How out-of-state car sales tax actually works
Every cross-state deal runs on the same four rules. The state pages carry the sourced specifics; this is the map.
RULE 1
Tax follows registration, not the sale
Sales tax on a vehicle is ultimately owed where the vehicle gets registered. Buying in a low-tax state does not change what the buyer's home state collects at the title window.
RULE 2
The selling state decides what happens at the counter
Some states exempt out-of-state buyers with an affidavit. Some collect their own tax no matter what. Florida collects at the buyer's home-state rate. The selling dealer's paperwork depends entirely on which type of state they're standing in.
RULE 3
Registration states usually credit tax already paid
If tax was legally collected at the sale, most states subtract it from what they charge at registration, so the same dollars aren't taxed twice. The word is usually: a few states refuse or limit the credit, and that's where double-tax risk lives.
RULE 4
No-tax states are a trap in both directions
Buying in a no-sales-tax state feels free until the buyer registers at home and pays their own state's use tax in full. And selling to a buyer from a no-tax state means no credit machinery exists on their side at all.
Car sales tax calculator: any state
Pick the state where the car will be registered, enter the price and trade-in, and get the tax and out-the-door estimate before title and registration fees. Each state's rate, trade-in rule and doc fee treatment come from the verified facts on its page.
Car sales tax by state
Rates, trade-in treatment, and out-of-state rules for 48 states plus Washington, DC. Verified facts carry per-fact citations to official sources; anything still being checked says so plainly and fills in as it clears.
Table updated September 17, 2026. Every state name links to the page that cites the official source for each cell.
| State | State rate | Local add-ons | Trade-in credit | Out-of-state buyer at the sale | Credits tax paid elsewhere |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 2% | Yes, varies | Full (limits apply) | Exempt, conditions apply | Yes |
| Arizona | 5.6%* | Yes, varies | Full | Collects buyer's state rate | Yes |
| Arkansas | 6.5% new; used vehicles $4,000-$9,999 pay 3.5% and under $4,000 pay no state tax | Yes, varies | Full (limits apply) | Exempt, conditions apply | No |
| California | 7.25% | Yes, varies | None | Exempt, conditions apply | Yes |
| Colorado | 2.9% | Yes, varies | Full (limits apply) | Exempt, conditions apply | Yes |
| Connecticut | 6.35% (7.75% on most motor vehicles with a sales price over $50,000) | None | Full (limits apply) | Exempt, conditions apply | Yes |
| Delaware | 5.25% document fee* | None | Full (limits apply) | No sales tax | Yes |
| Florida | 6% | Up to +2.5% | Full | Collects buyer's state rate | Yes, exceptions: AK, DC, GA, MT, NH, TN, WV |
| Georgia | 7% TAVT (Title Ad Valorem Tax)* | None | Full (limits apply) | Exempt, conditions apply | No |
| Idaho | 6% | Yes, varies | Full (limits apply) | Exempt, conditions apply | Yes |
| Illinois | 6.25% | Yes, varies | Full (limits apply) | Exempt, conditions apply | Yes |
| Indiana | 7% | None | Full (limits apply) | Collects buyer's state rate | Yes |
| Iowa | 5% fee for new registration* | None | Full (limits apply) | Exempt, conditions apply | Yes |
| Kansas | 6.5% | Yes, varies | Full (limits apply) | Exempt, conditions apply | Yes |
| Kentucky | 6%* | None | Full (limits apply) | Exempt, conditions apply | Yes, exceptions: GA |
| Louisiana | 5% | Yes, varies | Full | pending | Partial |
| Maine | 5.5% | None | Full (limits apply) | Exempt, conditions apply | Yes |
| Maryland | 6.5% vehicle titling excise tax* | None | Full (limits apply) | Exempt, conditions apply | Partial |
| Massachusetts | 6.25% | None | Full (limits apply) | Collects its own tax | Yes, exceptions: MS, MT, NH, OK, OR, WV |
| Michigan | 6% | None | Capped at $12,000 | Collects buyer's state rate | Yes |
| Minnesota | 6.875% | Yes, varies | Full (limits apply) | Exempt, conditions apply | Yes |
| Mississippi | 5% | Up to +0.25% | Full | Exempt, conditions apply | No |
| Missouri | 4.225% | Yes, varies | Full | Exempt, conditions apply | Yes |
| Montana | 0% | None | N/A | No sales tax | N/A |
| Nebraska | 5.5% | Yes, varies | Full (limits apply) | Exempt, conditions apply | Yes |
| Nevada | 6.85% | Yes, varies | Full (limits apply) | Exempt, conditions apply | Yes |
| New Hampshire | 0%* | None | N/A | No sales tax | N/A |
| New Jersey | 6.625% | None | Full | Exempt with Form ST-10 | Yes |
| New Mexico | 4%* | None | Full | Exempt, conditions apply | Yes |
| New York | 4% | Yes, varies | Full | Exempt with Form DTF-820 | Partial |
| North Carolina | 3%* | None | Full (limits apply) | Exempt, conditions apply | Yes |
| North Dakota | 5%* | None | Full (limits apply) | Exempt, conditions apply | Yes, exceptions: AK, DE, GA, MT, NH, OR |
| Ohio | 5.75% | Yes, varies | Full (limits apply) | Exempt, conditions apply | Yes |
| Oklahoma | 3.25% excise + 1.25% sales tax (4.5% total; used vehicles: $20 on the first $1,500, then 3.25%)* | None | Full (limits apply) | Exempt, conditions apply | No |
| Oregon | 0.5% on new or used vehicles with 7,500 miles or less (no tax above that; dealer privilege or buyer use tax)* | None | None | Exempt | Yes |
| Pennsylvania | 6% | Up to +2% | Full | Exempt, conditions apply | Yes, exceptions: AK, AL, DC, DE, IA, MD, MS, MT, NC, ND, NH, NM, OR, SD, VA, WV, WY |
| Rhode Island | 7% | None | Full (limits apply) | Collects buyer's state rate | Yes |
| South Carolina | 5% IMF (max $500)* | None | Full | Collects buyer's state rate | Yes |
| South Dakota | 4%* | None | Full (limits apply) | Exempt, conditions apply | Yes |
| Tennessee | 7% | Up to +2.75% | Full (limits apply) | Exempt, conditions apply | Yes |
| Texas | 6.25% | None | Full | Exempt, conditions apply | Yes |
| Utah | 4.85% | Yes, varies | Full (limits apply) | Exempt, conditions apply | Yes |
| Vermont | 6% (on the greater of the price or the vehicle's book value)* | None | Full | Exempt | Yes |
| Virginia | 4.15% SUT (minimum $75)* | None | None | Exempt, conditions apply | Yes |
| Washington | 7.0% (6.5% state retail sales tax + 0.5% motor vehicle sales/lease tax) | Yes, varies | Full (limits apply) | Exempt, conditions apply | Yes |
| Washington, DC | 1% to 11% title excise (set by vehicle weight class and city MPG)* | None | None | Exempt, conditions apply | No |
| West Virginia | 6%* | None | Full (limits apply) | Exempt, conditions apply | No |
| Wisconsin | 5% | Up to +2.9% | Full | Exempt, conditions apply | Yes |
| Wyoming | 4% | Yes, varies | Full (limits apply) | Exempt, conditions apply | Yes |
| * Levied as a title or excise regime rather than an ordinary sales tax; the state page explains. | |||||