Hey everyone,
I wanted to bring this up because I honestly didn’t expect it… and I’m curious what the rest of you are seeing.
I’ve got a Tacoma Trailhunter (hybrid) and just renewed my registration here in East Tennessee.
👉 Total: about $170
- ~$20 to the state
- The rest is local wheel tax
- PLUS $100 extra just for being a hybrid
That $100 hybrid fee caught me completely off guard.
🤔 Here’s what doesn’t make sense to me
From what I understand, Tennessee added this fee because hybrids supposedly don’t pay enough in gas tax.
But here’s the problem…
👉 The Tacoma hybrid is NOT about saving gas
👉 It’s about power and torque
👉 We’re STILL buying gas
👉 We’re STILL paying gas tax
So now it feels like we’re paying:
- Gas tax at the pump
- AND a flat $100 hybrid fee on top
That doesn’t really add up.
💬 Something else I’ve been thinking about…
This whole thing got me looking at other stuff going on in Tennessee lately…
Like the situation with WhistlinDiesel.
From everything I understand:
- The Ferrari in question never even entered Tennessee
- It ended up being destroyed in Texas
And I’ll be honest…
👉 I’m on his side on that one.
From everything I’ve seen, he seems like a good dude. And I honestly believe if the state had just approached him directly, he probably would’ve worked it out and paid whatever was owed.
I’m not a lawyer, and I know there are arguments both ways… but from the outside, it just doesn’t sit right.
❓ What is going on in Tennessee?
Between:
- Hybrid fees like this
- And situations like that
It kind of feels like things are getting a little aggressive.
🔥 I want to hear from you
- What are you paying for registration in your state?
- Are hybrid Tacoma owners getting hit like this elsewhere?
- Do you think this fee is fair?
🎥 I made a full video breaking this down:
👉
Let’s get a real discussion going — this affects all of us, especially with more hybrid Tacomas coming out.
--
Ole Smoky
"If you park your Tacoma, you have to turn around and do a double take!"
