HB2, the budget dumpster fire/trailer bill, has a lot of crap in it I like and a lot I don’t. One of the wins was eliminating State motor vehicle inspections for passenger vehicles. The House passed it, the Senate watered it down, but in the end, the original had to land in HB2 or it would have failed (rumor has it).
If HB2 fails, there’s no state budget.
While this isn’t the sin or crime advertised, and quite honestly, we may have been able to wrangle a better final version if it had, what’s done is done. The thing is on its way to Governor Ayotte, who has already praised herself and the Legislature for a great thing that’s great for Granite Staters. I’m not convinced that’s entirely true, but they killed mandatory vehicle inspections, making New Hampshire like a majority of states “in the union.” With New Hampshire’s departure, only 13 states still require them.
Beginning in 2026, you will be responsible for your vehicle and its safety, which makes sense because it’s your safety.
Busy Bodies who claim to be progressive but can’t let go of antiquated inspections have promised blood in the streets or its vehicular equivalent. That’s actually the narrative of the auto dealers lobby and associated benefactors of mandatory expenses like state inspections. They make a lot of money o these things and didn’t want to see them go. The dilution that took place in the State Senate is blamed entirely on their influence.
All for naught, it seems.
The sticker tax for passenger vehicles is dead, effective January 1, 2026.
Yes, you still need it in 2025, but this is the last one. And don’t worry. Unlike the hands-free mobile electronic device ban, which led to more accidents (not fewer), we don’t expect that to happen in this case.
