Short answer
Louisiana taxes vehicle sales at 5% state plus local add-ons (depends on location). Louisiana taxes the price after the trade-in is deducted. All of this describes a retail purchase from a dealer; leases and private-party sales run on different rules in most states.
Louisiana car sales tax quick facts
Last verified August 27, 2026| Sales tax rate on vehicles | 5% state plus local add-ons (depends on location)[1] |
| Trade-in credit | Louisiana 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 Louisiana Department of Revenue. Official site → |
| Credit for tax paid to another state | Not yet verified against an official source. Confirm with the Louisiana Department of Revenue. Official site → |
| Dealer doc fee | Capped at $425[3] · Taxability: Not yet verified against an official source. Confirm with the Louisiana Department of Revenue. Official site → |
| Temp tag for the drive home | Louisiana's drive-out instrument is a temporary registration plate issued by the Office of Motor Vehicles under R.S. 47:511.3 (Temporary registration permits; motor vehicles being driven out of state), available when the owner purchased the vehicle intending to permanently take it out of Louisiana. The fee is $5.50, the plate expires 30 days from issuance, and only one may be issued per vehicle. (valid 30 days)[4] |
| Out-of-state buyer registration | Louisiana OMV accepts a driver's license or ID card issued by another state as the vehicle owner's identification on a title and registration application, so an out-of-state-licensed owner can title and register a vehicle here. Sales and use tax is assessed at OMV based on the domicile of the vehicle, on the selling price less any qualifying trade-in and rebate.[5] |
From the desk
Louisiana stacks parish rates on the state number and the combined figure moves more than almost anywhere. Quoting a deal without the parish rate is quoting wrong, and out-of-parish buyers make it a daily exercise.
Selling to an out-of-state buyer in Louisiana
Not yet verified against an official source. Confirm with the Louisiana Department of Revenue. Official site →
The tax answer is only half the job. The desk still has to move the title, issue the temp tag, and keep the deal from stalling while paperwork crosses state lines, and that chain is what Voltra's title tracking holds in one view.
Buying in Louisiana from out of state
If you live in another state and buy in Louisiana, the deciding rule is where the vehicle gets registered: your home state's tax applies at registration, and what happens at the Louisiana sale depends on the row above.
Registration and temp tags
Louisiana OMV accepts a driver's license or ID card issued by another state as the vehicle owner's identification on a title and registration application, so an out-of-state-licensed owner can title and register a vehicle here. Sales and use tax is assessed at OMV based on the domicile of the vehicle, on the selling price less any qualifying trade-in and rebate.[5] Louisiana's drive-out instrument is a temporary registration plate issued by the Office of Motor Vehicles under R.S. 47:511.3 (Temporary registration permits; motor vehicles being driven out of state), available when the owner purchased the vehicle intending to permanently take it out of Louisiana. The fee is $5.50, the plate expires 30 days from issuance, and only one may be issued per vehicle. Validity: 30 days.[4]
Bordering states
Cross-border deals from Louisiana most often involve Arkansas, Mississippi and Texas. No two pairings behave the same; run the exact combination through the out-of-state checker.
Vehicle-type exceptions
Louisiana's motor vehicle sales tax applies to anything subject to the state's Vehicle Registration License Tax Law, so automobiles, trucks, motorcycles, motor homes, mobile homes, boat and utility trailers, campers and off-road vehicles are all covered by the same tax.[6]
Sources
- revenue.louisiana.gov/businesses/general-sales-and-use-taxes/general-sales-use-tax/ · verified 2026-08-27
- revenue.louisiana.gov/tax-education-and-faqs/faqs/sales-tax-reform/what-is-included-in-sales-price/ · verified 2026-08-27
- www.legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=106286 · verified 2026-08-27
- www.legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=102312 · verified 2026-08-27
- expresslane.la.gov/omv/vehicles/title-and-registration/new-title-registration/ · verified 2026-08-27
- dam.ldr.la.gov/publications/20164(6_20).pdf · verified 2026-08-27