Delaware car sales tax and document fee calculator
The motor vehicle document fee in Delaware is 5.25% of the taxable amount.
delcode.delaware.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026
By Mr. Voltage · Data checked Oct 3, 2026 · Page changed Oct 30, 2026
Where will you register the car?
Delaware
Example quotes. Pick your place and type yours. Example: three quotes on one car in Harris County, Delaware. Pick your own place and type your quotes.
Your deals at a glance
| Deal | Payment | All-in |
|---|---|---|
| $569.18a month | $39,150.68so far | |
| $514.16a month | $42,019.72so far | |
| $558.08a month | $38,484.64so far |
Estimate. Your dealer’s buyer’s order and your lender’s disclosures are the numbers that count. Check them against this.
Your numbers stay in this browser.
$569.18 a month · 60 payments
All-in $39,150.68 so far
$514.16 a month · 72 payments
All-in $42,019.72 so far
$558.08 a month · 60 payments
All-in $38,484.64 so far
Out-the-door $34,512.00 so far
so far: not including a doc fee yet. Enter your dealer’s.
Estimate. Your dealer’s buyer’s order and your lender’s disclosures are the numbers that count. Check them against this.
Out-the-door $35,243.00 so far
so far: not including a doc fee yet. Enter your dealer’s.
Estimate. Your dealer’s buyer’s order and your lender’s disclosures are the numbers that count. Check them against this.
Out-the-door $35,091.00 so far
so far: not including a doc fee yet. Enter your dealer’s.
Estimate. Your dealer’s buyer’s order and your lender’s disclosures are the numbers that count. Check them against this.
New · 2026 · Gas · change
New or used
The sheet starts with a new car; each deal sets its own
Model year
A new car is the current or next model year
Fuel
Gas car. Electric, plug-in hybrid and hybrid cars pay a yearly fee
New · 2026 · Gas · change
New or used
The sheet starts with a new car; each deal sets its own
Model year
A new car is the current or next model year
Fuel
Gas car. Electric, plug-in hybrid and hybrid cars pay a yearly fee
New · 2026 · Gas · change
New or used
The sheet starts with a new car; each deal sets its own
Model year
A new car is the current or next model year
Fuel
Gas car. Electric, plug-in hybrid and hybrid cars pay a yearly fee
Delaware law sets no figure for this fee.
Delaware calls it a administrative, origination, documentary, procurement, or other similar administrative fee.
delcode.delaware.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026
Delaware law sets no figure for this fee.
Delaware calls it a administrative, origination, documentary, procurement, or other similar administrative fee.
delcode.delaware.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026
Delaware law sets no figure for this fee.
Delaware calls it a administrative, origination, documentary, procurement, or other similar administrative fee.
delcode.delaware.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026
- No sales tax, state or local, and no city or county fee on a car in Delaware.
delcode.delaware.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026
- No yearly property tax on a car.
delcode.delaware.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026
- No separate fee for a standard plate: one comes with the registration.
delcode.delaware.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026
- No inspection for a new car or one in its first 7 model years, and no fee at a state lane.
dmv.de.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026
- No tire, battery or lemon-law fee on a car sold by a dealer.
delcode.delaware.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026
- No sales tax, state or local, and no city or county fee on a car in Delaware.
delcode.delaware.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026
- No yearly property tax on a car.
delcode.delaware.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026
- No separate fee for a standard plate: one comes with the registration.
delcode.delaware.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026
- No inspection for a new car or one in its first 7 model years, and no fee at a state lane.
dmv.de.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026
- No tire, battery or lemon-law fee on a car sold by a dealer.
delcode.delaware.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026
- No sales tax, state or local, and no city or county fee on a car in Delaware.
delcode.delaware.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026
- No yearly property tax on a car.
delcode.delaware.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026
- No separate fee for a standard plate: one comes with the registration.
delcode.delaware.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026
- No inspection for a new car or one in its first 7 model years, and no fee at a state lane.
dmv.de.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026
- No tire, battery or lemon-law fee on a car sold by a dealer.
delcode.delaware.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026
Your $5,000.00 down covers the $1,812.00 in tax and fees first; $3,188.00 goes toward the price.
Your $5,000.00 down covers the $1,848.00 in tax and fees first; $3,152.00 goes toward the price.
Your $5,000.00 down covers the $1,841.00 in tax and fees first; $3,159.00 goes toward the price.
Illustrative rate, not a quote. Your APR depends on your credit, the term, the vehicle and the lender.
Illustrative rate, not a quote. Your APR depends on your credit, the term, the vehicle and the lender.
Illustrative rate, not a quote. Your APR depends on your credit, the term, the vehicle and the lender.
60 payments, last $569.06
72 payments, last $514.36
60 payments, last $557.92
cash down plus every payment
cash down plus every payment
cash down plus every payment
Estimate. Your dealer’s buyer’s order and your lender’s disclosures are the numbers that count. Check them against this.
Estimate. Your dealer’s buyer’s order and your lender’s disclosures are the numbers that count. Check them against this.
Estimate. Your dealer’s buyer’s order and your lender’s disclosures are the numbers that count. Check them against this.
3 charges this total leaves out
3 charges this total leaves out
3 charges this total leaves out
What’s different in Delaware
Delaware calls it the motor vehicle document fee.
delcode.delaware.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026
A trade-in comes off the amount taxed at its full value, so only the difference is taxed. This holds only in some deals; the calculator applies the rule.
delcode.delaware.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026
Negative equity rolled into the new loan is not taxed. That point is not confirmed.
delcode.delaware.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026
Delaware’s law sets no figure for the administrative, origination, documentary, procurement, or other similar administrative fee.
delcode.delaware.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026
Selling your old car yourself within 60 days before or after the new one is titled in Delaware earns the same credit as a trade-in.
dmv.de.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026
Worked examples
Each line below is worked by the same engine as the calculator, on the day this page was built (Nov 11, 2026).
A new car with a trade-in and negative equity
A new car at $32,700.00, with a trade-in allowed at $10,000.00 and $13,000.00 still owed, $5,000.00 down, financed at 5.90% for 60 months, bought from a dealer and registered in Delaware’s example market.
| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Price | $32,700.00 |
| Trade-in allowance | $10,000.00 |
| Still owed on the trade-in | $13,000.00 |
| Equity (negative if you owe more than it is worth) | −$3,000.00 |
| Purchase price for the document fee delcode.delaware.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026 | $22,700.00 |
| Delaware motor vehicle document fee delcode.delaware.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026 | $1,192.00 |
| Title fee delcode.delaware.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026 | $35.00 |
| Lien on the title dmv.de.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026 | $20.00 |
| Registration fee delcode.delaware.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026 | $40.00 |
| Out-the-door price | $33,987.00 |
| Cash down | $5,000.00 |
| Amount financed | $31,987.00 |
| Monthly payment | $616.91 |
| Interest over the loan | $5,027.78 |
| Total paid, interest included | $42,014.78 |
A used car from a dealer
A used car, model year 2022, at $21,500.00, $5,000.00 down, financed at 5.90% for 60 months, bought from a dealer and registered in Delaware’s example market.
| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Price | $21,500.00 |
| Purchase price for the document fee delcode.delaware.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026 | $21,500.00 |
| Delaware motor vehicle document fee delcode.delaware.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026 | $1,129.00 |
| Title fee delcode.delaware.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026 | $35.00 |
| Lien on the title dmv.de.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026 | $20.00 |
| Registration fee delcode.delaware.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026 | $40.00 |
| Out-the-door price | $22,724.00 |
| Cash down | $5,000.00 |
| Amount financed | $17,724.00 |
| Monthly payment | $341.83 |
| Interest over the loan | $2,785.89 |
| Total paid, interest included | $25,509.89 |
The rules in Delaware
| Rule | What it says |
|---|---|
| Name of the tax | motor vehicle document fee delcode.delaware.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026 |
| Delaware motor vehicle document fee | 5.25% of the taxable amount delcode.delaware.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026 |
| What is taxed | Taxed: the vehicle price, the doc fee, other dealer fees on the order, accessories fitted before delivery, protection packages, loose items sold with the car and prepaid maintenance. Not taxed: service contracts, GAP and government fees. delcode.delaware.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026 |
| Trade-in | A trade-in comes off the amount taxed at its full value, so only the difference is taxed. This holds only in some deals; the calculator applies the rule. delcode.delaware.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026 |
| Maker’s rebate | A maker’s rebate does not lower the amount taxed. That point is not confirmed. delcode.delaware.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026 |
| Dealer discount | A dealer discount lowers the amount taxed. delcode.delaware.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026 |
| Negative equity | Negative equity rolled into the loan is not taxed. That point is not confirmed. delcode.delaware.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026 |
| Doc fee | The law sets no figure for the administrative, origination, documentary, procurement, or other similar administrative fee. delcode.delaware.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026 |
| Title fee | $35.00 delcode.delaware.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026 |
| Registration fee | $40.00 a year delcode.delaware.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026 |
| Trade-in credit limit | The credit may not exceed the document fee actually paid on the trade-in when it was registered. There is none if no fee was paid. regulations.delaware.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026 |
| Private-party purchase | The fee is worked on the greater of the bill-of-sale price and the N.A.D.A. average trade-in value. The owner may offer a Delaware dealer’s appraisal. regulations.delaware.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026 |
| Tax paid to another state | No Delaware fee at all if the owner paid another state’s sales or transfer tax and registered there within 90 days before Delaware registration. delcode.delaware.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026 |
| New resident | 5.25% of the N.A.D.A. average trade-in value unless another state’s tax was paid within 90 days. Title and register within 60 days. Military members are exempt. dmv.de.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026 |
| Electric and hybrid fees | On top of registration, each year: $110 for an electric car, $85 for a plug-in hybrid and $60 for a hybrid, at a gross load weight of 6,000 lb or less. delcode.delaware.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026 |
| Finance rate ceiling | No ceiling for a motor vehicle retail installment contract: the finance charge may be at the rate the contract specifies. delcode.delaware.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026 |
| Interest rate markup | No Delaware law limits a dealer’s markup over the lender’s rate. delcode.delaware.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026 |
What has changed
· The rules on this page start here. Nothing earlier is loaded.
Questions people ask
What is Delaware's motor vehicle document fee on a car?
Delaware has no sales tax. Instead it charges a one-time motor vehicle document fee when a car is sold, transferred or registered. It is a state fee paid to DMV, not the dealer’s own doc fee. The fee is 5.25% of the purchase price, rounded to the nearest dollar, with a minimum of $8.00. It rose from 4.25% on October 1, 2025. The purchase price is the gross price less the trade-in, and it includes destination and add-ons that are not a warranty. The statute words the fee in steps of $5.25 per $100 above $500, while DMV works it as a flat 5.25%: $525 on $10,000. The two can differ by about $12.50, and which one DMV’s system uses is not confirmed. Our figures follow DMV’s. No county or city adds a tax, and there is no yearly property tax on a car. The dealer collects the fee at signing and sends it to DMV with the title papers.
delcode.delaware.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026
revenue.delaware.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026
dmv.de.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026
delcode.delaware.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026
Is there a limit on the Delaware dealer doc fee?
We found no dollar limit in Delaware law, and no amount the law presumes reasonable. The law speaks of “any administrative, origination, documentary, procurement, or other similar administrative fee” only to stop a manufacturer from preventing a dealer charging one. It sets no figure. Each fee the dealer collects must be individually listed and identified on the bill of sale. No set wording is required. It is a different charge from the state’s motor vehicle document fee, though the dealer’s fee is probably part of the price that state fee is worked on; that point is not confirmed. Our examples use $499 as the dealer’s fee. It is not a state amount.
delcode.delaware.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026
delcode.delaware.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026
dealers.dmv.de.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026
Does a trade-in lower the Delaware document fee?
Yes, the trade-in allowance comes off the purchase price, but only for a trade-in currently titled in Delaware. There are two exceptions: a car once registered in Delaware by the same owner, who paid the fee then, and an out-of-state car on which the other state’s tax was paid within 90 days. The state’s regulation also says the credit may not exceed the document fee actually paid on the trade-in when it was registered, and there is none if no fee was paid. The calculator cannot know that amount, so it notes the limit instead of working it. Owing more than the trade-in is worth does not raise the fee, by our reading of the law; no Delaware source says so, so that point is not confirmed.
delcode.delaware.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026
regulations.delaware.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026
Is a private car sale taxed in Delaware?
Yes. The buyer pays the same 5.25% document fee at DMV. If the price on a bill of sale from someone who is not a dealer is less than the average trade-in value in the latest N.A.D.A. guide, the fee is worked on that value instead. The owner may offer a Delaware dealer’s appraisal. Apply for the title within 30 days of the purchase, or a $35 late title transfer fee applies. A gift from an immediate family member, including a spouse, parent, child, sibling or grandparent, step relations and in-laws, pays no fee.
delcode.delaware.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026
regulations.delaware.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026
dmv.de.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026
I bought a car out of state or moved to Delaware. What do I pay?
A Delaware resident who buys elsewhere pays the 5.25% at DMV on the purchase price. The exception is a car on which you paid another state’s sales tax, transfer tax or similar levy within 90 days before registering it in Delaware: then no Delaware fee is due at all, not just a difference. DMV says the 90-day rule is strictly enforced. By our reading the exception needs the car to have been registered in the other state first, so a car titled straight into Delaware pays the Delaware fee even if another state’s tax was also charged. Ask an out-of-state dealer not to collect its tax. A new resident pays 5.25% of the car’s value (but not less than $8.00) unless tax was paid elsewhere within those 90 days, and must title and register the car within 60 days. Military members and dependents are exempt.
dmv.de.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026
delcode.delaware.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026
dmv.de.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026
How long can I register a new car in Delaware, and what does it cost?
Registration is a flat $40 a year for a passenger car, not set by weight. A new current-model-year car of 10,000 pounds or less may be registered for up to 7 years at once, paying the yearly fee times the years: $280 for 7 years. A new car of the previous model year may be registered for up to 6 years. The title is $35, or $55 with a lien. An electric car pays an extra $110 a year, a plug-in hybrid $85 and a hybrid $60, at a gross load weight of 6,000 pounds or less. In Delaware the plate normally stays with the owner, and moving an old plate to the new car costs $20. A car in its first 7 model years needs no inspection.
delcode.delaware.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026
delcode.delaware.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026
dmv.de.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026
delcode.delaware.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026
dmv.de.gov · checked Oct 3, 2026