13 JanVehicle Registration Fees Have Finally Dropped: Here Are the New Prices for 2026
Back in November 2025, the government made a promise that had every motorist and business owner listening: they were going to slash red tape, consolidate fees, and make it cheaper to regularise your assets. The goal was to improve the “Ease of Doing Business” in Zimbabwe. While we were all excited, the actual legal instruments needed to make these promises a reality didn’t appear immediately. We spent the holidays waiting. But as the saying goes, better late than never.
This week, Statutory Instrument 10 of 2026 was gazetted, finally bringing the new, simplified vehicle registration fees into effect.
Here is what has changed, what you will pay now, and why this matters.
The New Vehicle License Fees (SI 10 of 2026)
The new regulations have standardised many costs that used to be confusing or needlessly expensive. The most significant win for the average motorist is the Change of Ownership fee structure, which now heavily incentivises retaining existing number plates.
Here is the approved fee structure:
| Description | New Fee (USD) |
|---|---|
| First Time Registration (Car / Bike / Trailer) | $50.00 |
| Change of Ownership (Buying New Plates) | $95.00 |
| Change of Ownership (Retaining Old Plates) | $15.00 |
| Duplicate Third Plate | $35.00 |
| Garage Plate / Licence | $50.00 |
| Personalised Plates (> 1500cc) | $2,500.00 |
| Personalized Plates (> 1500cc) | $5,000.00 |
The “Game Changer”: $15 Change of Ownership
The standout figure here is the $15.00 fee for Change of Ownership if you retain the plates.
Previously, selling a car in Zimbabwe was a headache of “agreements of sale” because nobody wanted to pay the high costs of officially changing ownership at CVR. Now, if you sell your car and the buyer agrees to keep the current plates, the government processing fee is just $15.
The Effects:
- Mass Regularisation: There is no longer an excuse to drive a car registered in the previous owner’s name.
- Safety & Security: With more cars correctly registered to their actual drivers, tracking vehicles in accidents or crimes becomes easier.
- Plate Availability: By encouraging people to keep old plates ($15) rather than buying new ones ($95), the government reduces the pressure on the Central Vehicle Registry to manufacture new aluminium plates.
It’s Part of a Bigger Picture
This move follows a trend we started seeing late last year. The government is realising that if fees are too high, people simply ignore the law. By lowering the barrier to entry, they increase compliance—and ultimately, revenue.
We saw this late last year with the overhaul of Business Licenses. The government moved to consolidate various shop and liquor licenses, removing the need to pay multiple different authorities for essentially the same permission.
- Recap on Business Licenses: In case you missed it, shop licenses were consolidated to reduce the number of hoops entrepreneurs have to jump through. You can read our full breakdown of those changes here: Your Simple Guide to Zimbabwe’s New Business Licence Fees.
It took a few months for the paperwork to catch up with the promises made in the budget consultations, but the new fees are now law. If you have been holding off on registering a trailer, changing ownership of a car you bought, or getting a garage license, now is the time to sort it out. The $15 change of ownership fee, in particular, is a massive win for the secondary car market.
