Hawaii
Vehicle Resource Center
While life in Hawaii doesn't require a car, there are still many residents who rely on vehicles to get them where they need to go. Like most states, Hawaii has strict legal requirements for drivers and vehicle owners. Maintaining a legal vehicle and avoiding the most common issues requires regularly filing paperwork, maintaining insurance, and much more.
Ownership and Maintenance
Each vehicle owner must maintain proper insurance, get annual inspections, renew their registration, and more. These tasks can seem daunting, but they don't have to be. With the proper guidance, it's easy to meet all the obligations that a driver must. Learn about regular maintenance requirements that Hawaiians have to deal with:
Nearly all private vehicles in Hawaii are subject to an annual safety inspection. Owners must have their registration and proof of insurance to have an inspection performed at one of the inspection station locations.
For a look at the specific components tested during the inspection, see this component list from the County of Hawai'i.
Hawaii has strict liability insurance requirements that must be met to legally drive a vehicle within the state. Hawaii is a no-fault state, which means that each vehicle must have liability coverage as well as personal injury protection. Any accidents involving multiple vehicles will rely on insurance from each of the vehicles to cover the costs, regardless of who was at fault for the crash.
Coverage Requirements
For liability insurance to be legal in Hawaii, it must have the following coverage:
When these minimums are met, the liability insurance coverage is deemed adequate, and vehicle owners will not have to worry about any trouble with law enforcement. Some owners opt to purchase higher coverage limits for additional protection to help avoid expenses and potential lawsuits in more expensive accidents.
Every year, you need to renew your vehicle registration to avoid getting in legal trouble. Vehicle registration renewal can be completed in several different ways, including the following:
No matter which of these options is utilized, vehicle owners should bring proof of a recent safety inspection, money to cover the registration fees, VIN, and license plate number.
Requirements for Online Renewal
To use the online registration renewal service, vehicle owners must have a registration that is no more than six months expired, the mailing address must not be changing, and there cannot be special instructions on the renewal application form. As long as these requirements are met, it's likely that online renewal will work properly.
Every eight years, Hawaii residents who wish to drive must renew their driver's license. The process is simple but requires paying the fees and presenting all the necessary documentation.
Drivers must supply the following:
Drivers must travel to a DMV location, provide the documents listed above, and pass an eye screening to renew their driver's license.
Drivers Under 25 Must Renew Sooner
It's important to note that drivers under 25 years old must renew every four years instead of 8.
For more details about document requirements and special circumstances, see the Hawaii government page for driver's license information.
Safety Inspection
Safety checks come with a $25 fee that's paid to the inspection station that performs the check.
Registration
Each registration renewal requires paying a $45 State Fee, as well as state and county weight fees that are $0.0175 per pound and $0.0125 per pound for vehicles under 4,000 lbs.
Driver's License Renewal
A standard 8-year license renewal costs $40.00. There is also a $1.00 application fee, as well as the potential for additional fees that may be required if extra tests are needed. A 4-year license is $20.00, $5.00 per year for shorter terms.
Get more information about Hawaii license fees at this government page.
Learn more about Hawaii's vehicle service fees at the government website here.
Buying & Selling
Buying or selling a vehicle in Hawaii comes with legal requirements. Learn to understand the requirements that come with buying or selling to avoid any potential issues:
Remove the Plates and Cancel Insurance
The first step should always be to take the license plates off the vehicle before it is sold. The buyer cannot use the plates and must obtain their own. The seller should turn the plates into the DMV or transfer them to a different vehicle. The seller should also cancel their liability insurance on the vehicle because the buyer will have to supply their own insurance.
Provide the Title, Inspection, and Registration
The seller must give the buyer the original title, fully filled front and back, as well as proof of the current safety inspection and the latest registration information. This is all necessary for the buyer to register the vehicle with the Hawaii DMV. Signing the title in front of a notary is recommended to avoid any potential complications.
Complete a Notice of Transfer Form
The seller must complete a Notice of Transfer form within 10 days of selling their vehicle. This is to inform the government that they no longer own the vehicle and are not liable for it.
As the vehicle buyer, there are many steps to complete to legally own and register the vehicle purchased.
Get to Know the Vehicle
Buyers should not take the word of the seller when learning details about the vehicle. Instead, each buyer should obtain a history report, such as a VIN report or a license plate report from GoodCar. These reports provide ownership history, title brand information, odometer information, data about open recalls, accident history data, and a list of specifications and potential features for the vehicle's specific model and trim package. The data provided in these reports makes it easy to decide whether the vehicle is a good purchase or not.
Obtain the Title, Registration, and Inspection Proof
When making the purchase from the seller, the buyer must get the original title that's filled out properly by the seller. It's ideal to have the title signed in front of a notary as well for additional legal protection. Along with obtaining the title, the seller must provide proof of a passing inspection as well as the registration. All these things are required at the DMV to title and register the vehicle.
Get Liability Insurance
Work with a licensed insurance agent in Hawaii to get the necessary insurance coverage before going to the DMV to register the vehicle. Proof of insurance is required to go through the registration process.
Visit a DMV to Register and Title
Bring along proper identification, as well as the original title, registration, and proof of insurance, to the DMV. Use these documents to go through the necessary steps to title and register the vehicle for legal driving. The new registration should arrive via mail within 10 business days.
Registration
Buyers must pay a $45 state fee, small extra fees, a title transfer fee of $5.00, a plate replacement fee of $5.00, a County fee of $12.00. Other fees include weight fees of between $0.0175 and $0.025 per pound to the state, and $0.0125 per pound to the county.
More details about the vehicle fees can be found on the government fee page here.
Laws and Regulations
Hawaii requires all passengers and the driver to be buckled at all times and gives out fines of $102 to the driver for disobeying that law. According to state law, children under 10 must be restrained using child safety seats.
Car Seat Regulations
Hawaii has strict car seat regulations. Children must be properly restrained in the following manner:
Hawaii offers a state tax credit of $25 that can go towards a parent's purchase of a booster seat or car seat.
For more information about car seat rules and regulations, see the Hawaii Department of Transportation website.
Many residents in Hawaii apply tint to their windows to keep their vehicles cooler, protect the interior from fading, and increase passenger privacy. Hawaii has strict window tint laws that must be adhered to to avoid citations from law-enforcement professionals. The law states the following according to Hawaii's window tint legislation:
Tint levels may not be lower than 68% VLT on the rear window or the front passenger side windows. It's also essential to know that no tint can be applied to the windshield and that out-of-state drivers in Hawaii are expected to follow these tint requirements as well.
Hawaii has some of the strictest DUI (driving under the influence) laws in the country. Drivers in the state must be sure they aren't driving with too much alcohol in their systems.
The state has a zero-tolerance law that charges anyone under 21 with a DUI if their BAC (blood alcohol concentration) is above 0.02 (about one drink of alcohol). Anyone over 21 will be charged with a BAC of 0.08 (about 3-5 drinks) or higher.
Charges include license suspension, steep fines, and jail time. For more specific details about Hawaii DUI laws and punishments, see this informational page provided by the Hawaii State Legislature.
Hawaii maintains Lemon Laws to protect consumers who purchase new vehicles. Any vehicle that's used for personal purposes and is still covered by the manufacturer's express written warranty is protected by the state's Lemon Laws.
The Lemon Laws give consumers protection against serious defects that make the vehicles unsafe to drive or that seriously harm the resale value of the vehicle. If the vehicle suffers from major defects for parts covered under the manufacturer's warranty, it may be possible to get a full refund or replacement for the vehicle.
When is a Vehicle a Lemon
There are specific circumstances that determine when a vehicle can be declared a lemon. The vehicle must have few enough miles to be covered by the manufacturer's warranty, must have a significant defect, and the manufacturer must have failed at repairing the defect enough times.
The manufacturer must fail to make repairs on the defect three separate times or must fail a single time if the defect is life-threatening. The vehicle can also be deemed a lemon if it is in the shop for manufacturer repairs for 30 business days or more.
When a vehicle can be classified as a lemon, legal action can be taken in an attempt to get the manufacturer to replace or refund the vehicle.
Learn more about Hawaii's Lemon laws via this state guide.
Useful Things to Know
Being an effective driver and vehicle owner in Hawaii means following the rules, meeting regular maintenance requirements, and having all the right information. The data above should help with those things, but the resources below provide even more useful information:
Hawaii Driver's Manual
New drivers or long-time drivers looking to renew their knowledge can get information from the Hawaii Driver's Manual Online.
EV Charging Stations
While there is not a large number of electric vehicles in Hawaii, there are some. Drivers with an electric vehicle should know where the charging stations are on the various islands. This search tool can help with locating them: Hawaii EV Charging Station Search
Hawaii Crash Trends While Hawaii doesn't have a huge number of accidents when compared to states with more drivers, there are still many accidents that occur each year. In 2021, there were 94 accident-related deaths, a slight increase from the 2020 numbers but lower than the deaths reported in 2019. Overall, Hawaii is safer than most states, with fewer fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled than more than 80% of the other states, according to the IIHS. For the full picture, see Hawaii car crash statistics from GoodCar.
Safety Inspection Locations
Vehicle owners can have their annual safety inspections performed at any of the inspection station locations in this directory: Hawaii Safety Inspection Station Directory
Get the Latest Hawaii Vehicle Information with GoodCar
Hawaii 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 Check and license plate lookup tools for help getting additional information about specific vehicles.