Q: In January, I transferred my passenger plate from one car to another and paid the $45 transfer fee. The original registration was good though November of 2009. The new registration is only good through June of 2009.

Why did I lose six months?

A: Since you were kind enough to provide me with additional information, I was able to research your question further.

What you did, Deidre, was not a transfer in the sense that the DMV uses that term. When we say “transfer,” what we mean is same plate, same person, different vehicle.

In your case, the plate in question was canceled and reassigned to a different person. That’s the reason why your renewal month is now different, because the DMV staggers registration renewals by month according to the first letter of the registrant’s last name. For example, anyone with a last name beginning with A or B would renew in January, C’s in February and so forth. The only exceptions are March and December — all commercial vehicles must renew in March and all miscellaneous registrations such as state, city & town plates must renew in December. (Ask your parents what it was like years ago when everyone in the state had to renew their registrations in March; if you did not renew by mail, the crowds at the DMV were terrible.)

Since your registration was canceled with at least one entire year remaining, you are entitled to a refund of that portion of the registration fee. You can download a refund form at http://www.dmv.ri.gov/documents/forms/ Refund_App.pdf.

Send this form and a copy of your previous registration, and you will receive a check in about 8 to 10 weeks.

Plates and weights

Q: Someone told me that all SUV’s will now require commercial plates. Can you tell me if this is true? What actually constitutes the requirement of a commercial plate rather than a regular (passenger) plate?

A: An SUV can be registered with a number of different plate types. It is not a requirement that they be registered with commercial plates. Commercial plates are for vehicles used in carrying cargo for business purposes. Passenger vehicles are exactly what the name implies – a vehicle for carrying passengers. An SUV can be registered with passenger, combination, commercial, or suburban plates. They can also carry specialty plates such as Purple Heart, Veteran, Disabled Veteran, National Guard, or Ex-POW.

What you may be referring to is the increase in registration fees by weight for all passenger vehicles. Beginning in January, customers will notice a change in fees for passenger vehicles based upon the weight of the vehicle. Vehicles over 4,000 pounds will be charged at increased annual rates. Rhode Island General Law relating to the registration fee for motor vehicles has been amended by the R.I. legislature — RIGL 31-6-1, Amount of Registration and Miscellaneous Fees — which details the increased fees for these vehicles. For example, vehicles 4,000 pounds and under will remain at the fee of $30 per year. Any vehicle with a Gross Vehicle Weight of 4,000 to 5,000 pounds will be charged $40 per year; 5,000 to 6,000 pounds will pay $50 per year, and so forth.

Gina Antonucci Zanni, chief of communications for the State Division of Motor Vehicles, has agreed to answer questions of general interest posed by Journal readers about state motor vehicle laws and procedures. To ask a question that would also be of interest to other readers, send a letter to Ask projoCars, Features Department, The Providence Journal, 75 Fountain St., Providence, RI, 02902. You can e-mail your question to projocars@projo.com. Please put “Ask projoCars” in the subject field. Questions or complaints of a specific nature should be posed to the DMV directly and will not be answered in this column.

Confused about road rules? Or looking for a low-number license plate? You’ll find an archive of official answers to past driving questions posed by Journal readers at projocars.com