Are antique vehicles 25 years or older exempt from Maine’s annual inspections? | Fact brief

In Maine, vehicles 25 years or older are not automatically exempt from annual inspections, even if registered as antiques.

State law does exempt registered antique vehicles from inspection, but that law was amended in 2024 to raise the age threshold from 25 to 35. Vehicles that were already more than 25 years old and registered in Maine as antiques before January 2025 have been grandfathered in.

Maine law now defines an antique vehicle as one that is: more than 35 years old; largely original; used mainly for exhibitions, club activities, parades and similar public-interest events; and not used as the owner’s primary transportation.

The inspection exemption doesn’t apply to classic vehicles, which are defined as any vehicle at least 16 years old but less than 26 years old, worth more than $5,000, and that the secretary of state considers significant to collectors because of its make, model and condition.