New Mexico
Vehicle Resource Center
There are more than 1.4 million drivers throughout New Mexico, with many traveling throughout the state daily. New Mexico is spaced out, and vehicles are incredibly useful for everyday travel. This New Mexico vehicle information hub explains how to meet the legal requirements of vehicle ownership in the most effective way. Get details about insurance, buying and selling a vehicle, state laws, and more.
Ownership and Maintenance
Keeping a vehicle legally in New Mexico means filing paperwork regularly, updating the registration, maintaining insurance coverage, and more. This information is meant to simplify meeting those requirements.
While much of the state of New Mexico does not require emissions inspections for their vehicles, Bernalillo County does. Any vehicle in the county that's newer than 35 years old must undergo emissions testing once every other year. The inspections are completed at one of the approved inspection stations.
What Happens During Inspection
For older vehicles, the inspection looks at a pressurized gas cap test at idle and at 2,500 rpm. Vehicles newer than 1996 go through a visible emissions evaluation, an OBD2 diagnostic, and a pressurized gas cap test.
Learn more about emissions inspection specifics from this legal page covering the state laws.
To be driven legally, vehicles in New Mexico must be properly insured. Without enough insurance coverage, the vehicle is illegal to drive and also a potential liability that can open the owner up to future lawsuits.
Liability insurance is required on all New Mexico vehicles because it's used to pay for damages caused during accidents. When an owner is uninsured, they get left paying for all the damages that occurred during an accident, which is decently expensive.
Vehicle owners must have the following insurance coverage limits to be legally protected:
Having those coverage amounts makes your vehicle legal to drive but does not protect against every accident. There are still situations where the amount of coverage is exceeded, and the driver gets sued for an accident. This is why many vehicle owners raise their limits and purchase more capable insurance coverage instead.
See more specific insurance information from the MVD insurance page here.
Vehicle registration is only good for a year before it must be renewed once again. The renewal process is simple, but it's something vehicle owners always need to be mindful of.
Buyer Must Documents
When renewing a vehicle registration in New Mexico, the owner needs each of the following documents:
Renew in Person
Go to an MVD field location and supply the documentation listed above to renew in person.
Renew Online
Residents receive a discount by using the convenient online renewal service. This service is quick to access and enables vehicle owners to pay their registration fees using a credit card in minutes.
Renew By Post
Any resident who wants to avoid a trip to the MVD but isn't comfortable renewing online can instead renew through the mail. The resident only needs to submit a check with their renewal form to go through the renewal process.
Send the check and the form to the following address:
Buyer Must Section
Motor Vehicle Division
PO BOX 25129
Santa Fe, NM 87504-5129
A New Mexico driver's license is good for between 4 and 8 years, depending on the age of the individual. When that license expires, it must be renewed as soon as possible to be able to drive legally. Fortunately, the renewal process is simple. License renewals can be completed online for drivers between 18 and 79 who are keeping the same type of license. For everyone else, the renewal process may take place in person.
To renew in person, drivers should bring their driver's license or another identification card to the meeting along with money to pay the renewal fees.
Visit the New Mexico MVD renewal guide to learn more about the process.
Obtaining a Real ID
Any New Mexico residents who wish to upgrade to a Real ID will have to bring additional documentation to an MVD location. They must bring a Social Security Card, driver's license, proof of identity, proof of residence, and more. These documents will be used to verify the person's identity so the license can then serve as a recognized form of identity in most locations.
Emissions Inspection
Emissions inspections cost between $15 and $25, depending on the station used.
Driver's License
Drivers must pay $18.00 for a 4-year license and $34.00 for an 8-year license.
Registration
Vehicles cost between $27 and $62 for a one-year registration renewal and $54 and $124 for a two-year renewal.
Buying & Selling
When individuals buy or sell vehicles in New Mexico, they have specific requirements that they must meet. Meeting these requirements means filing the necessary paperwork, exchanging specific documents, and working with the state to document the transaction.
Remove the License Plates
The seller should pull off the license plates and submit them to the MVD or transfer them to a different vehicle. The plates cannot be transferred to the buyer and must remain in the seller's name if they are still to be used.
Provide the Original Title Free of Liens
Get the original title ready for sale. The buyer must have the original title without any liens on it. This title will be filled out completely during the sale, giving the buyer a record they can show to the MVD when registering the vehicle.
Cancel the Vehicle Insurance
While it isn't required, it is good practice to cancel the liability insurance covering the vehicle to stop paying for the service that isn't needed any longer.
Research the Vehicle
The buyer should get familiar with the vehicle before purchasing it. This means looking at the history of the vehicle and its features. The best way to accomplish that is through License Plate Lookup or Vehicle History Search from GoodCar. These specialized reports look at the ownership history of a vehicle, its title brands, any open recalls for the vehicle, the specifications and features of the vehicle, odometer readings for the vehicle, and more.
Get the Title
The most important thing the buyer must do is get the title of the vehicle. The title must be filled out properly with a signature from the seller on it. The title should be clear of any liens and should have a VIN that matches the vehicle being purchased.
Get an Odometer Statement
The buyer must obtain an updated odometer disclosure statement when selling the vehicle. This is documented on form MVD10187 to ensure the buyer and seller agree on the odometer reading.
Submit an Application for Title and Registration
The buyer must submit form MBD10002, the Application for Vehicle Title and Registration with the New Mexico MVD, along with the title and odometer statement to register the vehicle.
To register the new vehicle, the buyer must pay between $27 and $124 depending on the age and type of the vehicle and whether it's a one-year or two-year registration. There is also a small fee to process the title since it must be updated, and there are some other small administrative fees. The real cost is the sales tax on the purchase of the vehicle. Buyers must pay a 4% tax rate on the vehicle purchase, which can amount to a significant amount of money.
Laws and Regulations
New Mexico's roadways are all governed by strict laws. The drivers who understand the laws best will know how to stay out of trouble effectively. Learn about common laws that some drivers don't understand and avoid common issues that other drivers face as a result.
Adding window tint to vehicles in warm locations such as New Mexico can make them more comfortable to ride in. Fortunately, New Mexico has very relaxed window tint regulations. Owners can have any non-reflective tint above the manufacturer's AS-1 line on the windshield and a 20% VLT tint or lighter on all the side windows and the rear window of the vehicle.
While tint restrictions are relaxed, being stopped with noncompliant tint will result in a $75 ticket. Vehicle owners should take care to avoid darker tints, and they should also be careful of driving in neighboring states with a 20% VLT tint because many other states do not allow applications that dark.
New Mexico maintains a Lemon Law to protect consumers from purchasing a vehicle with significant defects from the manufacturing process. This law applies to new vehicles purchased and registered in New Mexico for personal use. If a major defect is discovered within a new vehicle the owner can inform the manufacturer about the problem, and the Lemon Law states that the manufacturer must repair the issue as long as it is a problem covered by the warranty, and it has not been too long since delivery. Buyers have the length of the manufacturer's warranty, or up until one year after delivery to have issues repaired.
When is a Vehicle a Lemon?
Under NM law a vehicle is considered to be a lemon once the manufacturer receives notice of the vehicle's problems and attempts to make repairs without success. The manufacturer has four attempts to make a successful repair before the vehicle can be declared a lemon. If a vehicle is in the shop for manufacturer repairs for at least 30 days it can also be declared a lemon no matter if the issues are resolved or not.
Getting a Refund or Replacement
Once a vehicle is labeled as a lemon by the process outlined above, the manufacturer is legally obligated to either replace it or provide a refund for the purchase price of the vehicle minus a discount based on the total mileage the vehicle was used for. The buyer must take the manufacturer through a mediation process to force the company to refund or replace the vehicle, however, many buyers do not complete this process.
According to New Mexico seat belt laws, all vehicle passengers, as well as the driver, must wear proper seat belts at all times, no matter where they are sitting. New Mexico has a primary seat belt law, which means vehicles can be stopped purely because individuals are not buckled properly.
Children Under 7
All children under seven are expected to ride in a child safety seat that is most appropriate for their height and size. Children should start in a rear-facing car seat, then graduate to a front-facing car seat, and finally, a booster seat. Parents can use the height and weight limits on the seats as a guide for when to swap children from one type of seat to another.
Ages 7 to 12
Children between the ages of 7 and 12 are required to use a booster seat until they are tall enough for a seat belt to fit properly. For most children, this is 4'9" tall.
Use this New Mexico government link to learn more about seat belt regulations in the state.
New Mexico has strict laws against DWI (driving while intoxicated). Any driver who breaks these laws faces jail time, license suspension, and fines. Getting a DWI can also create serious long-term problems for drivers, and it's helpful to avoid the problem entirely.
According to the New Mexico DWI laws, a driver can be charged with DWI if he or she has a BAC (blood alcohol concentration of):
When a driver is charged with a DWI, their license is taken immediately and can be lost for extended periods of time for a year or longer. See more information about specific penalties and more on the New Mexico MVD DWI page.
Useful Things to Know
See New Mexico MVD Locations: Get help from experts in person at one of the many MVD locations throughout New Mexico. Use this search tool and map to find nearby spots: New Mexico MVD Locator and Map
Get Any New Mexico MVD Form: Get access to any New Mexico MVD forms required through this forms database: New Mexico MVD Forms Database
New Mexico Car Crash Trends: In New Mexico, there were 122 car accident fatalities and a total of 466 traffic-related fatalities. Approximately 36% of the fatalities from accidents involved the use of alcohol, and more than one-third of the people who died due to the accidents were not wearing seat belts. Take time to understand the complete picture using these New Mexico car crash statistics from GoodCar.
Get the Latest New Mexico Vehicle Information with GoodCar
New Mexico 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.