a little more sense. Many of our roads and bridges are in horrible shape, like most states.

The real double taxation is that every time a vehicle/vessel is sold the sales tax is paid again.

A little under(Don't remember exactly) $200 here in Michigan for my 2012 SRW 350. Michigan does tie it to base MSRP of the vehicle but only reduces the fee for 3 years. An old Benz that sold for 80k new but now worth a $1,000 bucks will cost you almost that much to register.

Believe it or not, I have all of you beat here in the wonderfully conservative state of SC. I pay property taxes on every vehicle I own, every year. To the tune of 6% of the value of the vehicle if GVWR is less than 11,001 lbs, and 10.5% if over. So for my new F450, I'll be paying somewhere north of $3,000. Now, sales tax is capped at $500 for new or used vehicles, but I'd much rather pay a larger sales tax up front than our ridiculous property taxes every year.

Kudo's to you for wanting to leave So Cal when you retire. Pick a good state where your retirement dollar will go farther through lower taxation. Only thing you'll probably miss will be the climate.

The wife's Expedition was $425 this year and my F350 will be $380. After 4 years old Montana drops your registration significantly so no more new vehicles for us.