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Louisiana: residents who own an electric or hybrid vehicle must pay “road usage fees”

Posted on 4/15/26 at 2:03 pm
Posted by Ailsa
Member since May 2020
7398 posts
Posted on 4/15/26 at 2:03 pm
I'm looking forward to the day when there are no more taxes.

quote:

You pay with your taxes to build the roads, then they find any way they can to charge you again

The fee is $9 per month for electric vehicles and $5 per month for hybrid, to offset the loss in gas tax revenue
Posted by thelawnwranglers
Member since Sep 2007
42266 posts
Posted on 4/15/26 at 2:05 pm to
Does that even offset lost revenue
Posted by LSUbest
Coastal Plain
Member since Aug 2007
16104 posts
Posted on 4/15/26 at 2:15 pm to
But muh planet!

Give them more money to capture and store a purely organic molecule.
Posted by Bard
Definitely NOT an admin
Member since Oct 2008
58977 posts
Posted on 4/15/26 at 2:18 pm to
quote:

Does that even offset lost revenue


Probably not, especially over the long term. EV's weigh and average of 20%-50% more than a similar model/size ICE vehicle. More weight = more wear and tear on roads.

The EV fee comes out to $108/year.

The gasoline fee is $.20/gallon.
Let's say the average Louisiana driver is putting in 600 gallons per year (estimating 14k miles of driving annually at ~23mpg), that comes out to ~$120/year.

Posted by notsince98
KC, MO
Member since Oct 2012
21979 posts
Posted on 4/15/26 at 2:33 pm to
This should be non-controversial since many of the gas taxes are associated with road improvements.
Posted by Mickey Goldmill
Baton Rouge
Member since Mar 2010
26791 posts
Posted on 4/15/26 at 2:57 pm to
quote:

This should be non-controversial since many of the gas taxes are associated with road improvements.


Yeah I don’t get the uproar. If everyone had an electric vehicle, there’d be no gas tax revenue for roads.
Posted by lurking
Member since Nov 2022
2229 posts
Posted on 4/15/26 at 3:06 pm to
quote:

This should be non-controversial since many of the gas taxes are associated with road improvements.


quote:

road improvements


Don’t spend much time in Louisiana I see.
Posted by conservativewifeymom
Mid Atlantic
Member since Oct 2012
14056 posts
Posted on 4/15/26 at 3:12 pm to
It's an excellent start!

Those of us driving normal vehicles have been outrageously taxed for years.

I sure hope it goes up every year.
Posted by Korkstand
Member since Nov 2003
29101 posts
Posted on 4/15/26 at 3:13 pm to
quote:

Probably not, especially over the long term. EV's weigh and average of 20%-50% more than a similar model/size ICE vehicle. More weight = more wear and tear on roads.
If only ICE passenger vehicles were on the roads, the roads would last almost forever. If only EV passenger vehicles were on the roads, the roads would last almost forever. The weather and vegetation would dominate the wear and tear. A single semi causes more wear and tear than thousands of passenger vehicles. I don't think the proportion of wear and tear should be a major factor in how much should be paid in taxes. If it were, the tax burden on trucking would be enormous.

I don't know why anyone would have a problem with road use taxes. Either that or tolls.
Posted by Marciano1
Marksville, LA
Member since Jun 2009
20012 posts
Posted on 4/15/26 at 3:14 pm to
quote:

Yeah I don’t get the uproar. If everyone had an electric vehicle, there’d be no gas tax revenue for roads.
Cut out the wasteful spending across the government and there would be plenty of money there for improvements and other meaningful tasks.
Posted by TigerintheNO
New Orleans
Member since Jan 2004
44792 posts
Posted on 4/15/26 at 3:15 pm to
quote:

You pay with your taxes to build the roads, then they find any way they can to charge you again


they aren't paying the tax on gas that pays for the roads
Posted by PHNBK
Member since Nov 2020
181 posts
Posted on 4/15/26 at 3:22 pm to
I have 2 Tesla's that i purchased in 2025. I don't have a problem paying the fee and think it is more than fair. What i do have a problem with is the difficulty in paying the fee.

Either you file the forms with your taxes and pay (I use turbotax and file electronically so that is out of the question bc you have to then mail your state taxes.)

Go to expresslane.org to pay, which my vehicle info can't be found to do so.

Or finally do it at the LaTap website which is near impossible to navigate to find how to file and pay.

This is very frustrating to say the least....
This post was edited on 4/15/26 at 3:24 pm
Posted by Deuces
The bottom
Member since Nov 2011
16834 posts
Posted on 4/15/26 at 3:23 pm to
They are partaking in the wear and tear of roads. They need to contribute too.
Posted by OU Guy
Member since Feb 2022
28581 posts
Posted on 4/15/26 at 3:23 pm to
quote:

Probably not, especially over the long term. EV's weigh and average of 20%-50% more than a similar model/size ICE vehicle. More weight = more wear and tear on roads.

The EV fee comes out to $108/year.

The gasoline fee is $.20/gallon.
Let's say the average Louisiana driver is putting in 600 gallons per year (estimating 14k miles of driving annually at ~23mpg), that comes out to ~$120/year.



Good summary. Wouldn’t you also need to include taxes on the electric use to recharge (if done at home).

Also, do recharging stations have any state taxes as part of cost of recharging?
Posted by Bard
Definitely NOT an admin
Member since Oct 2008
58977 posts
Posted on 4/15/26 at 3:25 pm to
quote:

If only ICE passenger vehicles were on the roads, the roads would last almost forever. If only EV passenger vehicles were on the roads, the roads would last almost forever. The weather and vegetation would dominate the wear and tear.


Do you feel better after that irrelevant rant?


quote:

I don't think the proportion of wear and tear should be a major factor in how much should be paid in taxes. If it were, the tax burden on trucking would be enormous.


The gas taxes (and thus the EV fee as well) are specifically for road construction, maintenance, and infrastructure. Greater wear and tear through the average weight of vehicular traffic increasing by 20%-50% is directly impactful.

And that's where my point about the longer term comes into play. The more EVs we have on the road (if they continue to climb in popularity), the more maintenance will need to be done while the state takes in less in road money.

Granted, it's likely a small amount of increase, but the point is a decrease in maintenance money in exchange for an increasing need for maintenance.
Posted by Bard
Definitely NOT an admin
Member since Oct 2008
58977 posts
Posted on 4/15/26 at 3:30 pm to
quote:

Wouldn’t you also need to include taxes on the electric use to recharge (if done at home).


What happens if someone is completely off the grid? I get what you're saying though, but I think going that route would end up being far more complicated and expensive than just assessing a fee.
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