Maryland Tax, Title and License Calculator
What the state actually charges on a car purchase in Maryland, separated from what the dealer adds. Every government figure comes from Maryland MVA.
How much is tax, title and license (TTL) in Maryland?
On a $25,000 car, tax, title and license in Maryland is about $1,945.50: $320.50 in fees and $1,625 in tax. The fixed fees stay about the same at any price; the tax is what moves with what you pay.
Use the full Maryland 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 Maryland by price
| Purchase price | Fees | Tax | TTL total | With 30% trade-in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $3,000 car | $320.50 | $195 | $515.50 | $457 |
| $5,000 car | $320.50 | $325 | $645.50 | $548 |
| $6,000 car | $320.50 | $390 | $710.50 | $593.50 |
| $10,000 car | $320.50 | $650 | $970.50 | $775.50 |
| $20,000 car | $320.50 | $1,300 | $1,620.50 | $1,230.50 |
| $30,000 car | $320.50 | $1,950 | $2,270.50 | $1,685.50 |
| $40,000 car | $320.50 | $2,600 | $2,920.50 | $2,140.50 |
Used vehicle, first registration in Maryland, at the state tax rate.
Where the money goes
On a $25,000 car in Maryland, tax is $1,625 of the $1,945.50 total and the fixed fees are $320.50. 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 Maryland
Maryland does not call it a sales tax; it charges the Maryland vehicle excise tax, which is the figure people mean by Maryland car sales tax. The rate is 6.5%. 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.
How Maryland values your car for the 6.5% excise
From a dealer, the 6.5% is charged on the price after your trade-in, so a $35,000 car with no trade-in owes $2,275. On a private sale the MVA checks your price against a national used car valuation adjusted for mileage, and if you declare more than $500 below that figure it can ask for proof of the price. A car seven years old or older bought privately is taxed on the price or $640, whichever is higher, which sets the $41.60 minimum.
Does a trade-in reduce your tax in Maryland?
Yes. Maryland 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 $520 you do not pay.
One catch, and in Maryland it is a firm rule rather than a habit. The reduction is only allowed when a dealer makes the sale. Buy privately and the trade-in counts for nothing, however the two of you write it up.
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 Maryland.
The Maryland 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.
Maryland caps the dealer processing charge at $800.00 from 1 July 2024, which is one of the highest ceilings any state sets. It is a cap rather than a fixed fee, so it is negotiable in principle, but Maryland dealers generally charge at or near it. source 6
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 Maryland's doc fee rule compares with the rest.
Motorcycles, leases and other cases
Three situations where the figure above does not apply:
- Motorcycles. Maryland MVA 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 Maryland title transfer page has the rule and the form.
Questions about Maryland TTL
How to calculate tax, title and license in Maryland?
Work it in this order. Take the purchase price, subtract your trade-in, apply the 6.5% tax rate, then add the flat fees: $200 for the title. The calculator on the Maryland 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 Maryland?
On a $25,000 car, about $1,945.50: $320.50 in fees and $1,625 in tax. On a $5,000 car it is about $645.50. The fees stay the same. The tax is what moves.
How much are taxes on a $20,000 vehicle in Maryland?
$1,300 in tax on its own, before any fees. A trade-in reduces it, because Maryland taxes the difference.
What does tax, title and license include in Maryland?
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 Maryland the title is $200. 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 Maryland?
About $1,945.50: $320.50 in fees and $1,625 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 Maryland MVA. 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 Maryland?
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 Maryland?
On a $30,000 car with a $10,000 trade-in, tax drops from $1,950 to $1,300. That is $650 saved, because Maryland taxes the difference rather than the full price.
Work out the rest of the Maryland 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 Maryland specifically, these are the pages worth having open:
How Maryland compares at one price
The table above runs Maryland 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
- Maryland Transportation Article 13-912, registration fees for Class A vehicles, retrieved 2026-09-16
- Maryland MVA, fees and payment options, retrieved 2026-10-11
- Maryland Transportation Article 13-809, imposition of the vehicle excise tax, retrieved 2026-09-16
- Maryland Transportation Article 13-954, emergency medical system surcharge, retrieved 2026-09-16
- Maryland MVA, annual surcharge for certain electric vehicles, retrieved 2026-09-16
- Maryland Transportation Article 15-311.1, dealer processing charge, retrieved 2026-09-16
- MDOT MVA, New Maryland Residents (60 days to title and register), retrieved 2026-10-11
- Maryland MVA, excise tax (new residents, private sales, tax credit by state), retrieved 2026-10-11
- Maryland MVA, title and register your vehicle (new residents), retrieved 2026-10-11
- Maryland MVA, Maryland safety inspections, retrieved 2026-10-11
- Maryland MVA, vehicle emissions inspection program (VEIP), retrieved 2026-10-11
- Maryland MVA, Giving a Vehicle as a Gift, retrieved 2026-10-30
Not affiliated with Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration.