Louisiana Tax, Title and License Calculator
What the state actually charges on a car purchase in Louisiana, separated from what the dealer adds. Every government figure comes from Louisiana OMV.
How much is tax, title and license (TTL) in Louisiana?
On a $25,000 car, tax, title and license in Louisiana is about $1,376.50: $126.50 in fees and $1,250 in tax. The fixed fees stay about the same at any price; the tax is what moves with what you pay.
Use the full Louisiana 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 Louisiana by price
| Purchase price | Fees | Tax | TTL total | With 30% trade-in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $3,000 car | $96.50 | $150 | $246.50 | $201.50 |
| $5,000 car | $96.50 | $250 | $346.50 | $271.50 |
| $6,000 car | $96.50 | $300 | $396.50 | $306.50 |
| $10,000 car | $96.50 | $500 | $596.50 | $446.50 |
| $20,000 car | $116.50 | $1,000 | $1,116.50 | $816.50 |
| $30,000 car | $136.50 | $1,500 | $1,636.50 | $1,186.50 |
| $40,000 car | $156.50 | $2,000 | $2,156.50 | $1,556.50 |
Used vehicle, first registration in Louisiana, at the state tax rate. Not included: local sales tax.
Where the money goes
On a $25,000 car in Louisiana, tax is $1,250 of the $1,376.50 total and the fixed fees are $126.50. 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 Louisiana
The Louisiana rate is 5% plus local rates of 3.5% to 8%. 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 Louisiana?
Yes. Louisiana subtracts the trade-in allowance from the price before the tax is worked out. The bigger the trade-in, the smaller the tax bill.
Buy a $28,000 car and hand over a trade-in worth $8,000 and you are taxed on $20,000, not $28,000. That is $400 you do not pay.
One catch worth knowing. The credit usually only applies when the trade and the purchase happen as a single deal with the same dealer. Sell your old car privately first and you get the cash but you lose the tax break.
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 Louisiana.
The Louisiana documentation fee, and what else is not TTL
Once you strip out the tax, title and registration, what is left on the sheet is the dealer's, and the biggest of those is usually the documentation fee.
Louisiana caps the dealer documentation fee, one of the states that does. The base ceiling was $425, and from the start of 2026 it rises each year with inflation, so it sits a little above that now. The Motor Vehicle Commission sets and enforces the limit. source 5
This is the rare dealer fee with a legal ceiling, and also the one most likely to be quietly above it, so check it against the figure the dealer gives you.
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 Louisiana's doc fee rule compares with the rest.
Motorcycles, leases and other cases
Three situations where the figure above does not apply:
- Motorcycles. Louisiana OMV 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 Louisiana title transfer page has the rule and the form.
Questions about Louisiana TTL
How to calculate tax, title and license in Louisiana?
Work it in this order. Take the purchase price, subtract your trade-in, apply the 5% tax rate plus any local rate for your address, then add the flat fees: $68.50 for the title. The calculator on the Louisiana 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 Louisiana?
On a $25,000 car, about $1,376.50: $126.50 in fees and $1,250 in tax. On a $5,000 car it is about $346.50. The fees stay the same. The tax is what moves. Not included: local sales tax, which Louisiana OMV does not publish in a form we can verify.
How much are taxes on a $20,000 vehicle in Louisiana?
$1,000 in tax on its own, before any fees. That is at the state rate. Your local rate can push it higher, and in Louisiana it varies by where you live rather than where you buy. A trade-in reduces it, because Louisiana taxes the difference.
What does tax, title and license include in Louisiana?
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 Louisiana the title is $68.50. 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 Louisiana?
About $1,376.50: $126.50 in fees and $1,250 in tax. Change the price in the calculator for your own figure. Not included: local sales tax.
Is the documentation fee part of tax, title and license?
No. The doc fee goes to the dealer, not to Louisiana OMV. 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 Louisiana?
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.
How much does a trade-in save on tax, title and license in Louisiana?
On a $30,000 car with a $10,000 trade-in, tax drops from $1,500 to $1,000. That is $500 saved, because Louisiana taxes the difference rather than the full price.
Work out the rest of the Louisiana 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 Louisiana specifically, these are the pages worth having open:
How Louisiana compares at one price
The table above runs Louisiana 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.
Nearby states
Or compare all 51 on the tax, title and license by state page.
Where these numbers come from
- Louisiana OMV, Vehicle Registration, Title and Plate Fees, retrieved 2026-10-16
- Louisiana Revised Statutes 47:463, private passenger vehicle license tax, retrieved 2026-09-23
- Louisiana Department of Revenue, sales and use tax rate, retrieved 2026-09-23
- Louisiana Department of Revenue, Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Road Usage Fee, retrieved 2026-09-23
- Louisiana Revised Statutes 6:969.18, dealer documentation fee cap, retrieved 2026-09-23
- Louisiana OMV, new title and registration, retrieved 2026-10-16
- Louisiana OMV, used title and registration, retrieved 2026-10-16
- Louisiana OMV, registration renewal, retrieved 2026-10-16
- Louisiana OMV, vehicle application form DPSMV 1799 (file within 40 days to avoid penalty and interest), retrieved 2026-10-16
- Louisiana Legislature, Act 701 of 2026 (HB 1085), resume digest: vehicle inspection stickers, retrieved 2026-10-16
- Louisiana Revised Statutes 47:463.2, special personalized prestige license plates ($25 a year, $250 for a single letter), retrieved 2026-10-29
- Louisiana Revised Statutes 47:463, prestige plates carry a $3.50 handling charge, retrieved 2026-10-29
- Louisiana OMV, Special and Personalized Plates (Specialty Plates Viewer), retrieved 2026-10-29
Not affiliated with Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles.