California Has Had It With Exotic Cars Hiding Behind Montana Plates

Car Scoops ^ | 3/9/26 | Stephen Rivers

[Duke C.]

There’s little doubt that the wealthy are closely linked to savvy tax maneuvers. Montana offers famously friendly vehicle registration laws that allow some to avoid paying far more in other states. It’s come under fire plenty of times in the past as have those who leverage the so-called “Montana license plate loophole”.

Now, California says it’s charged 14 individuals tied to more than $20 million worth of vehicles that were were allegedly registered and plated out of state, despite actually spending their lives in California.

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TOPICS: Local News; Miscellaneous; Travel
KEYWORDS: automotive; california; demagogicparty; dentalfloss; exoticcars; gavinnewsom; montana; sociopath; sportscars; stephenrivers; v12cars; v8cars

[House Atreides]

It’s a Maryland thing also. Some people here register their cars in Virginia instead of Maryland… presumably for the cost savings.

[T.B. Yoits]

The Left argued, and the courts agreed, that two people in a state that didn't recognize gay marriage could get married in Hawaii, and then their home state would have to recognize that marriage.

Since they opened that Pandora's Box, all bets are off.

[Bobbyvotes]

I got out of CA as fast as I could mainly due to insanely high taxes. We moved to WA state and joined a nice country club with the tax money saved.

[The Great RJ]

There is a proposal in the Minnesota Legislature to quadruple the already high license plate fees. If the idiocy passes I expect to see a lot more South Dakota plates on Minnesota roads.

[Pol-92064]

I’m back in CA after retirement. I moved to Oregon to work in electronics. The only thing I hated was the 9.9% flat tax on all income earned no matter the source over $2k.

[CodeToad]

I totally get it. In Colorado, we were paying on average $1,500 to register new vehicles. Florida, about $150 every two years.

[Bobbyvotes]

We lived on southern border of Washington state. No state income tax and we shopped in Oregon with no sales tax. It was 10 minutes ride across Columbia River to shop in oregon.

[GMThrust]

Florida, Texas and South Dakota are the easiest to register RV’s. Most of those that live in their RV’s have one of those state plates.

[Blood of Tyrants]

Do they mean that people are finding ways to get out of paying taxes? I’m shocked!

[AlaskaErik]

All States are looking into this.

Not all states. I get one free registration in Alaska. So my 2024 GMC Sierra cost me $15 for the title. I never have to pay the state anything again for that truck. My 2025 travel trailer cost me $93 for title, plate and lifetime registration. I never have to pay the state for that trailer again. My 2022 Subaru Forester currently costs me $115 a year and that goes down every two years. Once it's eight years old I can get a permanent lifetime registration for a little over $200. A new exotic car or half million dollar RV would cost about $300 for the first two years. So there's very little incentive to register in Montana or any other state. We also have no state sales tax, so no avoidance issues there either. My city does have a sales tax, which would cost me an additional $12.50, so no issue there either. So Alaska has zero incentive to after Montana plates, which I almost never see.

[AlaskaErik]

There is a proposal in the Minnesota Legislature to quadruple the already high license plate fees. If the idiocy passes I expect to see a lot more South Dakota plates on Minnesota roads.

The lefties will rat those people out so fast, especially if there is a reward involved.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

When we moved to Idaho 8 years ago from CA, our registration costs were cut by more than half...AND we got two years for that price instead of one!

This map says it all...

[cyclotic]

The communists in Maryland doubled plate fees this year. Now they are complaining because people are registering their cars out of state. My neighbor has New York plates and has had them for years. He removed the decals since they are many years expired.

[Fireone]

Didn’t John F’ing Kerry (he was in Viet Nam) get pinched by Massachusetts for registering his schooner in Virginia, to avoid paying high taxes? Pretty sure I remember that.

[Darth Tokarev]

It’s not JUST the cost. Looked hard at an imported Lancia a few years ago, and registering the car to a Montana LLC was the best option to save it from the 7K of power-sapping mods California Air Resources Board would have required to be emissions compliant. Here’s hoping Leno’s Law gets through!

[doorgunner69]

Good idea for those that love to hotrod older cars.

The wretched Calif CARB makes your life hell doing the testing/inspection required for registration.

[broken_clock]

I’d like to see the cost of the investigation. I’m sure intimidation is the goal here.

[Sgt_Schultze]

These Montana registered drivers should invite the California regulators over for a sit down, and then take them to the train station.

[John Milner]

My dad did it in the 1960s.

Iowa has a personal property tax tied to your vehicle registration.

He could get an Illinois tag for $16 per year. Iowa’s was $70. He used a coworker’s address to register it.

[dakine]

Dude, If your life is so great, why do you have to expound on every thread to the proles?