Buying a car · 50 states and DC
Car sales tax calculator
The tax on a car is rarely just the state rate times the price: the base, the county and the trade-in all change it.
Built by Radif Partners · How the fees are calculated · Editorial policy
Sales tax on this purchase · California
$3,596
Due at purchase $4,249 · out the door $39,249
Then about $478 a year to renew.
| Sales/use tax (10.25%) | $3,596.21 |
| Reflectorized plate fee | $1.00 |
| Registration fee (includes $3 alternative fuel/technology fee) | $76.00 |
| California Highway Patrol fee | $34.00 |
| County and district fees (Los Angeles County) | $11.00 |
| Vehicle license fee (0.65% of $35,100)Based on the price you pay, even for a used car: the schedule restarts at each change of owner. | $228.00 |
| Transportation improvement fee | $198.00 |
| Smog abatement fee (no smog check for the first eight model years) | $20.00 |
| Dealer documentation fee (capped at $85) | $85.00 |
DMV and California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA) schedules read on 2026-10-11. Some lines have no single official amount and are listed apart. How this is calculated.
On a new $35,000 car bought from a dealer with no trade-in, the purchase tax runs from $0 in Alaska to $3,868 in Washington, and Alaska, Montana and New Hampshire charge no general tax on the purchase. Three rules explain most of the spread besides the rate itself. First, the trade-in: most states tax only the difference between the price and the trade-in, but Alaska, California, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Montana, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Oregon and Virginia tax the full price. Second, local taxes: in 20 jurisdictions a county or city rate is added, and it follows the buyer's home address. Third, the base: some states tax the dealer's documentation fee, some cap the tax or apply the local rate only to the first few thousand dollars, as Florida does with its first $5,000. The calculator applies each of these rules from the state's own tax pages.
Why the same rate gives different taxes
Two buyers in states with the same rate can pay very different amounts. The base is the first reason: a state that deducts a $10,000 trade-in taxes $25,000 on a $35,000 car, while a state that does not taxes $35,000. The dealer's documentation fee is taxable in some states and excluded in others. Rebates paid by the manufacturer are deducted in some states and taxed in others. Then come the limits: a maximum tax per vehicle, a lower rate on cheap used cars, or a local rate applied only to the first slice of the price.
Sales tax, excise tax, title tax: same idea, different names
Not every state calls it a sales tax. Some charge a motor vehicle excise tax collected at titling, Georgia a one-time title ad valorem tax that replaced both its sales tax and its yearly car tax, North Carolina a highway use tax, and a few states a privilege or document fee. The calculator labels each with the state's own name, because that is the word printed on the receipt.
Local taxes follow your home address
Where counties and cities add their own rate, the rate of your residence applies, even if the dealer is across the county line. Pick your county or city in the calculator; if your town has a rate the list does not show, open "Local tax rate override" and type it.
What this page does not include
The tax is only the first line of the bill. Title, plates and registration are on the tag and title page, the dealer fee caps on the doc fee page, and the whole bill as one number on the out-the-door price calculator. Yearly taxes on the car's value, which some states charge instead of or on top of a purchase tax, are on the vehicle property tax page.
The 51 jurisdictions side by side
| State | Tax | Rate (state + local) | Trade-in credit | Tax on the reference car |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | automotive sales and use tax | 2.00% + 0.00% to 5.25% | yes | $963 |
| Alaska | no state sales tax (local sales taxes only) | 0.00% | no | $0 |
| Arizona | transaction privilege tax (state, county and city) | 5.60% + 0.00% to 5.11% | yes | $3,020 |
| Arkansas | sales and use tax | 6.50% + 0.00% to 6.13% | yes | $2,328 |
| California | sales and use tax | 7.25% + 0.00% to 3.75% | no | $3,596 |
| Colorado | state and local sales/use tax | 2.90% + 0.00% to 6.25% | yes | $3,203 |
| Connecticut | sales and use tax | 6.35% | yes | $2,223 |
| Delaware | motor vehicle document fee | 5.25% | yes | $1,825 |
| District of Columbia | excise tax (1% to 11% by weight and MPG) | 6.00% | no | $875 to $3,500 |
| Florida | sales and use tax plus county discretionary surtax | 6.00% + 0.00% to 2.00% | yes | $2,150 |
| Georgia | title ad valorem tax (TAVT) | 7.00% | yes | $2,450 |
| Hawaii | general excise tax passed on by dealers | 4.71% | no | $1,649 |
| Idaho | sales and use tax | 6.00% | yes | $2,100 |
| Illinois | retailers' occupation (sales) tax; private party vehicle use tax | 6.25% + 0.00% to 2.50% | yes | $2,625 |
| Indiana | sales tax | 7.00% | yes | $2,468 |
| Iowa | fee for new registration | 5.00% | yes | $1,769 |
| Kansas | sales and compensating use tax | 6.50% + 0.00% to 4.00% | yes | $2,791 |
| Kentucky | motor vehicle usage tax | 6.00% | yes | $2,100 |
| Louisiana | state and local sales and use tax | 5.00% + 2.00% to 6.00% | yes | $3,675 |
| Maine | sales and use tax | 5.50% | yes | $1,925 |
| Maryland | motor vehicle excise (titling) tax | 6.50% | yes | $2,327 |
| Massachusetts | sales and use tax | 6.25% | yes | $2,188 |
| Michigan | sales and use tax | 6.00% | yes | $2,117 |
| Minnesota | motor vehicle sales tax | 6.88% | yes | $2,430 |
| Mississippi | motor vehicle sales tax | 5.00% | yes | $1,750 |
| Missouri | state and local sales tax | 4.23% + 0.00% to 6.50% | yes | $2,708 |
| Montana | no sales tax (county option tax on value) | 0.00% | no | $0 |
| Nebraska | state and local sales tax | 5.50% + 0.00% to 2.00% | yes | $2,450 |
| Nevada | sales tax | 6.85% + 0.00% to 1.53% | yes | $2,931 |
| New Hampshire | no sales tax (municipal permit fee on list price) | 0.00% | no | $0 |
| New Jersey | sales and use tax | 6.63% | yes | $2,319 |
| New Mexico | motor vehicle excise tax | 4.00% | yes | $1,400 |
| New York | state and local sales tax | 4.00% + 3.00% to 4.88% | yes | $3,106 |
| North Carolina | highway use tax | 3.00% | yes | $1,050 |
| North Dakota | motor vehicle excise tax | 5.00% | yes | $1,750 |
| Ohio | sales and use tax | 5.75% + 0.75% to 2.25% | yes | $2,800 |
| Oklahoma | motor vehicle excise tax + 1.25% sales tax | 3.25% | no | $1,576 |
| Oregon | vehicle privilege tax (new cars only; no sales tax) | 0.50% | no | $175 |
| Pennsylvania | sales and use tax | 6.00% + 0.00% to 2.00% | yes | $2,800 |
| Rhode Island | sales tax | 7.00% | yes | $2,450 |
| South Carolina | infrastructure maintenance fee (5%, $500 maximum) | 5.00% | yes | $500 |
| South Dakota | motor vehicle excise tax | 4.00% | yes | $1,400 |
| Tennessee | sales tax plus single article tax | 7.00% + 2.00% to 2.75% | yes | $2,530 |
| Texas | motor vehicle sales and use tax | 6.25% | yes | $2,188 |
| Utah | sales and use tax | 4.85% + 1.50% to 3.10% | yes | $2,608 |
| Vermont | purchase and use tax | 6.00% | yes | $2,100 |
| Virginia | motor vehicle sales and use tax | 4.15% | no | $1,453 |
| Washington | retail sales and use tax plus motor vehicle sales/use tax | 7.00% + 1.10% to 4.20% | yes | $3,868 |
| West Virginia | motor vehicle sales tax (titling tax) | 6.00% | yes | $2,100 |
| Wisconsin | state and county sales and use tax | 5.00% + 0.00% to 2.90% | yes | $2,065 |
| Wyoming | sales and use tax | 4.00% + 0.00% to 3.00% | yes | $1,750 |