Short answer
Arizona taxes vehicle sales at 5.6%. Arizona taxes the price after the trade-in is deducted. Arizona credits sales tax legally paid to another state, so the same dollars are not taxed twice. This covers a retail purchase from a dealer; leases and private-party sales follow different rules in most states.
Arizona car sales tax quick facts
Last verified August 23, 2026| Sales tax rate on vehicles | 5.6%[1] |
| Trade-in credit | Arizona taxes the price after the trade-in is deducted.[2] |
| Selling to an out-of-state buyer | Not yet verified against an official source. Confirm with the Arizona Department of Revenue. Official site → |
| Credit for tax paid to another state | Arizona credits sales tax legally paid to another state, so the same dollars are not taxed twice.[2] |
| Dealer doc fee | Cap: Not yet verified against an official source. Confirm with the Arizona Department of Revenue. Official site → · not taxable[3] |
| Temp tag for the drive home | A nonresident who takes possession of the vehicle in Arizona has to get a special 90-day nonresident registration permit from the selling dealer. The permit is a condition of the nonresident exemption or reduced rate, alongside Arizona Form 5011 and a copy of the buyer's out-of-state driver's license. (valid 90 days)[4] |
| Out-of-state buyer registration | Not yet verified against an official source. Confirm with the Arizona Department of Revenue. Official site → |
From the desk
Arizona calls it transaction privilege tax, and the label matters: the tax legally sits on the dealer, not the buyer. The nonresident exemptions are generous but state-specific, so the desk checks the list before quoting a border-town deal.
Selling to an out-of-state buyer in Arizona
Not yet verified against an official source. Confirm with the Arizona Department of Revenue. Official site →
The tax question gets settled at the desk; the follow-through does not. Titles, temp tags, and out-of-state registrations sit in flight for weeks, and Voltra's title tracking shows which deals are aging before they turn into problems.
Buying in Arizona from out of state
If you live in another state and buy in Arizona, the deciding rule is where the vehicle gets registered: your home state's tax applies at registration, and what happens at the Arizona sale depends on the row above. Arizona credits sales tax legally paid to another state, so the same dollars are not taxed twice.[2]
Registration and temp tags
A nonresident who takes possession of the vehicle in Arizona has to get a special 90-day nonresident registration permit from the selling dealer. The permit is a condition of the nonresident exemption or reduced rate, alongside Arizona Form 5011 and a copy of the buyer's out-of-state driver's license. Validity: 90 days.[4]
Bordering states
Cross-border deals from Arizona most often involve California, New Mexico, Nevada and Utah. Every pair works differently; run the exact combination in the out-of-state checker.
Vehicle-type exceptions
Effective October 1, 2022, Arizona added a TPT exemption for sales to a nonresident of commercial motor vehicles, trailers or semitrailers rated over 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight. Statutory conditions apply on top of the weight threshold, so confirm with ADOR before quoting a heavy-truck deal.[4]
Sources
- azdor.gov/sites/default/files/2023-03/FORMS-TPT-10649-NonresidentTaxRates.pdf · verified 2026-08-23
- azdor.gov/sites/default/files/2023-03/BROCHURE_VUTCalculator_fs.pdf · verified 2026-08-23
- azdor.gov/sites/default/files/2023-03/RULINGS_TPT_1997_tpr97-2.pdf · verified 2026-08-23
- azdor.gov/business/transaction-privilege-tax/motor-vehicle-sales · verified 2026-08-23