Tennessee
Vehicle Resource Center
Throughout the state of Tennessee, there are more than 5 million licensed drivers. Many of those local drivers have their own vehicles they must maintain; furthermore, drivers come in from neighboring states. Everyone must coexist, and order is maintained through careful laws and regular routines. TN drivers must learn to understand the laws, all the regular paperwork, and maintenance tasks that are expected of them to be successful as vehicle owners.
Ownership and Maintenance
Tennessee vehicle owners must take regular measures to keep their vehicles legal and in good condition. Each resident must learn to file the proper paperwork, maintain insurance, and more to protect themselves from potential legal trouble.
Tennessee used to require its residents to get emissions inspections on their vehicles before renewing their registration in select counties. Inspections are no longer required in the state. Vehicle owners can now renew their registration without an inspection, though residents are encouraged to seek out periodic safety inspections to verify their vehicles are in good condition.
All vehicle owners in Tennessee must meet the insurance requirements to renew their registration and drive legally. Insurance is meant to cover any damages that occur during an accident.
Minimum Insurance Requirements
For a vehicle to qualify as being insured, it must carry the following liability insurance coverages:
While those coverage amounts are required, it's recommended to invest in higher coverage limits instead. Drivers should consider getting uninsured and underinsured driver insurance as well for protection in situations when another driver is uninsured in an accident.
Alternatives to Liability Insurance
Vehicle owners who do not want to maintain insurance on the vehicle can opt to use a security deposit or surety bond as alternative coverage. The owner can make a security deposit with the Department of Safety as an alternative to maintaining insurance. The deposited money can be claimed to pay for damages in the event of an accident. Owners can opt to take out a surety bond worth $65,000 as an alternative to insurance as well.
Each year, a vehicle's registration must be renewed once again. The registration renewal process is simple and can be completed online, at a self-service kiosk, through the state's phone app, or by mail.
Renew Online
An online renewal is simple and begins at the state renewal page. Visitors must select their county or input their license plate number to get the option to pay their fee and complete the renewal.
Renew at a Kiosk
Vehicle owners can visit self-service kiosk locations and renew in person in a few minutes. The kiosk scans a current registration or a driver's license and pulls up the renewal information immediately. The owner can easily pay the renewal fee using a credit or debit card, and the renewal process is complete.
Renew through the App
There is a Tennessee Auto Assistant app that enables residents to renew their vehicle registration quickly and simply. Renewing with the app is a simple process that only requires inputting a small amount of information before paying.
Renew by Mail
Every resident can renew by mail by sending the renewal notice to the local County Clerk's office along with a check or money order for the full renewal fee.
Renew in Person
Residents can choose to renew their registration in person by visiting a County Clerk's office. While at the office, the vehicle owner should provide the renewal notice to simplify the renewal process. Without the notice, the clerk can look up the information using the vehicle's license plate number or the VIN. The owner must then pay the renewal fee to complete the renewal process.
Every eight years, a Tennessee driver's license must be renewed. The license can be renewed online in some instances and in person at a Driver Service Center all the time.
Renewing Online
To renew online, a driver must visit the State's Online Service menu to input license information and then pay the renewal fee. The whole process can be completed in minutes with the old driver's license and a renewal notice.
Renewing In Person
When a notice is not available, it's necessary to travel to a Driver Service Center. Once at the center, each driver must undergo a vision test, have their photo taken, and supply their old driver's license as proof of identity before paying to renew the license. Any drivers interested in changing their home address must provide two documents that prove their residency before the information can be changed.
Driver's License Renewal
Renewing a driver's license costs $28 for a standard renewal.
Registration Renewal
The fixed registration renewal cost in Tennessee is $29 per year. There are some small additional fees when renewing as well. There is an estimated fee that varies between vehicle owners based on the type and age of the vehicle, and that must be determined by talking with the state or by reviewing the renewal reminder.
Buying & Selling
TN has strict laws and a set protocol that controls the process of buying or selling vehicles. Only residents who understand the rules and use the proper paperwork will protect themselves properly throughout these important transactions.
Take Their Plates Off
The seller must remove the license plate from the vehicle before handing it over to the buyer. The plate should be returned to the Clerk's office or transferred to a different vehicle.
Provide a Clean Certificate of Title
No vehicle sale is complete without a title. The seller must provide the buyer with a matching Certificate of Title when selling the vehicle. The title should be free from any liens, and the seller should fill out the back of the title closely. Sellers should take care to avoid filling in the Re-assignment section on the back of the title because this is only for dealership use.
Copy the Back of the Title
The seller is strongly encouraged to take a photo of the back of the title once it is completed. This serves as proof of the sale to the buyer and can be used to avoid liability if an accident or another issue occurs with the vehicle after its sale.
Cancel the Vehicle Insurance
Once the vehicle is sold, it's okay to cancel the liability insurance covering it. The vehicle is the responsibility of the buyer, and the seller can save money by getting rid of the insurance coverage as soon as possible.
Research the Vehicle
Each vehicle sale should begin with in-depth research to help decide if a vehicle is worth purchasing. A simple way to research a vehicle is through a VIN check report or License Plate search through GoodCar. These low-cost tools provide ownership history, details about any open recalls, information about odometer readings and accident history, and the specifications and features of the vehicle.
Obtain a Clean Title
It's nearly impossible to register and title a vehicle in Tennessee without a clear Certificate of Title. When talking with the seller, the buyer must always verify that the VIN of the vehicle matches the title presented and that the title is filled out completely on the back. The only section that should not be filled out on the title is the reassignment section because this is only used by registered dealerships.
Obtain Liability Insurance
Each buyer must obtain liability insurance as soon as they can after buying the vehicle. Proof of insurance may be required to register the vehicle, and insurance is legally required to drive the vehicle.
Title and Register the Vehicle
After purchasing the vehicle, the buyer must title and register it with the state. This is accomplished by visiting a county clerk's office and providing a driver's license, the completed title, and documents that serve as proof of residency if the license does not list the correct address on it. After the documents are given, the fees can be paid to finalize titling and registering the vehicle.
Plate and Title
There is a $95.00 fee for obtaining a license plate and a standard title for the vehicle.
Sales Tax
Vehicle purchases come with a standard sales tax rate of 7%, and buyers pay that rate for the full purchase price of the vehicle. There is also local sales tax and Single Article tax for 2.75% of the first $1,600 of a vehicle's value and the second $1,600 of the vehicle's value.
Laws and Regulations
Every driver in Tennessee is expected to follow the state's driving laws. These laws regulate how individuals drive, and if they are not obeyed properly, they can result in fines, license suspension, or jail time.
Tennessee maintains strict DUI (driving under the influence) laws punishing any drivers caught with too much alcohol or banned drugs in their system.
Drivers who are charged with a DUI may receive a license suspension, fines, jail time, an ignition interlock, and a mandatory detox program, depending on the circumstances of the traffic stop.
The BAC Limits
BAC stands for blood alcohol concentration, and it is the measurement that's used to determine how much alcohol is in a person's bloodstream. When a driver's BAC is high enough, they can be charged with a DUI.
Over 21
Under 21
Get more information about the state's penalties via the Department of Safety and Homeland Security informational page.
According to Tennessee law, every single passenger and driver within a vehicle is required to wear a seat belt at all times, no matter where they are sitting. Individuals over the age of 16 are responsible for buckling themselves and can be fined directly if they do not. Drivers can be ticketed for operating a vehicle with more passengers than available seat belts. Drivers can be given tickets for any passengers under 16 who are not properly buckled, and having young passengers not in proper seats can result in more significant fines and charges.
Child Restraint Laws
Children aged eight and under are all required to be buckled into special child safety seats. The seats all have different age, weight, and height requirements, and parents should understand how they work to keep their children safe.
Rear-Facing
Children who are less than one year old must be secured in a rear-facing car seat. They should remain in the seat until they exceed its size limits but can legally be moved to a forward-facing configuration after they turn 1.
Forward-Facing
Children between the ages of one and three are expected to be secured in a forward-facing car seat. They can remain in a car seat until they exceed the seat's weight limits, and parents are encouraged to keep children in car seats past their fourth birthday if they don't yet exceed the seat limit.
Booster Seat
All children between four and eight years old are expected to be secured in a booster seat. They should remain in a booster until they are at least 4'9" tall for their safety, but can legally be secured with a standard seat belt once they are nine years old.
Adding tint to the windows on a Tennessee vehicle is a fast way to cool down the car and protect its interior from UV radiation. There are some limits to what tint is allowed, but TN has relaxed laws that enable a variety of tints.
Residents can apply a full tint to their windshields as long as it allows 70% or more of visible light to pass through. All other windows can be tinted using a tint that allows 35% of visible light to pass through. This is known as 35 VLT tint.
Tennessee has a Lemon law designed to protect consumers when they purchase new TN vehicles. If the vehicles are registered for personal use and they are under 10,000 GVW, they are protected by state law.
The Lemon law says that any covered vehicle that's less than one year old must not have significant manufacturer defects that reduce the resale value of the vehicle or make it unsafe to drive. If there is a major defect, the buyer can notify the manufacturer, and the company is obligated to repair the issue.
If the manufacturer cannot repair the issue within four attempts, or the vehicle is off the road for 30 days or longer because of manufacturer repairs, it is a lemon. When a vehicle is titled a lemon, the manufacturer must either buy back the vehicle or provide an equal-value replacement.
Useful Things to Know
Find a County Clerk's Office
Most title and registration tasks must be completed by a County Clerk's office. Find a local County Clerk's office using this directory: Tennessee County Clerk's Office Location Directory
Locate TN EV Charging Stations
Tennessee is home to thousands of electric vehicle owners. Most EV owners charge their vehicles at home most of the time, but eventually, most require access to public charging stations. Locals can use this search tool to locate nearby charging stations effectively: TN EV Charging Station Locator
Tennessee Crash Trends
Tennessee is a well-populated state that isn't known for being safe for drivers. According to IIHS car crash statistics from 2021, Tennessee is more dangerous than the average state due to its above-average number of car crash fatalities. In 2021, 1,327 people died in 1,229 accidents, and TN had 1.61 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled. The US average is 1.37 deaths per 100 million VMT, which makes TN more dangerous than more than half of the US states. For the full picture, see the Tennessee car crash statistics by GoodCar.
Find Driver Service Locations
A Driver Services Center provides driver's license services to Tennessee residents. Find one of these centers nearby using the search directory: Driver Service Center Search Directory
Get the Latest Tennessee Vehicle Information with GoodCar
Tennessee vehicle owners owe it to themselves to have the most up-to-date information about state laws, maintenance requirements, recalls, and more. Refer to this useful resource for residents looking for help and GoodCar's VIN and license plate lookup tools for help getting additional information about specific vehicles.