Maryland’s Historic Plate Shake-Up Hits Early-2000s Cars
Maryland’s long-running historic license plate program is facing a reckoning, and plenty of car owners are feeling the sting. As we previously reported, state lawmakers signaled their intent to crack down on misuse of vintage and historic tags as part of a broader package of new traffic laws.
Now, Maryland has enacted a House Bill that puts real teeth behind that bark, freezing historic plate eligibility at model year 1999 and older. The change immediately disqualifies vehicles from 2000 to 2005 that previously qualified under the old 20-year rolling rule, catching many owners off guard.
For many enthusiasts, historic plates weren’t just a badge of honor. They slashed registration costs to about $50 every two years, eliminated emissions testing, removed inspection requirements, and often enabled cheaper collector-car insurance. Now, owners of early-2000s vehicles are receiving letters from the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) telling them their plates won’t be renewed once they expire, forcing them back into standard registration, emissions testing, and higher fees.
Why the Change Matters—and Why It’s Controversial
The immediate impact is financial. Maryland has one of the most expensive registration and insurance rates. Vehicles losing historic status must turn in their plates, pay roughly $150 more in registration fees, and report to a Vehicle Emissions Program (VEP) station. For collectors with multiple cars, those costs add up fast, prompting accusations that the move is little more than a revenue grab rather than a safety or environmental measure…