Short answer
Florida taxes vehicle sales at 6% state plus up to 2.5% local (the county surtax applies only to the first $5,000 of the price) (depends on the buyer's address). Florida taxes the price after the trade-in is deducted. Florida collects tax at the buyer's home-state rate, capped at Florida's own rate. Florida 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.
Florida car sales tax quick facts
Last verified July 5, 2026| Sales tax rate on vehicles | 6% state plus up to 2.5% local (the county surtax applies only to the first $5,000 of the price) (depends on the buyer's address)[1] |
| Trade-in credit | Florida taxes the price after the trade-in is deducted.[2] |
| Selling to an out-of-state buyer | Florida collects tax at the buyer's home-state rate, capped at Florida's own rate.[3] |
| Credit for tax paid to another state | Florida credits sales tax legally paid to another state, so the same dollars are not taxed twice. No credit for tax paid to Alaska, Montana, or New Hampshire (no state sales tax to credit) or against Washington DC's excise. Georgia's TAVT gets no credit either (Georgia credit applies only to non-motorized vehicles). Tennessee credit is limited to the state sales tax portion; West Virginia credit applies only when the vehicle was bought through a dealer. Exception: no full credit for tax paid to Alaska, DC, Georgia, Montana, New Hampshire, Tennessee, West Virginia.[3] |
| Dealer doc fee | No statutory cap[4] · taxable[2] |
| Temp tag for the drive home | Florida dealers issue 30-day temporary tags. FLHSMV procedure RS-31 lists a vehicle sold in Florida to a resident of another state for registration in their home state as a 30-day temp tag use; one additional 30-day tag may follow, and the DR-123 nonresident tax must be handled at issuance.[5] |
| Out-of-state buyer registration | An out-of-state-registered vehicle must be registered in Florida within 10 days of the owner becoming employed, placing children in public school, or establishing residency. First-time registrants without a Florida plate in their name pay the $225 initial registration fee and must show proof of Florida insurance.[6] |
Florida car sales tax calculator
Enter the sale price and any trade-in to estimate Florida vehicle tax and the out-the-door total before title and registration. It applies the verified rate, trade-in rule and doc fee treatment from the quick facts above.
From the desk
Florida makes the desk do two math problems on every deal: the state rate, then the county surtax with its own cap rules. Out-of-state buyers add a third, because Florida prices their tax off another state's number, and the biller has to know which one.
Selling to an out-of-state buyer in Florida
Florida collects tax at the buyer's home-state rate, capped at Florida's own rate.[3]
The form doing the work here is Form DR-123 (Affidavit for Partial Exemption of Motor Vehicle Sold to a Resident of Another State), completed at delivery. A missing form becomes the dealer's tax bill, not the buyer's.
Then comes the part nobody staples to the deal jacket: moving the title, issuing the temp tag, and getting the registration done in the buyer's state.
Buying in Florida from out of state
If you live in another state and buy in Florida, the deciding rule is where the vehicle gets registered: your home state's tax applies at registration, and what happens at the Florida sale depends on the rule above. Florida credits sales tax legally paid to another state, so the same dollars are not taxed twice. No credit for tax paid to Alaska, Montana, or New Hampshire (no state sales tax to credit) or against Washington DC's excise. Georgia's TAVT gets no credit either (Georgia credit applies only to non-motorized vehicles). Tennessee credit is limited to the state sales tax portion; West Virginia credit applies only when the vehicle was bought through a dealer. Exception: no full credit for tax paid to Alaska, DC, Georgia, Montana, New Hampshire, Tennessee, West Virginia.[3]
Registration and temp tags
Florida dealers issue 30-day temporary tags. FLHSMV procedure RS-31 lists a vehicle sold in Florida to a resident of another state for registration in their home state as a 30-day temp tag use; one additional 30-day tag may follow, and the DR-123 nonresident tax must be handled at issuance.[5] An out-of-state-registered vehicle must be registered in Florida within 10 days of the owner becoming employed, placing children in public school, or establishing residency. First-time registrants without a Florida plate in their name pay the $225 initial registration fee and must show proof of Florida insurance.[6]
Bordering states
Cross-border deals from Florida most often involve Alabama and Georgia. The rules change with every pairing, so run yours through the out-of-state checker.
Vehicle-type exceptions
RVs (travel trailers, campers, motor homes, fifth-wheels) and trailers count as motor vehicles under Florida's sales tax rules, so the same 6% rate, county surtax on the first $5,000, trade-in deduction, and nonresident partial-exemption rules apply to them.[2]
Sources
- floridarevenue.com/taxes/taxesfees/Pages/sales_tax.aspx · verified 2026-07-05
- floridarevenue.com/Forms_library/current/brochure/gt800030.pdf · verified 2026-07-05
- floridarevenue.com/taxes/tips/Documents/TIP_26A01-01.pdf · verified 2026-07-05
- www.leg.state.fl.us/…/index.cfm · verified 2026-07-05
- www.flhsmv.gov/pdf/proc/rs/rs-31.pdf · verified 2026-07-05
- www.flhsmv.gov/…/motor-vehicle-registrations · verified 2026-07-05
“Florida Car Sales Tax & Out-of-State Rules.” Voltra. Last verified July 5, 2026. https://voltra.ai/car-sales-tax/florida/
More state-by-state guides: trade-in tax credit by state · recent rule changes · all states + the out-of-state checker