Driver Licence & Plate Cost by Province
What it actually costs to keep a licence and a set of plates legal in Canada — and why four provinces cannot be compared directly.
Same car, same five years, $435 apart in government fees alone — before Alberta's registry agent service charges. The entire difference is that Ontario cut plate renewal to $0 in 2022 and Alberta still charges $87 a year.
Every Province and Territory
Licence fees are the standard adult renewal. Registration is the recurring fee for an ordinary passenger vehicle.
| Province | Licence | Term | Registration | Insurance model | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ontario | $90 | 5 years | $0 per 1–2 yrs |
Private Free since 13 Mar 2022 — but you must still renew |
✓ Verified |
| Alberta | $90 | 5 years | $87 per year |
Private Plus up to $15 registry agent service charge |
✓ Verified |
| Manitoba | $20 | per year | $119 per year |
Public (MPI) Licence charge only. The MPI driver premium is insurance, not a fee |
✓ Verified |
| British Columbia | $75 | 5 years | — | Public (ICBC) Registration bundled into ICBC insurance — no standalone fee |
✓ Verified |
| Quebec | $50.23 | per year | $217.41 per year |
Public (SAAQ, hybrid) Licence is the 2026 discounted rate ($120.67 undiscounted). Montréal-area registration $400.86 |
◆ 2nd source |
| Nova Scotia | $80.15 | 5 years | $143.30–$221.70 per 2 years |
Private By weight. EVs pay a further $500 levy every 2 years, plug-in hybrids $250 |
◆ 2nd source |
| New Brunswick | $100 | 4 years | $66–$204 per year |
Private By curb mass — $117 at 1,401–1,600 kg |
◆ 2nd source |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | $125 | 5 years | $90 per year |
Private $115 licence and $80 registration if renewed online |
◆ 2nd source |
| Prince Edward Island | $116 | 5 years | $100 per year |
Private EVs and plug-in hybrids register for $0, other hybrids $50 |
◆ 2nd source |
| Northwest Territories | $110 | 5 years | $89 per 12 months |
Private | ◆ 2nd source |
| Saskatchewan | — | — | — | Public (SGI) A $15 admin fee is added to licences from 1 Jan 2027, $5 on registration renewals |
⚠ To review |
| Yukon | $100 | 5 years | — | Private Licence is $20/yr or $100/5 yr. No registration amount is published |
⚠ To review |
| Nunavut | $70 | 5 years | — | Private Registration regulation is undated and predates a 2018 amendment |
⚠ To review |
Read directly so far: Ontario's Driver and vehicle fees schedule, Alberta's Registry Agent Product Catalogue effective 1 October 2026, Manitoba Regulation 42/2006 (ss. 14 and 52, current to 7 November 2026), and ICBC's published licence fees. The 6 second-source rows are published because the figures are specific and internally consistent, but we have not yet opened those primary sources ourselves — treat them as good, not final.
Ontario made plates free. Almost nobody outside Ontario believes it.
On 13 March 2022 Ontario cut licence plate renewal (validation) fees to $0. The fee had been $120 a year in Southern Ontario and $60 in the north. Motorcycles went from $42 to zero, light commercial vehicles under 3,000 kg from $120 to zero.
Free does not mean optional. This is where Ontario drivers get caught. You must still renew the plate every one or two years, and driving on an expired plate is still an offence even though renewing costs nothing. Renewal is automatic 90 days before expiry only if you have valid insurance and no outstanding fines, fees or tolls — so an unpaid 407 toll quietly stops the automatic renewal, and the first you hear of it may be a ticket.
Not everything went to zero. Ontario still charges $72 for a trailer plate, permit and validation, and heavy commercial validation still runs from $265.25 to $4,693 depending on weight. Farm vehicles are $157–$1,245.50 and buses $134.75–$2,260.75. Be careful with older pages on ontario.ca too — at least one still displays the pre-2022 $120 sticker price and has not been updated in roughly five years.
Alberta: the fee nobody mentions is the one the agent keeps
Alberta has no government licensing offices. Licences and registrations are issued by private registry agents, and they are allowed to add their own service charge on top of the government fee — capped, but real money.
| Alberta transaction | Government fee | Max agent charge | You could pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operator licence — 5 years | $90.00 | $13.65 | $103.65 |
| Operator licence — 1 year | $18.00 | $10.50 | $28.50 |
| Passenger vehicle registration (per year) | $87.00 | $15.00 | $102.00 |
| Motorcycle / off-highway registration | $52.00 | $15.00 | $67.00 |
| Duplicate or exchange licence | $20.00 | $13.65 | $33.65 |
Two things worth knowing. The agent charge is a maximum, not a fixed price, so different registries in the same town charge different amounts for an identical transaction. And the $87 registration fee already includes a $12 Motor Vehicle Accident Claims Fund levy — it is not purely an administrative charge. Seniors get a discount on both the licence and the registration.
Why four provinces have no number in that column
This is the part most comparison articles get wrong, usually by inventing a figure. Four jurisdictions run public auto insurance through a Crown corporation and fold vehicle registration into the insurance transaction:
British Columbia — ICBC. Registration and licensing happen inside the insurance purchase. There is no standalone annual registration fee to place beside Alberta's $87.
Saskatchewan — SGI. Same structure; private insurers may sell extension coverage on top.
Manitoba — MPI. Same structure, broadly no-fault.
Quebec — SAAQ. A hybrid: the public plan covers bodily injury and private insurers cover property damage. The SAAQ folds an insurance contribution into both the licence and the registration.
So when you see an article confidently listing "registration fees in all 10 provinces", check whether it has quietly presented an insurance premium as a registration fee. They are not the same thing, and a driver moving from Toronto to Vancouver who budgets on that basis will be wrong in both directions. Our newcomer first-year cost calculator and the moving cost guide cover the rest of what an interprovincial move actually costs.
What this costs over the years you own a car
A licence is a once-every-five-years irritation. Registration, where it exists, is a standing order you pay for as long as you own the vehicle — which is why the gap compounds.
| Over | Ontario | Alberta (gov’t fees) | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 years | $90 | $525 | +$435 |
| 10 years | $180 | $1,050 | +$870 |
| 20 years | $360 | $2,100 | +$1,740 |
Government fees only. Alberta's registry agent service charges, capped at $15 per registration and $13.65 per licence renewal, would add up to a further $355 over 20 years. Neither column includes insurance, which is a far larger number than either.
Frequently Asked Questions
$0 since 13 March 2022, down from $120 a year in the south and $60 in the north. You must still renew, and an expired plate is still an offence.
A policy choice. Alberta charges $87 a year plus up to $15 of agent service charge; Ontario eliminated its equivalent. Over five years that is about $435.
BC, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Quebec bundle registration into public auto insurance. There is no standalone figure that compares like-for-like.
Alberta has no government licensing offices — private agents process transactions and may add a capped charge. It varies by agent up to the cap, so shopping around saves a little.
✓ Verified means we read the province's own fee schedule or regulation. ◆ 2nd source means the figure came from a second research pass and we have not yet opened the primary source ourselves. ⚠ To review means we found nothing we are willing to publish — 3 jurisdictions, where you will see a dash rather than a guess.