Tennessee 'Drive Electric' Specialty License Plate

Registering for a 'Drive Electric' plate will help promote EVs throughout Tennessee and show your support DriveElectricTN mission. The proceeds from these specialty license plates will be used to fund DET’s projects and programs to create a future of renewable energy, encourage economic growth, and protect community health.

LEARN MORE

Tennessee’s ‘Drive Electric’ License Plate

TENNESSEE ‘DRIVE ELECTRIC’ SPECIALTY LICENSE PLATES ARE AVAILABLE NOW!

The Drive Electric Tennessee team has worked for several years to make the Tennessee ‘Drive Electric’ specialty license plate a reality. As of April 15, 2023, this license plate is now available for all Tennesseans to purchase.

Beyond donning a new, personalized plate on your car, registering for your plate will help promote EVs throughout the state of Tennessee. No EV is required to purchase this plate or support the work DriveElectricTN does!

Partial proceeds from these specialty license plates will be used to fund DET’s projects and programs to create a future of renewable energy, encourage economic growth, and protect community health throughout Tennessee.

INTERESTED IN OWNING THIS LICENSE PLATE?

To get your own ‘Drive Electric’ license plate, you must first be a resident of Tennessee. The only way to acquire a specialty license plate in Tennessee is to visit your local county clerk’s office. At that time, you should have the opportunity to request a ‘Drive Electric’ license plate. You will need to pay the additional specialty license plate fees along with any other registration and county related fees.

Things to note:

  • DriveElectricTN will not be offering any additional free ($35 value) license plates.
  • If your local county clerk’s office does not have any plates in stock, they will need to order the specialty plates from the TN Department of Revenue.
  • Please let Drive Electric Tennessee know if you have any trouble obtaining a license plate.

Frequently Asked Questions

Anyone that is currently registered with a TN license plate can register for this specialty plate! And, you don’t have to own an electric vehicle (EV) and/or plug-in electric vehicle (PHEV).

Visit your local Tennessee county clerk’s office to purchase one of these plates!

The plate costs $61.50 annually. You will pay the specialty plate fee when you renew your vehicle registration.

Driving around with the ‘Drive Electric’ license plate on your vehicle is a great way to show off your love of EVs and your support for the adoption of EVs in Tennessee. Supporting this license plate is also a way to financially show your support for the Drive Electric Tennessee program and all the work we do. A portion of the fee comes back to DET to support our initiatives and programs all across the state.

For a new specialty plate (non-personalized)
DET would receive the $35.00 – the cost of the license plate is $3.30 for a total of $31.70.
The $31.70 would then get split
  • 10% to Highway Fund =$3.17,
  • 40% to Arts Commission = $12.68 and
  • 50% to DET =$15.85.
For a new specialty plate (personalized)
DET would receive the $35.00 – the cost of the license plate is $3.80 for a total of $31.20.
The $31.20 would then get split
  • 10% to Highway Fund =$3.12,
  • 40% to Arts Commission = $12.48 and
  • 50% to DET =$15.60
For a renewal the $35.00 would split
Renewing the plate.
10% to Highway Fund =$3.50,
40% to Arts Commission = $14.00 and
50% to DET =$17.50

The Tennessee Department of Revenue, a state agency, manages the license plate program. However, you will go through your local county clerk’s office to get your own plate.

Yes! At your local county clerk’s office, you should have the option to personalize the specialty plate for an additional fee. You will only have 5 digits worth of space to personalize due to the nature of the plate. The “EL” on the plate cannot be removed. We apologize for any inconvenience this causes.

If you already have a personalized license plate but you want to transfer that personalization to the new ‘Drive Electric’ plate, there is a small process you will have to go through to make that happen. You will have to return your original plate and temporarily give up the personalized license plate. Once the Tennessee Dept. of Revenue has opened that personalization back up in their system, you can return to the county clerk’s office and claim that personalization again on your new plate.

Please talk to your local county clerk or a representative at the office for more information about personalizing specialty plates.

Donut charts of the specialty license plate options; for more information go to FAQ section

To learn more about the program, email info@driveelectrictn.org.