Buying a car in Illinois is not a Georgia Title Ad Valorem Tax problem, and it is not a single statewide “combined rate” you can memorize. An Illinois dealer files Form ST-556 at a statewide 6.25 percent retailers’ occupation or use tax, then adds whatever local rate applies to the purchaser’s address. A driveway sale is a different tax altogether: Form RUT-50 and the RUT-5 2026 dollar chart. The Secretary of State then collects a $165 original title and $151 passenger plates. None of those figures come from a bank-rate survey.
This guide explains how an Illinois auto loan calculator should turn those official rules into a monthly payment. Every dollar and percent below is from the Illinois Department of Revenue, the Illinois Secretary of State, the Illinois Compiled Statutes, or the Federal Reserve’s G.19 Consumer Credit release. Industry surveys are not used. If a public agency does not publish a number — including your city’s combined local rate, a Chicago city sticker, or an emissions inspection price — the calculator leaves it to you. You will see a $38,000 new-car example at the official 60-month bank average of 7.14 percent, a cash-versus-roll comparison, a used-dealer trade-in, and a private-party RUT-5 deal.
What Makes Illinois Different From Georgia and From a “Just 6.25%” Shortcut
Shoppers who moved from Georgia often look for Title Ad Valorem Tax. Illinois still uses ordinary sales and use tax on titled motor vehicles. Copying a 7 percent TAVT line onto a $38,000 Illinois deal produces $2,660. That number is wrong here. Six and a quarter percent of $38,000 is $2,375.
The other shortcut is worse: treating every Illinois car the same. A dealer sale and a private-party sale are not taxed the same way. The dealer uses a percentage of selling price. The private party uses a dollar table that jumps in brackets. Applying 6.25 percent to an $18,500 driveway sale invents $1,156.25 of tax. The official RUT-5 chart for that price in 2026 is $850.
Important: Illinois dealer tax is 6.25% plus the purchaser’s local rate (Form ST-556) — not Title Ad Valorem Tax. Do not copy a Georgia TAVT line of $2,660 onto a $38,000 Illinois deal. State tax on that price is $2,375. A private-party car uses the RUT-5 2026 dollar chart, not 6.25%. Document fees are in the ST-556 base. Cash down does not reduce the tax. Rolling the tax into the loan finances the tax; it does not change the tax.
A third Illinois rule that surprises people is the rebate. ST-556-WS Line 1 includes dealer-reimbursed rebates and incentives. The Illinois Department of Revenue’s RUT-25 instructions say “Do not deduct rebates.” A manufacturer rebate still reduces what you finance. It does not shrink the tax. Cash down never reduces the taxable price. Negative equity on a trade-in does not create extra sales tax. Those dollars change how you pay. They do not change what Illinois taxes.
There is no cooling-off period on a dealership purchase. Federal Trade Commission home-solicitation rules do not apply at the lot. Illinois Lemon Law — the New Vehicle Buyer Protection Act, 815 ILCS 380 — is a remedy after the sale, not a Secretary of State fee stamped onto the title. A responsible calculator shows $0 lemon surcharge.
References:
- 35 ILCS 120/2-10 — 6.25% retailers’ occupation tax
- 35 ILCS 105/3-10 — 6.25% use tax
- Illinois Department of Revenue, Form ST-556 and ST-556-WS
- Illinois Department of Revenue, Form RUT-5 (R-12/25), calendar 2026
- 815 ILCS 380 — New Vehicle Buyer Protection Act (Lemon Law)
Official Illinois Fees You Can Rely On (2026)
These costs are published by the Illinois Department of Revenue, the Illinois Secretary of State, and the Illinois Compiled Statutes. A responsible calculator uses them as defaults. It does not invent an average documentary fee, a single “Chicago 10.25 percent” combined rate, or a used-car APR.
| Item | Official amount | Source |
|---|---|---|
| State retailers’ occupation / use tax (dealer) | 6.25% | 35 ILCS 120/2-10; 35 ILCS 105/3-10; Form ST-556 |
| Local sales/use tax | User-entered (default 0%) | Purchaser’s address on ST-556; MyTax Tax Rate Finder |
| Private-party vehicle use tax | RUT-5 2026 chart | Form RUT-50; RUT-5 (R-12/25) |
| Original title | $165 | 625 ILCS 5/3-821; ILSOS fees |
| Passenger / B-truck registration | $151 / year | 625 ILCS 5/3-806 ($148 + $1 + $2) |
| Battery-electric extra | $100 / year ($251 plates; $416 first issuance) | 625 ILCS 5/3-805(a); ILSOS EV plates |
| Lemon Law purchase surcharge | None | 815 ILCS 380 |
| Documentary fee | User-entered (default $0) | 815 ILCS 375/11.1; in the ST-556 base if charged |
| 60-month new-car bank APR (illustration) | 7.14% | Federal Reserve G.19, Q2 2026 |
The Secretary of State fee table prints passenger plates at $151. Statute 625 ILCS 5/3-806 builds that number as $148 plus $1 for the State Police Vehicle Fund plus $2 for the Park and Conservation Fund. ILSOS frequently pairs the $165 title with the $151 plates and calls the package $316. That pairing is the official cash due for title and plates on a conventional passenger car, before any city sticker or emissions inspection.
Battery-electric vehicles are different. Statute 625 ILCS 5/3-805(a) adds $100 a year when the engine is electric and not utilizing motor fuel, in lieu of motor fuel tax. ILSOS EV plates therefore show $251 a year ($151 + $100). A first-time titled electric vehicle is $416 ($165 title + $251 plates). A conventional hybrid does not pay the extra $100. A plug-in hybrid still uses motor fuel, so the calculator must not apply the $100 line to a PHEV.
Example 1: Conventional passenger car at the Secretary of State
Scenario: You buy a gasoline car from an Illinois dealer and title it as a passenger vehicle. No electric extra, no city sticker entered.
Original title (625 ILCS 5/3-821): $165.00 Passenger plates (625 ILCS 5/3-806): $151.00 ———————————————— Title and plates: $316.00
That $316 is the official pairing ILSOS prints. It is the fee total used in the $38,000 worked example later in this guide.
Example 2: First-time titled battery-electric vehicle
Scenario: Same title, but the car is a battery-electric vehicle that does not use motor fuel.
Original title: $165.00 Passenger plates: $151.00 BEV extra (625 ILCS 5/3-805(a)): $100.00 ———————————————— First-time titled EV package: $416.00
ILSOS electric-vehicle plates describe first issuance as $416. The extra $100 is a real registration charge, not a footnote. A conventional hybrid stays at $316.
References:
- 625 ILCS 5/3-821 — original title $165
- 625 ILCS 5/3-806 — passenger registration $148 + $1 + $2
- 625 ILCS 5/3-805(a) — electric engine not utilizing motor fuel, +$100
- ILSOS basic fees
- ILSOS electric vehicle plates
Dealer Sales: Form ST-556 at 6.25% Plus the Purchaser’s Local Rate
An Illinois dealer collecting tax on a titled motor vehicle files Form ST-556. The state rate on general merchandise, including automobiles, is 6.25 percent of selling price. That rate is in 35 ILCS 120/2-10 (retailers’ occupation tax) and 35 ILCS 105/3-10 (use tax). The Illinois Department of Revenue’s titled-property pages confirm the same 6.25 percent state figure.
The tax rate is determined by the purchaser’s address in ST-556 Section 1 — the same address that will appear on the title and registration. Local home-rule, non-home-rule, RTA, MED, county public-safety, and similar add-ons vary. There is no single statewide combined rate. A calculator that defaults to an invented “Chicago 10.25 percent” is inventing a number the Department of Revenue does not publish as a statewide default. Look the combined rate up in the MyTax Tax Rate Finder. Do not scrape that tool. Enter the local add-on (combined rate minus 6.25 percent). Default that local add-on at zero until you look it up.
One special ST-556 instruction matters in the collar counties. A dealer in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, or Will County who sells to a Chicago address collects an additional 1.25 percent Chicago Home Rule Use Tax. That is not the default for every Illinois deal. A Peoria buyer, a downstate dealer, or a Chicago resident buying in a non-collar county should not have 1.25 percent forced onto the form.
What goes into the ST-556 taxable base
ST-556-WS walks through the arithmetic and asks the dealer to round price and trade-in to the nearest dollar on the return:
- Total price — include accessories, federal excise, freight and labor, dealer preparation, documentary fees, and dealer-reimbursed rebates or incentives.
- Subtract total trade-in credit or value.
- Tax equals Line 3 multiplied by the combined rate.
A qualified trade-in reduces dealer tax when the dealer is in the business of selling that kind of property (Form ST-9). For a few years Illinois capped the first-division trade-in at $10,000. That cap applied only from 1 January 2020 through 31 December 2021. Public Act 102-0353 removed it for sales on or after 1 January 2022. A 2026 calculator must not revive the expired cap.
Example 1: New Illinois dealer, no trade, extra doc $0
Scenario: Selling price $38,000. No documentary fee beyond what is already in the price. No trade-in. Local add-on 0 percent for the illustration.
ST-556 selling price: $38,000 Qualified trade-in: $0 Taxable base: $38,000 State tax (6.25%): $38,000 × 0.0625 = $2,375.00 Local tax (0%): $0.00 ———————————————— Total Illinois vehicle tax: $2,375.00
Do not copy Georgia TAVT of $2,660. Do not use RUT-5 Table B of $1,600 (the $30,000–$49,999.99 private-party bracket) on this dealer sale.
Example 2: Used Illinois dealer with a qualified trade-in
Scenario: Price $18,500 including the documentary fee. Qualified trade-in $3,000. Form ST-556, not RUT-5.
Selling price (includes doc): $18,500 Qualified trade-in: −$3,000 Taxable base: $15,500 State tax (6.25%): $15,500 × 0.0625 = $968.75 Local tax: add the purchaser’s MyTax rate Do NOT use RUT-5 Table B $850 on a dealer sale
The $10,000 cap is gone. The full $3,000 trade-in reduces the 2026 dealer base. Cash down, if any, would not.
Documentary fees deserve a separate warning. Motor Vehicle Retail Installment Sales Act section 815 ILCS 375/11.1 caps the fee at a $300 base on 1 January 2020 plus annual CPI. Illinois does not publish the 2026 dollar cap on a .gov page. An association figure such as “$377.63” is not a government publication and must not be imported as an official default. The calculator defaults the fee at $0. If the dealer charges a fee, two things happen: the fee is in the ST-556 tax base, and if you finance it, it is added to principal. The required retail installment contract notice is that the fee is not an official government fee.
Example 1: A $300 documentary fee on the $38,000 car
Scenario: The price on the window is $38,000. The dealer adds a $300 documentary fee that was not already in that price.
Price: $38,000 Documentary fee (in Line 1): $300 Taxable base: $38,300 State tax: $38,300 × 0.0625 = $2,393.75
Leaving the doc fee out of the 6.25 percent base understates tax by $18.75. The calculator must not do that.
Example 2: A $2,000 manufacturer rebate on the same car
Scenario: The dealer reimburses a $2,000 factory rebate. ST-556-WS puts dealer-reimbursed rebates in Line 1.
Selling price still in the tax base: $38,000 Rebate (does NOT reduce ST-556 tax): $2,000 State tax remains: $2,375.00 Amount financed drops by the rebate; tax does not.
RUT-25 instructions use the same rule in four words: “Do not deduct rebates.” The rebate is real money against the loan. It is not a tax cut.
References:
- ST-556 instructions — purchaser’s address determines the rate
- ST-556-WS — price, trade-in, documentary fees, dealer-reimbursed rebates
- ST-9 — qualified trade-in; $10,000 cap repealed 1 January 2022
- 815 ILCS 375/11.1 — documentary fee cap formula
- IDOR use tax on titled property
Private-Party Sales: The RUT-5 2026 Dollar Chart, Not 6.25%
A casual sale is Form RUT-50. The tax is the dollar amount on Form RUT-5 (R-12/25), effective 1 January 2026 through 31 December 2026. The instructions are blunt: “A trade-in deduction is not allowed on this tax.” Applying dealer 6.25 percent to a driveway sale is the wrong statute.
Table A covers price or fair market value under $15,000 and depends on model year. Table B covers $15,000 or more and depends on the price (or FMV) bracket. Motorcycles, ATVs, and motor-driven cycles are a flat $25. Certain family transfers, estate-to-non-spouse transfers, and reorganizations are $15. Qualifying exemptions are $0. Any local government private-party use tax (RUT-6) is user-entered; the state does not publish a single RUT-6 default.
| RUT-5 Table A — under $15,000 (model year) | Tax due |
|---|---|
| 2025 or newer | $465 |
| 2024 | $365 |
| 2023 | $290 |
| 2022 | $240 |
| 2021 | $190 |
| 2020 | $165 |
| 2019 | $155 |
| 2018 | $140 |
| 2017 | $125 |
| 2016 | $115 |
| 2015 or older | $100 |
| RUT-5 Table B — $15,000 or more (price or FMV) | Tax due |
|---|---|
| $15,000 – $19,999.99 | $850 |
| $20,000 – $24,999.99 | $1,100 |
| $25,000 – $29,999.99 | $1,350 |
| $30,000 – $49,999.99 | $1,600 |
| $50,000 – $99,999.99 | $2,600 |
| $100,000 – $999,999.99 | $5,100 |
| $1,000,000 or more | $10,100 |
Example 1: Private-party car at $18,500
Scenario: You buy a used car from a neighbor for $18,500. The seller takes your old car in on the side. That trade does not change RUT-5.
Purchase price / FMV: $18,500 Table B bracket: $15,000–$19,999.99 RUT-5 tax due: $850 Trade-in: not allowed on this tax Do NOT apply 6.25% → $1,156.25 would be wrong Typical SOS cash: title $165 + plates $151
The $850 figure is the official 2026 Table B amount. Add any RUT-6 local the user enters. Title and plates are usually paid in cash at the Secretary of State.
Example 2: Private-party car under $15,000, 2023 model
Scenario: Purchase price $12,000. Model year 2023. No special family or motorcycle rule.
Price / FMV: $12,000 (under $15,000) Table A, 2023 model year: $290 Motorcycle / ATV rule ($25): does not apply Family / estate / reorg ($15): does not apply
If the same $12,000 car were a 2025 or newer model, Table A would be $465. Model year only matters under $15,000. At $15,000 the table switches to dollars by bracket, not by year.
References:
- RUT-5 (R-12/25) — calendar 2026 chart
- Form RUT-50 — private-party vehicle use tax return
- RUT-6 — local government private-party use tax (user-entered)
Out-of-State Dealers, New Residents, and Nonresident Delivery
Not every Illinois title starts at an Illinois dealership. Three other official paths show up often enough that a calculator should name them, without inventing rates the Department of Revenue does not print as defaults.
Out-of-state unregistered dealer — Form RUT-25. The buyer files RUT-25. The base is purchase price minus a documented trade-in on the bill of sale. Rebates are not deducted. The rate comes from the Tax Rate Finder for the Illinois address. Cook County combined prints changed 1 August 2026; do not use a pre-August Cook figure. The calculator applies 6.25 percent plus the user-entered local add-on to that base.
New resident / already owned out of state. If an individual used the vehicle outside Illinois at least three months, RUT-5 provides an exemption and the use tax is $0. Title $165 and plates $151 still apply. If the vehicle was used outside Illinois for a shorter time, Illinois use tax is due with a credit for tax paid to another state (35 ILCS 105). The calculator applies that credit only on the under-three-months channel.
Nonresident delivery in Illinois. Reciprocal and non-reciprocal rules live on the ST-58 chart. Tax is at the other state’s rate, capped at 6.25 percent (35 ILCS 120/2-5(25-5)). That is a dealer-to-nonresident fact pattern, not a default for an Illinois resident’s loan estimate, so the calculator does not bake in another state’s rate.
Example 1: New resident, used the car in Iowa for a year
Scenario: You move to Illinois with a car you have driven in Iowa for 14 months. You title it here.
RUT-5 3-month use test: met (14 months) Illinois use tax: $0.00 Original title: $165.00 Passenger plates: $151.00 ———————————————— Cash at SOS (before city sticker): $316.00
The exemption is for individuals who used the vehicle outside Illinois at least three months. It is not a reduced TAVT-style rate. Title and plates remain due.
Example 2: Illinois resident buys from an unregistered out-of-state dealer
Scenario: Price $22,000, documented trade-in $4,000, no rebate deduction. Local add-on still 0 percent until you look up MyTax. Cook County buyers must use a combined print dated on or after 1 August 2026.
Purchase price: $22,000 Documented trade-in: −$4,000 RUT-25 taxable base: $18,000 State 6.25%: $18,000 × 0.0625 = $1,125.00 Local: user-entered MyTax add-on Rebate: do not deduct
This is still a percentage tax, not RUT-5 Table B. The $18,000 private-party chart amount of $850 would be the wrong form.
References:
- RUT-25 instructions — out-of-state unregistered dealer; Cook County change 1 August 2026
- 35 ILCS 105 — use tax and credit for tax paid to another state
- 35 ILCS 120/2-5(25-5) — nonresident delivery cap at 6.25%
- ST-58 chart — reciprocal / non-reciprocal nonresident delivery
How the Illinois Auto Loan Calculator Turns Tax Into a Payment
Tax is only half of the estimate. The other half is ordinary amortization at the rate you actually sign. Illinois has no statewide official APR series. The official United States series is the Federal Reserve G.19 Consumer Credit release. The current release dated 7 August 2026 prints a commercial-bank 60-month new-car average of 7.14 percent for the second quarter of 2026. Bank rates in that table are unweighted averages of each bank’s most common rate in the first calendar week of the middle month of the quarter. They are not origination-weighted and not Illinois-specific.
G.19 also prints a 72-month new-car bank average of 6.97 percent for the same quarter. That is the banks’ “most common” quoted mix, not a term premium. Do not treat it as proof that longer terms are cheaper. Finance-company new-car rates print near 6.1 percent (Q1) / 6.08 percent (March 2026, FRED RIELPCFANNM). Those are context, not the calculator default. G.19 does not publish a used-car APR. The calculator must not invent one. Prefill 7.14 percent only as the official 60-month new-car bank average. For a used car, enter your lender quote, or leave 7.14 percent only as an illustration labeled at the official new-car bank rate.
Context that is official but not a calculator default: the effective federal funds rate was 3.63 percent (H.15, 21–27 August 2026) and bank prime was 6.75 percent. There is no official government APR-by-FICO table. Credit-score presets do not belong on this form.
The payment math is standard. Treat the entered rate as a nominal annual rate, compounded monthly. Monthly rate i equals the annual rate divided by 12. For amount financed P over n months:
Monthly payment M = P × [ i(1+i)n ] / [ (1+i)n − 1 ]. If the rate is zero, M = P / n. Round M to cents (half-up). The last payment clears the residual. Totals come from that schedule. This is an estimate, not a Regulation Z APR solution and not a lender offer.
Amount financed is approximately (price − down − trade + trade payoff − rebate) + rolled sales tax or RUT-5 + rolled fees + financed GAP and warranty. Cash due is down plus any tax and fees not rolled. Rolling tax finances the tax; it does not change the tax. If you enter a documentary fee, it is added to the ST-556 price before tax.
Illinois lending notes that are not line items: dealer retail installment contracts may add a delinquency charge on each installment in default not less than 10 days, not exceeding 5 percent of the installment if the installment is over $200, or $10 if $200 or less, and only one charge per installment (815 ILCS 375/11). The finance-charge ceiling in 815 ILCS 375/21 points to the Predatory Loan Prevention Act. The calculator amortizes at the user’s contract rate and does not hard-code a usury engine.
Example 1: Same $34,200 financed, 7.14% versus a 0% promotional rate
Scenario: Price $38,000, down $3,800, tax and fees paid in cash so the amount financed is $34,200. Term 60 months.
At official G.19 7.14%: Monthly payment: $679.46 Total of payments: $40,767.75 Total interest: $6,567.75 At 0% for 60 months: Monthly payment: $34,200 / 60 = $570.00 Total interest: $0.00
The 7.14 percent prefill is an illustration of the official bank average, not a promise that your credit union will match it.
Example 2: Why 84 months is not an official default
Scenario: A dealer offers 84 months. G.19 publishes a 60-month series. Eighty-four is a contract term, not a government default.
Amount financed $34,200 at 7.14%: 60 months: $679.46 / month 84 months: longer term, lower payment, more interest The calculator lets you type 84. It does not treat 84 as official.
Enter the term your lender actually offers. The 60-month chip exists because that is the G.19 series the 7.14 percent print belongs to.
References:
- Federal Reserve G.19 current release, 7 August 2026 (June / Q2 2026 data)
- Federal Reserve H.15; FRED series RIELPCFANNM
- 815 ILCS 375/11 — dealer RIC delinquency charge
- 815 ILCS 375/21 — finance-charge ceiling / Predatory Loan Prevention Act
Complete Worked Examples: $38,000 Illinois Dealer Deal
Assumptions for both complete examples: new Illinois dealer, gasoline car (no EV +$100), extra documentary fee $0, no trade, no rebate, no GAP or warranty, state 6.25 percent only (local $0 in this illustration — you must add the purchaser’s combined rate before quoting Cook, Chicago, or downstate), original title $165, passenger plates $151, APR equal to the official G.19 60-month bank print of 7.14 percent, 60 months, payment rounded half-up to cents, last payment residuals.
Example A: Tax, title, and plates rolled into the loan
Scenario: Price $38,000. Down payment $3,800 (10 percent). You finance the Illinois tax and the $316 title-and-plate package.
Selling price: $38,000.00 Cash down: −$3,800.00 State tax 6.25% × $38,000: +$2,375.00 Title $165 + plates $151: +$316.00 ———————————————— Amount financed P: $36,891.00 Monthly payment at 7.14% / 60 mo: $732.93 Cash due at signing: $3,800.00 Total of payments: $43,975.45 Total interest: $7,084.45
That $732.93 is the official worked-example monthly payment for this Illinois deal. It is not Georgia TAVT. It is not RUT-5. Add your MyTax local rate on the same $38,000 before you treat the quote as a Chicago or collar-county number.
Example B: Same deal, tax and fees paid in cash
Scenario: Identical $38,000 car and $3,800 down. You write a check for the $2,375 tax and the $316 title and plates instead of rolling them.
Amount financed P: $34,200.00 State tax paid at signing: $2,375.00 Title and plates paid at signing: $316.00 ———————————————— Monthly payment at 7.14% / 60 mo: $679.46 Cash due at signing: $6,491.00 Total of payments: $40,767.75 Total interest: $6,567.75 Rolling vs cash: Extra interest if you roll: $516.70 Less cash at signing if you roll: $2,691.00
Financing the tax does not change the $2,375. It changes who you pay interest to. Cash due rises by the unrolled tax and fees. The monthly payment falls because the principal is smaller.
Two more official illustrations complete the picture. They are tax examples, not payment quotes at a fake “used official APR.”
Example C: Used Illinois dealer with a $3,000 trade (ST-556)
Scenario: Price $18,500 including the documentary fee. Qualified trade-in $3,000.
Taxable (ST-556): $18,500 − $3,000 = $15,500 State tax: $15,500 × 0.0625 = $968.75 Plus user-entered local Do not use RUT-5 Table B $850 Payment is not shown at a “used official APR.”
Enter your used-car lender quote. G.19 has no used-car series.
Example D: Private party, same $18,500 (RUT-50 / RUT-5)
Scenario: Same price on a casual sale. Trade-in does not reduce private-party tax.
RUT-5 Table B $15,000–$19,999.99: $850 Plus any RUT-6 local (user-entered) Typical cash at SOS: title $165 + plates $151 Do not apply 6.25%.
The $850 chart amount is the official 2026 private-party tax on that price. It is not a down payment and it is not 6.25 percent of $18,500.
City Stickers, Emissions, and Other User-Entered Costs
Chicago’s city sticker is a City Clerk wheel tax, not a Secretary of State fee. The state does not publish an official statewide sticker dollar that belongs in a loan calculator default. Emissions inspection in affected counties is the same story: no official statewide inspection price. The calculator offers both as user-entered lines defaulting to $0. If you live in Chicago, type the Clerk’s current sticker. If your county inspects, type the inspection charge. Do not treat either as an ILSOS line.
Duplicate or corrected titles print at $50 on the ILSOS fee table. Salvage titles print at $20. Those are not the original-title default on a purchase calculator. Original title remains $165.
Example 1: Downstate ICE deal, no city sticker
Scenario: The $38,000 Example A facts. Chicago sticker $0. Emissions $0.
Title + plates: $316.00 Chicago sticker: $0.00 Emissions: $0.00 Fee subtotal: $316.00
This is the official Example A fee total. Nothing is invented for a city the buyer does not live in.
Example 2: Buyer adds a city sticker later
Scenario: Same deal. The buyer types a City Clerk sticker into the user-entered field. The calculator adds that dollar to the fee subtotal. It still does not invent the Clerk’s price.
Title + plates (official): $316.00 City sticker (user-entered): whatever you type Default before you type: $0.00
The important rule is the default. Official is $0 until a government source for that buyer’s city is typed in.
Common Questions
Does cash down reduce Illinois sales tax? No. Cash down reduces amount financed and cash due. ST-556 still taxes selling price minus qualified trade-in. RUT-5 does not care about down payment either.
Does a trade-in reduce a private-party tax? No. RUT-5 states that a trade-in deduction is not allowed. On a dealer ST-556 sale, a qualified trade-in does reduce the base, and the old $10,000 cap is gone for 2026 sales.
Why isn’t the APR different for used cars? Because the Federal Reserve does not publish a used-car APR. Inventing one from an industry survey would violate the official-figures rule. Type your lender’s used quote.
Is there a Lemon Law fee at purchase? No. 815 ILCS 380 is a warranty remedy, not a Secretary of State surcharge. Georgia’s $3 lemon stamp does not travel with you to Illinois.
Will a plug-in hybrid pay the $100 electric extra? The statute requires an electric engine and not utilizing motor fuel. A PHEV uses motor fuel. The $100 line is for battery-electric vehicles that do not. Conventional hybrids do not pay it either.
Can I use a 10.25 percent “Chicago rate” as the default? No. Combined rates vary by address. Collar-county dealers selling to a Chicago address collect an extra 1.25 percent Chicago Home Rule Use Tax in the ST-556 instructions, but that is not every Illinois deal. Look up MyTax. Default local at 0 percent.
Where the Numbers Come From
State tax, local-rate logic, ST-556, RUT-5, RUT-25, and the three-month new-resident rule come from the Illinois Department of Revenue and the Illinois Compiled Statutes, accessed 29 August 2026. Title, plate, and electric-vehicle amounts come from the Illinois Secretary of State fee table and 625 ILCS 5/3-821, 3-806, and 3-805. The 7.14 percent illustration is the Federal Reserve G.19 commercial-bank 60-month new-car average for the second quarter of 2026, released 7 August 2026. Documentary-fee treatment follows 815 ILCS 375/11.1 and ST-556-WS. Nothing in this guide is taken from Experian, Edmunds, Bankrate, CarEdge, or an Illinois Automobile Dealers Association rate sheet.
When a public agency does not publish a 2026 dollar — the CPI-adjusted documentary-fee cap, a Chicago sticker, an emissions inspection, a RUT-6 local, or a used-car APR — the calculator leaves the field at zero or blank and asks you to type the charge you were actually quoted. That is stricter than filling the hole with a survey. It is also more honest.
What You Should Take Away
An Illinois auto loan estimate has two engines. The dealer engine is 6.25 percent of selling price, including documentary fees, minus a qualified trade-in, plus the purchaser’s local rate from MyTax. The private-party engine is the RUT-5 2026 dollar chart. Mixing those engines is how $850 becomes $1,156, or how $2,375 becomes Georgia’s $2,660. Title is $165. Passenger plates are $151. A battery-electric first issuance is $416. Lemon Law adds nothing at the window. The official 60-month new-car bank illustration is 7.14 percent.
On a $38,000 Illinois dealer car with $3,800 down, state tax only, and title and plates rolled in, the official worked example pays $732.93 a month. Paying tax and fees in cash drops the payment to $679.46 and raises cash at signing to $6,491. Add your local MyTax rate before you call either number a Chicago quote. Then replace 7.14 percent with the APR on the contract you were offered. The calculator is an estimate, not a TILA disclosure and not a lender offer.
Disclaimer: This article and the matching VehicleTaxCalculator.com form are estimates only. They are not a Regulation Z / TILA quote, not a lender offer, and not legal, tax, or financing advice. Verify current combined rates in the MyTax Tax Rate Finder, confirm title and plate amounts with the Illinois Secretary of State, and amortize at the contract APR your lender discloses. Spec date 29 August 2026.
Complete Reference List
- Federal Reserve, G.19 Consumer Credit, current release 7 August 2026 — https://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/g19/current/default.htm
- Federal Reserve H.15 Selected Interest Rates; FRED RIELPCFANNM
- 35 ILCS 120/2-10 — 6.25% retailers’ occupation tax
- 35 ILCS 105/3-10 — 6.25% use tax
- 35 ILCS 120/2-5(25-5) — nonresident delivery cap
- 35 ILCS 105 — credit for tax paid to another state; three-month new-resident use
- Illinois Department of Revenue, use tax on titled property — tax.illinois.gov/localgovernments/use.html
- IDOR tax rates — tax.illinois.gov/research/taxrates/use.html
- ST-556 instructions — ST-556 Sales Tax Transaction Return Instructions
- ST-556-WS; ST-9 (trade-in; $10,000 cap repealed 1 January 2022)
- RUT-25 instructions (Cook County combined prints changed 1 August 2026)
- RUT-5 2026 chart — rut-5.pdf
- 625 ILCS 5/3-821 (title $165); 5/3-806 (passenger $148+$1+$2); 5/3-805 (BEV +$100)
- Illinois Secretary of State fees — ilsos.gov basic fees
- ILSOS passenger plates — passenger plate guide
- ILSOS EV plates — electric vehicle plates
- 815 ILCS 375/11 (late charge); 375/11.1 (documentary-fee cap formula); 375/21
- 815 ILCS 380 — New Vehicle Buyer Protection Act (Lemon Law)
Access date: 29 August 2026.