Texas car sales tax and fees

Texas charges 6.25% state sales tax on a vehicle purchase. No county or city tax is added on a vehicle purchase.

State vehicle tax: 6.25%
Local tax: None
Trade-in lowers tax: Yes
Doc fee cap: No cap
Title fee: $33.00
EV fee: $400

How Texas taxes a car purchase

State rate: 6.25% of the price.
No county or city tax is added on a vehicle purchase.
Texas taxes the price minus your trade-in, so a trade-in lowers the tax.

Fees

Title: $33.00.
Registration: TxDMV base registration $50.75 for cars and light pickups (2026). Counties add $0-$21.50 (Travis $11.50, Bexar $21.50, Harris $11.50) plus a processing and handling fee; not modelled.
The state does not cap dealer documentation fees. Dealers typically charge about $226. The doc fee is not taxed.
Electric vehicles pay an extra $400.

Drafted from the state's tax table and its fee schedule. Not every figure has been checked by hand yet, so confirm with the dealer or the DMV before you sign.

Worked example

Out-the-door

Estimate

A $40,000 gas car (destination included, 3,500 lb) bought in Dallas, ZIP 75201, no trade-in

Vehicle price$40,000.00

Documentation fee (typical here)$226.00

Title$33.00

Registration$50.75

Sales tax (6.25% state)$2,500.00

Total$42,809.75

What this estimate rests on

1 item is missing or approximate, so the real figure will differ.

Approximate
No documentation fee was entered, so the typical TX dealer figure of $226 is used (the state sets no cap). Enter the fee on your quote to replace it.
Unchecked
Fee rules for TX have not been checked against the state's own notice.
Unchecked
This rate has not been checked against the taxing authority’s published table.

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Buying in Texas

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Common questions

What is the sales tax on a car in Texas?