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Owning a car · 50 states and DC

Vehicle property tax by state

In some states the car is taxed like property every year, on top of the purchase tax.

Built by Radif Partners · How the fees are calculated · Editorial policy

Local tax and county fees follow your home address.

Vehicle
Bought from

The agreed price of the car, before trade-in.

California taxes the full price anyway.

On the door-jamb sticker or the window sticker; weight sets the fee in many states.

capped at $85 in California

Used only where the state taxes or registers on MSRP.

Local tax rate override
Use my own local rate

California local range: 0.00% to 3.75%.

Value-based tax with registration · California

$228

Due at purchase $4,249 · out the door $39,249

Then about $478 a year to renew.

Fee breakdown
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.

Value-based tax with registration$228

26 of the 51 jurisdictions charge a yearly tax or fee based on the value of a passenger car, either collected with the registration (California's vehicle license fee, for example) or billed separately by a county or town at its own rate. The value is usually the purchase price or the manufacturer's price, reduced each year on a fixed schedule. California applies 0.65% to the price class of the car, then 100%, 90%, 80%, 70% and so on down to 15% over eleven years: for a $35,000 car, $228 the first year and $114 at the sixth. Where a town sets the rate, the exact amount depends on a local mill rate the state does not publish centrally; the calculator then shows the official range and says so instead of averaging.

Collected with registration or billed by the town

When the tax is collected with registration, the amount is on the renewal notice and the calculator includes it as a "value" line. When a county or town bills it separately, the bill arrives on another schedule, often once a year, at a rate that changes with local budgets. The calculator adds the first kind exactly and lists the second with its range.

Depreciation schedules

Every value-based tax falls as the car ages, but the speed differs: some schedules reach a floor after ten years, others keep a minimum tax forever. The renewal page lets you set the years of ownership to see the effect on the yearly bill, and the ownership cost calculator adds it over the years you keep the car.

Purchase tax versus yearly tax

Some states trade one for the other. Georgia replaced both its sales tax and its yearly car tax with a one-time title tax in 2013. Others charge both a purchase tax and a yearly value tax. The sales tax calculator covers the purchase side.

Exemptions

Some owners are exempt from value-based taxes; California lists exemptions for 100% disabled veterans and nonresident military personnel, among others. The calculator does not apply exemptions, which depend on documents only the agency can check.

The 51 jurisdictions side by side

Reference vehicle: a new $35,000 gasoline car of 3,500 lb bought from a dealer, no trade-in, default county. Calculated with each state's engine and data file; state names open the detailed page.
StateYearly tax on valueWith registration, year 1
Alabamayes$0
Alaskayes$0
Arizonayes$588
Arkansasyes$0
Californiayes$228
Coloradoyes$625
Connecticutyes$0
Delawareno$0
District of Columbiano$0
Floridano$0
Georgiano$0
Hawaiino$0
Idahono$0
Illinoisno$0
Indianayes$469
Iowano$0
Kansasyes$0
Kentuckyyes$0
Louisianano$0
Maineyes$840
Marylandno$0
Massachusettsyes$788
Michiganno$0
Minnesotayes$0
Mississippiyes$0
Missouriyes$0
Montanayes$158
Nebraskayes$600
Nevadayes$613
New Hampshireyes$630
New Jerseyno$0
New Mexicono$0
New Yorkno$0
North Carolinayes$0
North Dakotano$0
Ohiono$0
Oklahomano$0
Oregonno$0
Pennsylvaniano$0
Rhode Islandno$0
South Carolinayes$0
South Dakotano$0
Tennesseeno$0
Texasno$0
Utahyes$150
Vermontno$0
Virginiayes$0
Washingtonyes$385
West Virginiayes$0
Wisconsinno$0
Wyomingyes$630

Questions buyers ask

Is the yearly car tax deductible on my federal return?

The IRS allows the part of a vehicle tax that is based on value and charged yearly to be deducted as a personal property tax if you itemize, within the cap on state and local taxes. California’s vehicle license fee qualifies as a value-based tax; flat registration fees do not.

Why does my car tax restart when I buy a used car?

In some states the depreciation schedule is tied to the current owner’s purchase, not to the model year. California, for instance, sets the vehicle license fee on the price paid by the new owner and starts the 11-year schedule again at the sale, so a used car can pay more than it did for its previous owner.

Which states tax a car’s value every year?

26 of the 51 jurisdictions covered here tax the value of a car every year, either as a fee collected with the registration or as a personal property bill sent by the county or town. The table on this page names them and shows the amount collected with registration for the reference car; each state page explains the local bill.

How is a car valued for the yearly tax?

Three methods are common: the price you paid, the manufacturer’s suggested retail price when new, or a value from a state or industry pricing guide. Each method is combined with a depreciation schedule; the state pages say which one applies and from which source.

Keep calculating

License plate renewal cost

What renewing your registration costs each year, and how it changes as the car ages.

Car sales tax calculator

State and county tax on a car purchase, with each state’s rule on trade-ins, doc fees and caps.

Car ownership cost

Taxes, fees, renewals and loan interest over the years you keep the car, in your state.

California car fees

Every fee line for California, with its source

Georgia car fees

Every fee line for Georgia, with its source

Car registration fees by state

The registration formula of every state, the first bill and the yearly renewal for the same car.

Official sources behind this page

Published by

Publisher of state-by-state vehicle tax, title, registration and inspection calculators

Fee schedules checked on · Editorial policy · Contact

Estimate only: amounts come from each state’s published fee schedules and tax rates as read on the date shown. Special plates, late penalties, local add-ons a county adopts mid-year and the exact value an agency assigns to a used car can change the bill. Your DMV or county tax office has the final word.

Fee schedules and tax rates for 2026, read on the state agencies’ own pages on