North Dakota Tax, Title and License Calculator
What the state actually charges on a car purchase in North Dakota, separated from what the dealer adds. Every government figure comes from NDDOT.
How much is tax, title and license (TTL) in North Dakota?
On a $25,000 car, tax, title and license in North Dakota is about $1,349.50: $99.50 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 North Dakota 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 North Dakota by price
| Purchase price | Fees | Tax | TTL total | With 30% trade-in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $3,000 car | $99.50 | $150 | $249.50 | $204.50 |
| $5,000 car | $99.50 | $250 | $349.50 | $274.50 |
| $6,000 car | $99.50 | $300 | $399.50 | $309.50 |
| $10,000 car | $99.50 | $500 | $599.50 | $449.50 |
| $20,000 car | $99.50 | $1,000 | $1,099.50 | $799.50 |
| $30,000 car | $99.50 | $1,500 | $1,599.50 | $1,149.50 |
| $40,000 car | $99.50 | $2,000 | $2,099.50 | $1,499.50 |
Used vehicle, first registration in North Dakota, at the state tax rate.
Where the money goes
On a $25,000 car in North Dakota, tax is $1,250 of the $1,349.50 total and the fixed fees are $99.50. 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 North Dakota
North Dakota does not call it a sales tax; it charges the motor vehicle excise tax, which is the figure people mean by North Dakota car sales tax. The rate is 5%. source 5 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.
North Dakota excise tax credits and exemptions
- Replacing a stolen or totaled car. The new car's excise gets a credit up to what the insurer paid you plus your deductible. It can be spread over more than one replacement purchase, and NDDOT records any unused balance on your notarized statement.
- Military transfers. A car handed over for nothing while someone serves in the armed forces, or within 30 days of joining or leaving, is exempt.
On a car new to the state, the $5 title fee and a one-time $1.50 abandoned vehicle disposal fee sit alongside the tax.
Does a trade-in reduce your tax in North Dakota?
Yes. North Dakota 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 North Dakota.
The North Dakota 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.
North Dakota 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 North Dakota 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 North Dakota's doc fee rule compares with the rest.
Motorcycles, leases and other cases
Three situations where the figure above does not apply:
- Motorcycles. NDDOT 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 North Dakota title transfer page has the rule and the form.
Questions about North Dakota TTL
Do I get a tax credit if my car was totaled in North Dakota?
Yes. When you buy a replacement for a car that was stolen or totally destroyed, the 5% excise tax gets a credit up to the amount your insurance company paid plus your deductible. You can use it across more than one replacement purchase until it runs out.
How to calculate tax, title and license in North Dakota?
Work it in this order. Take the purchase price, subtract your trade-in, apply the 5% tax rate, then add the flat fees: $5 for the title. The calculator on the North Dakota 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 North Dakota?
On a $25,000 car, about $1,349.50: $99.50 in fees and $1,250 in tax. On a $5,000 car it is about $349.50. The fees stay the same. The tax is what moves.
How much are taxes on a $20,000 vehicle in North Dakota?
$1,000 in tax on its own, before any fees. A trade-in reduces it, because North Dakota taxes the difference.
What does tax, title and license include in North Dakota?
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 North Dakota the title is $5. 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 North Dakota?
About $1,349.50: $99.50 in fees and $1,250 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 NDDOT. 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 North Dakota?
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 North Dakota?
On a $30,000 car with a $10,000 trade-in, tax drops from $1,500 to $1,000. That is $500 saved, because North Dakota taxes the difference rather than the full price.
Work out the rest of the North Dakota 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 North Dakota specifically, these are the pages worth having open:
How North Dakota compares at one price
The table above runs North Dakota 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
- NDDOT, Motor Vehicle Registration Manual, retrieved 2026-10-17
- NDCC 39-04-19, passenger motor vehicle registration fees by weight and age, retrieved 2026-10-17
- North Dakota Office of State Tax Commissioner, Motor Vehicle Excise Tax Guideline, retrieved 2026-10-17
- NDDOT, Passenger Fee Schedule MVD-2, effective January 1 to December 31, 2026 (fees by year first registered), retrieved 2026-10-17
- NDCC 57-40.3-01, motor vehicle excise tax definitions (trade-in, stolen or destroyed vehicle credit), retrieved 2026-10-17
- NDCC 57-40.3-04, motor vehicle excise tax exemptions (family gifts, military transfers), retrieved 2026-10-17
Not affiliated with North Dakota Department of Transportation, Motor Vehicle Division.