Short answer
New Jersey taxes vehicle sales at 6.625%, no local add-ons. New Jersey taxes the price after the trade-in is deducted. New Jersey does not collect its sales tax when the buyer will register the vehicle in another state, with Form ST-10 completed at the sale. New Jersey credits sales tax legally paid to another state, so the same dollars are not taxed twice. That summary is for a retail purchase from a dealer, and most states apply different rules to leases and private-party sales.
New Jersey car sales tax quick facts
Last verified July 5, 2026| Sales tax rate on vehicles | 6.625%, no local add-ons[1] |
| Trade-in credit | New Jersey taxes the price after the trade-in is deducted.[2] |
| Selling to an out-of-state buyer | New Jersey does not collect its sales tax when the buyer will register the vehicle in another state, with Form ST-10 completed at the sale.[2] |
| Credit for tax paid to another state | New Jersey credits sales tax legally paid to another state, so the same dollars are not taxed twice.[2] |
| Dealer doc fee | No statutory cap[3] · taxable[2] |
| Temp tag for the drive home | New Jersey issues 30-day non-resident temporary registrations for the drive home (dealer-issued e-temp tags or MVC-issued); non-renewable except a 30-day extension for title delays. The buyer then titles in their own state.[4] |
| Out-of-state buyer registration | Out-of-state buyers do not register in New Jersey; they title and register in their home state. For the drive home, MVC issues a 30-day, non-renewable temporary non-resident registration, and the NJ desk handles the ST-10 exemption paperwork.[4] |
New Jersey car sales tax calculator
Enter the sale price and any trade-in to estimate New Jersey 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
New Jersey is one-rate simple until the buyer lives somewhere else. The whole out-of-state game runs through the exemption paperwork at delivery: get it signed right and the sale leaves clean; miss it and you own the tax problem. Every biller in the state knows the form number by heart.
Selling to an out-of-state buyer in New Jersey
New Jersey does not collect its sales tax when the buyer will register the vehicle in another state, with Form ST-10 completed at the sale.[2]
The exemption lives or dies on Form ST-10, signed at delivery. Lose that paper and the uncollected tax lands on the store, not the customer.
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.
Buying in New Jersey from out of state
If you live in another state and buy in New Jersey, the deciding rule is where the vehicle gets registered: your home state's tax applies at registration, and what happens at the New Jersey sale depends on the rule above. New Jersey credits sales tax legally paid to another state, so the same dollars are not taxed twice.[2]
Registration and temp tags
New Jersey issues 30-day non-resident temporary registrations for the drive home (dealer-issued e-temp tags or MVC-issued); non-renewable except a 30-day extension for title delays. The buyer then titles in their own state.[4] Out-of-state buyers do not register in New Jersey; they title and register in their home state. For the drive home, MVC issues a 30-day, non-renewable temporary non-resident registration, and the NJ desk handles the ST-10 exemption paperwork.[4]
Worth knowing about New Jersey
- One statewide rate, no county or city add-ons to compute at the desk.
- The non-resident exemption lives and dies on the delivery paperwork, not the buyer's word.
Bordering states
Cross-border deals from New Jersey most often involve Delaware, New York and Pennsylvania. Treat each pairing as its own problem and put it through the out-of-state checker.
Vehicle-type exceptions
Boats and other vessels are taxed at half the regular Sales Tax rate with a $20,000 maximum tax per sale; ordinary motor vehicles get the full rate with no cap.[5]
Sources
- www.nj.gov/treasury/taxation/businesses/salestax/index.shtml · verified 2026-07-05
- www.nj.gov/…/New-Jersey-Consumer-Automotive-Tax-Guide.pdf · verified 2026-07-05
- www.njconsumeraffairs.gov/…/Chapter-45A-Administrative-Rules-of-the-Division-of-Consumer-Affairs.pdf · verified 2026-07-05
- www.nj.gov/mvc/vehicles/tempnonres.htm · verified 2026-07-05
- www.nj.gov/treasury/taxation/faq-boatvessels.shtml · verified 2026-07-05
“New Jersey Car Sales Tax & Out-of-State Rules.” Voltra. Last verified July 5, 2026. https://voltra.ai/car-sales-tax/new-jersey/
More state-by-state guides: trade-in tax credit by state · recent rule changes · all states + the out-of-state checker