Short answer
Maryland taxes vehicle sales at 6.5% vehicle titling excise tax, no local add-ons. Maryland taxes the price after the trade-in is deducted. The trade-in must be a non-leased vehicle. Down payments, manufacturer rebates, and other nonmonetary consideration do not reduce the taxable price. Maryland gives only partial credit for tax paid to another state: The credit is rate-differential only: Maryland charges the difference between the other state's rate and its own 6.5% and never refunds an overage. It is available only to an owner who has been a Maryland resident for 60 days or less. Title after that 60-day window and Maryland allows no credit at all. Everything here assumes a retail purchase from a dealer, since most states treat leases and private-party sales differently.
Maryland car sales tax quick facts
Last verified August 23, 2026| Sales tax rate on vehicles | 6.5% vehicle titling excise tax, no local add-ons[1] |
| Trade-in credit | Maryland taxes the price after the trade-in is deducted. The trade-in must be a non-leased vehicle. Down payments, manufacturer rebates, and other nonmonetary consideration do not reduce the taxable price.[1] |
| Selling to an out-of-state buyer | Not yet verified against an official source. Confirm with the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration. Official site → |
| Credit for tax paid to another state | Maryland gives only partial credit for tax paid to another state: The credit is rate-differential only: Maryland charges the difference between the other state's rate and its own 6.5% and never refunds an overage. It is available only to an owner who has been a Maryland resident for 60 days or less. Title after that 60-day window and Maryland allows no credit at all.[2] |
| Dealer doc fee | Capped at $800[1] · taxable[1] |
| Temp tag for the drive home | Maryland issues an in-transit registration to a non-resident owner who bought a vehicle here, good for 14 days and usable only to drive the vehicle to another jurisdiction to be titled and registered there. (valid 14 days)[3] |
| Out-of-state buyer registration | You do not need a Maryland driver's license to title and register here. MVA asks for a valid Maryland driver's license or proof of a valid Maryland residential address. A new resident must title and register within 60 days of moving. Someone visiting who keeps an out-of-state vehicle in Maryland for 60 days or longer may need a non-resident permit.[4] |
From the desk
Maryland charges a titling excise instead of sales tax, with its own rules on trade-ins and minimums. Desks in the DC-Virginia corridor juggle three different systems, and Maryland's is the one keyed entirely to the title event.
Selling to an out-of-state buyer in Maryland
Not yet verified against an official source. Confirm with the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration. Official site →
Whatever the tax treatment, the desk owns what happens next: title in transit, tag on the car, registration filed in another state. Voltra's title tracking exists so none of it goes quiet.
Buying in Maryland from out of state
If you live in another state and buy in Maryland, the deciding rule is where the vehicle gets registered: your home state's tax applies at registration, and what happens at the Maryland sale depends on the row above. Maryland gives only partial credit for tax paid to another state: The credit is rate-differential only: Maryland charges the difference between the other state's rate and its own 6.5% and never refunds an overage. It is available only to an owner who has been a Maryland resident for 60 days or less. Title after that 60-day window and Maryland allows no credit at all.[2]
Registration and temp tags
You do not need a Maryland driver's license to title and register here. MVA asks for a valid Maryland driver's license or proof of a valid Maryland residential address. A new resident must title and register within 60 days of moving. Someone visiting who keeps an out-of-state vehicle in Maryland for 60 days or longer may need a non-resident permit.[4] Maryland issues an in-transit registration to a non-resident owner who bought a vehicle here, good for 14 days and usable only to drive the vehicle to another jurisdiction to be titled and registered there. Validity: 14 days.[3]
Bordering states
Cross-border deals from Maryland most often involve Washington, DC, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. The rules change with every pairing, so run yours through the out-of-state checker.
Vehicle-type exceptions
A rental vehicle is taxed at 3.5% of fair market value instead of the 6.5% that applies to everything else.[2]
How Maryland actually levies this
Maryland does not charge sales tax on a vehicle purchase. It charges a titling excise tax instead, imposed when a Maryland certificate of title is issued and collected by the MVA at 6.5% of the vehicle's fair market value.[2]
Sources
- mva.maryland.gov/your-mva-guide/businesses/bulletins-businesses/taxable-price · verified 2026-08-23
- mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gtr§ion=13-809&enactments=false · verified 2026-08-23
- mva.maryland.gov/your-mva-guide/businesses/bulletins-businesses/transit-registration · verified 2026-08-23
- mva.maryland.gov/your-mva-guide/new-maryland-residents/title-register-your-vehicle · verified 2026-08-23