Car Sales Tax Calculator for all 50 states

How do you calculate sales tax on a car?

Multiply the taxable price by your state's rate, then add any city or county rate on top. The taxable price starts with the sale price, but each state decides whether your trade-in, rebates and the dealer's doc fee raise or lower it.

Virginia shows why the details matter. It charges a 4.15% motor vehicle sales and use tax on the gross sales price, with a $75 minimum, and your trade-in doesn't reduce that price. On a $30,000 car, that's $1,245 whether or not you trade in your old car. Our calculator applies each state's own rules, so you don't have to work them out by hand.

What's included in the out-the-door price?

The out-the-door price is the vehicle price plus the dealer's doc fee, sales tax (or the tax your state charges instead), the title fee and registration and plate fees, minus any trade-in and rebates. It's the number you actually sign for, not the sticker price.

Tax is usually the biggest add-on. California's statewide base sales and use tax rate is 7.25%, and local district taxes of 0.10% to 2.00% can sit on top. On a $35,000 car, the base rate alone adds $2,537.50 before any district tax, title or registration.

What are tax, title and license (TTL) fees?

TTL is dealer shorthand for the government charges on a car purchase: the tax, the title fee and license (registration and plate) fees. Dealers usually quote it separately from the vehicle price, so ask for the TTL figure before you agree to a monthly payment.

The "tax" part isn't always a sales tax. Georgia charges a one-time Title Ad Valorem Tax (TAVT) of 7.0% of the vehicle's fair market value, which replaced both sales tax and the annual ad valorem tax on vehicles.

How much are car registration fees?

It depends on the state: some charge a flat fee, while others base it on the car's value, weight, age or fuel economy. That's why two cars with the same price can get very different registration bills.

Nevada is an example of a value-based charge. On top of registration, it collects a Governmental Services Tax of 4% of the depreciated valuation, with a $16 minimum, so a newer, pricier car pays more. Each state page on this site lists that state's title, registration and plate fees line by line.

Which states have no sales tax on cars?

Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon have no general state sales tax. Most of them still charge something when you buy or register a car, so "no sales tax" rarely means "no tax."

• Delaware charges a document fee when you title a vehicle, which rose from 4.25% to 5.25% on October 1, 2025.
• Oregon charges a vehicle use tax of one-half of 1 percent on vehicles with 7,500 miles or less bought from out-of-state dealers; Oregon dealers pay a vehicle privilege tax instead.
• Montana doesn't have a general-use sales tax; what you pay comes through registration.
• Alaska has no statewide sales tax, but some cities and boroughs charge their own.
• New Hampshire has no sales tax; your town charges a registration permit fee based on the car's list price and age.

How does car sales tax differ by state?

States differ in the rate, in what the rate applies to, and in whether it's called a sales tax at all. Some charge a one-time title tax or a document fee instead, and some add city or county rates on top.

Here's how ten states handle the same purchase:

For the other 41 jurisdictions, pick your state from the list of every state.

Does a trade-in lower the sales tax on a car?

In many states it does, because tax is charged only on the price minus your trade-in. Some states give no trade-in credit at all, so check your state before you count on it.

Virginia and Oregon are two that don't. Virginia's own example: trade in a car against a $40,000 purchase and pay $35,000, and the gross sales price is still $40,000 for tax. Oregon's taxable retail price "is not reduced by any down payments and/or the value of any property taken in trade". The calculator applies the right trade-in rule once you pick your state.

Do you pay sales tax when you buy a car from a private seller?

It depends on the state: many collect tax when you title the car, a few exempt private sales entirely, and some tax a set value instead of the price you paid. You pay it to the state when you title the car, not to the seller.

In Nevada, private party sales, family sales and gifts aren't subject to sales tax. Texas goes the other way: on a private used-car sale, tax is figured on the greater of the price or 80% of the Standard Presumptive Value, so a low price on the bill of sale doesn't automatically mean low tax.

Can you legally avoid paying sales tax on a car?

You can't skip a tax your state charges, but you can make sure you don't pay more than you owe. The legal routes are using a trade-in credit where your state allows one, claiming a gift or family-transfer exemption that genuinely applies, and checking whether your purchase is taxable at all.

For example, a gift in Nevada isn't subject to sales tax, and Oregon's use tax applies only to vehicles bought from a dealer. Most exemptions need paperwork, so each state page lists its exemptions and the form or condition that goes with them. We won't cover schemes like registering a car in a state where you don't live.

How do I estimate my out-the-door cost?

Pick your state, enter the price, your trade-in and the doc fee, and the calculator shows the tax, title and registration in one place. It's free, there's no sign-up, and every state page shows the pages we checked and the date we checked them.

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