Hawaii Tax, Title and License Calculator
What the state actually charges on a car purchase in Hawaii, separated from what the dealer adds. Every government figure comes from Hawaii DMV.
How much is tax, title and license (TTL) in Hawaii?
On a $25,000 car, tax, title and license in Hawaii is about $1,496.50: $371.50 in fees and $1,125 in tax. The fixed fees stay about the same at any price; the tax is what moves with what you pay.
Use the full Hawaii calculator to enter your own price, trade-in and vehicle details. The table below shows the total at common prices.
Tax, title and license in Hawaii by price
| Purchase price | Fees | Tax | TTL total | With 30% trade-in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $3,000 car | $371.50 | $135 | $506.50 | $506.50 |
| $5,000 car | $371.50 | $225 | $596.50 | $596.50 |
| $6,000 car | $371.50 | $270 | $641.50 | $641.50 |
| $10,000 car | $371.50 | $450 | $821.50 | $821.50 |
| $20,000 car | $371.50 | $900 | $1,271.50 | $1,271.50 |
| $30,000 car | $371.50 | $1,350 | $1,721.50 | $1,721.50 |
| $40,000 car | $371.50 | $1,800 | $2,171.50 | $2,171.50 |
Used vehicle, first registration in Hawaii, at the state tax rate. Includes the typical local rate of 0.5%.
Where the money goes
On a $25,000 car in Hawaii, tax is $1,125 of the $1,496.50 total and the fixed fees are $371.50. The tax scales with the price of the car. The fees do not, which is why tax, title and license is a much bigger number on an expensive car and barely noticeable on a cheap one.
Sales tax on a car in Hawaii
Hawaii does not call it a sales tax; it charges the general excise tax, which is the figure people mean by Hawaii car sales tax. The rate is 4% plus local rates of 0.5% to 0.5%. source 3 It is the biggest part of the bill on an expensive car, and the calculator above works it into your total. How a trade-in changes it is covered in trade-ins below, and every state's rate is on the car sales tax by state page.
Does a trade-in reduce your tax in Hawaii?
No, and this is the single most expensive thing to get wrong. Hawaii charges tax on the full price of the car you are buying, even though you handed over another car as part of the deal.
Buy a $28,000 car and trade in one worth $8,000 and you are still taxed on the full $28,000. In a state that allows the credit you would have saved about $0. Most calculators quietly apply the credit anyway and hand you a number that is too low.
Hawaii has no sales tax. It has a 4% general excise tax (GET), and since Maui County added its surcharge on January 1, 2024, all four counties add 0.5%, so the tax is 4.5% everywhere. It is charged to the dealer, who may pass on up to 4.712%, and there is no trade-in credit: it is worked out on the full price. A private sale is a casual sale and is not taxed. A car a Hawaii resident buys out of state and ships in owes use tax on its landed value, less any sales tax paid to the other state. source 3
Buying from a dealer? Put the doc fee and any add-ons on top of these figures with the out-the-door price calculator, set to Hawaii.
The Hawaii documentation fee, and what else is not TTL
Tax, title and license is money the state collects. The rest of a dealer's out-the-door figure is not, and the documentation fee is the line that trips people up most.
Hawaii does not cap the dealer documentation fee. It is set by the dealer and shown on the sale paperwork. source 1
No state makes a dealer charge this, and Hawaii puts no ceiling on it, so of everything on the sheet it is the line with the most room to push back on.
For the full list of what belongs to the state and what belongs to the dealer, see what dealers add that is not tax, title and license, and how Hawaii's doc fee rule compares with the rest.
Motorcycles, leases and other cases
Three situations where the figure above does not apply:
- Motorcycles. Hawaii DMV registers them on a different and much cheaper schedule. The tax works the same way, on the purchase price.
- Leases. A lease is not a purchase, and several states tax the monthly payment rather than the value of the car. If you are leasing, the number on this page is not your number.
- Gifts and family transfers. No sale means no sales tax in most states, though the title fee still applies. The Hawaii title transfer page has the rule and the form.
Questions about Hawaii TTL
How to calculate tax, title and license in Hawaii?
Work it in this order. Take the purchase price, apply the 4% tax rate plus any local rate for your address, then add the flat fees: $10 for the title. The calculator on the Hawaii page does all of it and shows the source for each figure.
How much does it cost to get a tax, title and license in Hawaii?
On a $25,000 car, about $1,496.50: $371.50 in fees and $1,125 in tax. On a $5,000 car it is about $596.50. The fees stay the same. The tax is what moves.
How much are taxes on a $20,000 vehicle in Hawaii?
$900 in tax on its own, before any fees. That is at the state rate. Your local rate can push it higher, and in Hawaii it varies by where you live rather than where you buy. A trade-in does not reduce it in Hawaii.
What does tax, title and license include in Hawaii?
Three things the state charges: the sales or use tax on the purchase, the fee to put the title in your name, and the registration and plate that make the car legal to drive. In Hawaii the title is $10. The tax is the part that moves with the price of the car.
How much is tax, title and license on a $25,000 car in Hawaii?
About $1,496.50: $371.50 in fees and $1,125 in tax. Change the price in the calculator for your own figure.
Is the documentation fee part of tax, title and license?
No. The doc fee goes to the dealer, not to Hawaii DMV. It often sits next to the real government fees on the same sheet, which is exactly why it gets mistaken for one. Ask what each line is for.
Can I negotiate tax, title and license in Hawaii?
Not the tax, the title or the registration. Those are set by the state and the dealer collects them on its behalf. What you can negotiate is the price of the car, which lowers the tax as a side effect, and the dealer's own fees.
Does a trade-in lower tax, title and license in Hawaii?
No. Hawaii charges tax on the full price of the car you are buying, whatever you hand over in part exchange. This is unusual and it is worth hundreds of dollars, so check any other calculator that tells you otherwise.
Work out the rest of the Hawaii bill
The generic explainers, on what tax, title and license means, how to check a dealer's quote, and whether to finance the tax, live on the tax, title and license hub. For Hawaii specifically, these are the pages worth having open:
How Hawaii compares at one price
The table above runs Hawaii at prices from $3,000 to $40,000. To see the same bill in every state side by side, there is tax, title and license on a $30,000 car, state by state.
Other states
Compare all 51 on the tax, title and license by state page.
Where these numbers come from
- HRS 249-31, state vehicle registration fee and electric-vehicle surcharge, retrieved 2026-10-17
- HRS 249-33, state vehicle weight tax, retrieved 2026-10-17
- Hawaii Department of Taxation, General Excise Tax (4% plus a 0.5% county surcharge in every county), retrieved 2026-10-17
- Tax Foundation of Hawaii, Motor Vehicle Weight Tax (county ordinances), retrieved 2026-10-17
- City and County of Honolulu, motor vehicle registration (fee breakdown, $367 example, $16 late penalty), retrieved 2026-10-17
- City and County of Honolulu, vehicle ownership transfer ($10 title transfer, $50 penalty after 30 days), retrieved 2026-10-17
- Hawaii Department of Transportation, safety inspection fees from July 1, 2025 ($25.75), retrieved 2026-10-17
- County of Hawaii, out-of-state vehicle permit ($5, 30 days from arrival), retrieved 2026-10-17
- Hawaii Department of Taxation, Form G-27 instructions (motor vehicle use tax and exemptions), retrieved 2026-10-17
- Hawaii Department of Taxation, Tax Announcement 2023-05 (Maui County GET surcharge from January 1, 2024), retrieved 2026-10-17
- City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii Road Usage Charge program, retrieved 2026-10-17
Not affiliated with Hawaii county motor vehicle offices (state Department of Transportation).