Titling excise 6.5% · Title $200.00 · Class A tags from $120.50/year · MDOT MVA
This Maryland car tax and title fees calculator is the MVA visit people mean by “maryland car tax calculator,” “maryland tax tag and title calculator,” and “maryland mva fee estimator.” Maryland does not add a local sales tax on top of the car bill. The tax at titling is a statewide vehicle excise tax of 6.5% (Maryland statewide (no local excise stack)). On a $38,000 purchase that tax is $2,470.00. Add a passenger title of $200.00 and one-year Class A tags from $120.50 (the posted total already includes the $40.00 EMS surcharge) and the estimated tax, tags, and title is $2,790.50. A $5,000 trade-in does not change the 6.5% line here ($2,470.00). Use the calculator on this page; MDOT MVA sets the receipt.In this guide
- How much are Maryland tax, tag, and title fees?
- Maryland’s 6.5% titling excise (not 6% sales tax)
- Title fees: $200, not $100
- Tags, registration, and 1-, 2-, or 3-year plates
- Trade-in credit and taxable value
- Used cars, private sales, and the $640 floor
- Family gifts and inheritance
- New residents and out-of-state titles
- Does Maryland charge property tax on cars?
- How to calculate tax, tags, and title
- What this page does not estimate
- Cuánto cuesta plaquear un carro en Maryland
- How to use this calculator
- Two complete buying examples
- Common questions
Estimate your own deal: The Maryland tax, tags, and title calculator on this page is the same calculator as the figures below. Verify amounts on MDOT MVA’s Fees and Payment Options page and the Excise Tax page. Class A registration is in Md. Code, Transportation §13-912.
How much are Maryland tax, tag, and title fees?
Short answer: Maryland car tax at titling is 6.5% of taxable value — not the old 6% rate, and not grocery sales tax. On $38,000 that is $2,470.00. A passenger title is $200.00. One-year Class A tags start at $120.50 (3,500 lbs or less, EMS included). Title plus those tags is $320.50 before tax. Tax + title + 1-year light tags on $38,000 is $2,790.50. Two-year tags on the same car are $2,911.00.
Default figures on this page are excise tax only. Title and tags appear when the sentence is about those fees. That keeps “maryland car tax calculator” from mixing a $120.50 tag into a tax quote.
| Deal (Class A, 3,500 lbs or less, 1-year tags unless noted) | Titling excise | Tax + title + tags |
|---|---|---|
| $38,000 dealer purchase | $2,470.00 | $2,790.50 |
| Same with a $5,000 trade-in | $2,470.00 | $2,790.50 |
| $18,000 private-party used | $1,170.00 | $1,490.50 |
| $38,000, two-year tags | $2,470.00 | $2,911.00 |
| $38,000, over 3,700 lbs | $2,470.00 | $2,861.50 |
| Qualifying family gift (VR-103) | $0.00 | $320.50 |
| $500 sale (hits the valuation floor) | $41.60 | $362.10 |
Example 1 — Tax only on a $38,000 car
Rate: 6.5% Excise tax: $2,470.00
This is the Maryland vehicle sales tax people mean. It is a titling excise, not the 6% general sales tax on other goods.
Example 2 — Same car with title and one-year tags
Tax: $2,470.00 Title: $200.00 1-year Class A tags (≤3,500 lbs): $120.50 Estimated total: $2,790.50
Stale quotes to ignore: A 6% “official MVA” rate is the pre–July 1, 2025 figure. Passenger title is $200.00, not $100. Do not add another $40.00 EMS line on top of the Class A totals on this page — MVA already built that surcharge into $120.50, $125.50, and $191.50.
Maryland’s 6.5% titling excise (not 6% sales tax)
When someone searches “maryland car sales tax,” “maryland vehicle sales tax rate,” or “maryland excise tax calculator,” they are usually looking for the titling excise tax collected when MVA issues the title. For a non-rental passenger vehicle the current rate is 6.5%. Rental vehicles use 3.5%. There is no county or city excise stacked on that line (0% local; Maryland statewide (no local excise stack)).
Contracts on or after July 1, 2025 use 6.5%. Older 6% quotes belong to contracts before that date. If you are looking at a 2026 purchase, use 6.5%.
Taxable value is the greater of the verified purchase price (or the taxable value you enter if MVA uses a different verified figure) and a floor of $640.00. At 6.5%, that floor produces a minimum tax of $41.60. New and used cars use the same 6.5% unless the vehicle is a rental or a qualifying gift or inheritance.
Example 1 — New $38,000 dealer car
$38,000 × 6.5% = $2,470.00
Same math for a used car at the same price. Maryland does not cut the rate because the car is used.
Example 2 — Rental vehicle at the same price
$38,000 × 3.5% = $1,330.00 Rental title: $100.00 Estimated tax + title + 1-year tags: $1,550.50
A personal-use title on that deal would have been $200.00, not the rental $100.00.
Official: MDOT MVA Excise Tax and the New Vehicle Registration Fees bulletin (rate change effective July 1, 2025).
Title fees: $200, not $100
“Maryland title fee calculator” and “how much is a car title in maryland” should land on the current passenger certificate: $200.00. The older $100 passenger title is stale. Rental titles are $100.00. A duplicate title is $40.00. A corrected title is $80.00.
Title is a flat MVA fee. It does not change with the $38,000 or $18,000 purchase price. You still pay it on a qualifying family gift even when excise tax is $0.00.
Example 1 — First title on a purchase
Passenger title: $200.00 Plus 1-year light tags: $120.50 Title + tags (no tax): $320.50
Example 2 — Duplicate vs first-issue title
First passenger title: $200.00 Duplicate title: $40.00 Corrected title: $80.00
A lost-title visit is not the same bill as tagging a newly purchased car. Use $40.00 only when MVA is issuing a replacement certificate.
Official: MVA Fees and Payment Options — title, duplicate, and corrected certificate rows.
Tags, registration, and 1-, 2-, or 3-year plates
“Maryland vehicle registration fee calculator,” “how much is 2-year tags in maryland,” and “cost of tags in maryland” all point at Class A registration. Posted one-year totals already include the $40.00 Emergency Medical System surcharge:
| Class A shipping weight | 1-year tags | 2-year tags | 3-year tags |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3,500 lbs or less | $120.50 | $241.00 | $361.50 |
| 3,501–3,700 lbs | $125.50 | $251.00 | $376.50 |
| Over 3,700 lbs | $191.50 | $383.00 | $574.50 |
MVA lets you buy up to three years at a time. This page multiplies the annual Class A total. Two-year light tags plus title (no tax) are $441.00. Three-year light tags alone are $361.50.
Example 1 — One-year vs two-year tags on a $38,000 light car
1-year tax + title + tags: $2,790.50 2-year tax + title + tags: $2,911.00
The extra year is the second $120.50 — tax and title do not double.
Example 2 — Same $38,000 car over 3,700 lbs
Heavy 1-year tags: $191.50 Tax + title + heavy tags: $2,861.50
Use the shipping weight on the manufacturer’s label or the MVA record, not curb-weight guesses from a listing photo.
Official: MVA fee schedule Class A rows; Md. Code, Transportation §13-912.
Trade-in credit and taxable value
Searches for “maryland vehicle excise tax calculation with trade-in” want a smaller 6.5% bill. On this page, a trade-in does not automatically cut the excise. A $38,000 price with a $5,000 trade still taxes $2,470.00 — the same as $2,470.00. The trade-in field here is for a loan illustration (how much you finance), not a Maryland tax subtraction.
MVA taxes a verified taxable value: typically the purchase price on a bill of sale, with a floor of $640.00. If MVA’s verified figure is different from the sticker — for example because the agency nets something on the title application — enter that taxable value in the calculator so the 6.5% matches what MVA will use. Confirm the rule on the Excise Tax page before you assume a dealer trade wiped part of the tax.
Example 1 — $38,000 with a $5,000 trade, tax as entered
Price $38,000, trade $5,000 Excise on this page: $2,470.00
Example 2 — You enter MVA’s verified taxable value instead
If MVA’s verified taxable value is $33,000, put $33,000 in as the price (or taxable value) so the tax is $2,145.00. Do not subtract the trade twice. Always match the figure MVA will verify.
Do not assume a trade-in discount. Maryland is not a “price minus trade, then tax” state on this calculator. If a dealer worksheet shows a lower taxable amount, that is MVA’s verified value — enter that value, then check it against the Excise Tax page.
Used cars, private sales, and the $640 floor
Used-car sales tax in Maryland is still 6.5% on taxable value. A private $18,000 sale is $1,170.00, then title $200.00 and tags. Total with one-year light tags: $1,490.50.
Very cheap sales still hit the valuation floor. MVA’s minimum taxable value is $640.00. A $500 purchase is taxed as if it were $640.00, so excise is $41.60, and tax + title + 1-year light tags is $362.10. Older vehicles can also be valued from MVA’s book-value rules on the Excise Tax page — if the book figure is what MVA will use, enter that taxable value.
Example 1 — Private $18,000 used car
Excise: $1,170.00 Title: $200.00 1-year tags: $120.50 Estimated total: $1,490.50
Example 2 — $500 private sale (floor)
Greater of $500 or $640.00 = $640.00 $640.00 × 6.5% = $41.60 With title and 1-year tags: $362.10
Family gifts and inheritance
A qualifying family gift on form VR-103 can drop excise to $0.00. You still pay the title and tags: $320.50. Inheritance to an immediate family member on this page uses the same $0 excise path: $0.00, with the same $320.50 fee package. MVA’s gift page lists who counts as immediate family and when the vehicle must already have a Maryland title. A gift from out of state that was never Maryland-titled is generally taxable — do not mark it as a family gift unless MVA says it qualifies.
Example 1 — Parent-to-child gift, already Maryland titled
Excise: $0.00 Title + 1-year tags: $320.50
Compared with buying the same car, you skip $2,470.00 of excise.
Example 2 — Same car as a regular purchase
Excise: $2,470.00 Tax + title + tags: $2,790.50
Official: MVA Giving a Vehicle as a Gift and form VR-103.
New residents and out-of-state titles
If you move to Maryland and title a vehicle already registered somewhere else, MVA’s Excise Tax page splits the result by how long you have lived here and how old the vehicle is. This calculator follows two common paths:
- Within 60 days, vehicle 7 or more model years old: the minimum tax path of $41.60. On a $38,000 eight-year-old car that is $41.60, and with title and one-year light tags $362.10.
- More than 60 days after the move: full 6.5% on taxable value, the same $2,470.00 as a Maryland purchase.
Newer vehicles (six model years or newer) brought in within 60 days may owe the difference after a credit for titling tax already paid in the other state. Enter the amount you actually paid elsewhere; this page subtracts that credit. Confirm the other state’s rate with MVA. Military members have separate rows on MVA’s Excise Tax page — use those rows rather than the civilian 60-day examples here.
Example 1 — New resident, 8-year-old car, titled within 60 days
Excise: $41.60 With title and 1-year tags: $362.10
Example 2 — Same car titled after the 60-day window
Full 6.5% on $38,000: $2,470.00 With title and 1-year tags: $2,790.50
Does Maryland charge property tax on cars?
“Does maryland have vehicle property tax” and “maryland car property tax” are asking about an annual county mill-rate bill like some other states use. This page is the tax you pay when you title the car — the 6.5% titling excise — plus MVA title and tags. It is not an annual personal-property tax table for automobiles, and it does not estimate county millage on a car.
Maryland still has property tax on real estate. That is a different office (the State Department of Assessments and Taxation and your county). Do not add a made-up car property tax on top of $2,470.00.
Example 1 — What you pay MVA on a $38,000 purchase
Titling excise $2,470.00 + title $200.00 + 1-year tags $120.50 = $2,790.50. That is the car tax, tags, and title on this page.
Example 2 — A later tag renewal
Renewal is the Class A tag line again — $120.50 for one year on a light car, or $241.00 for two years — not another 6.5% of the purchase price and not a county car property tax.
How to calculate tax, tags, and title
- Start with MVA’s taxable value: usually the purchase price, never below $640.00, unless a gift or inheritance wipes the tax. Multiply by 6.5% (or 3.5% for a rental). $38,000 → $2,470.00. $18,000 private → $1,170.00.
- Add the passenger title $200.00 (rental $100.00). Skip this only if you are quoting tags alone.
- Pick Class A shipping weight and 1, 2, or 3 years. Light one-year tags are $120.50. Do not add EMS again.
- If you are a new resident with a 7+ year-old vehicle titled within 60 days, swap the tax line for $41.60 instead of full 6.5%.
- Add any ZEV/PHEV surcharge or VEIP inspection fee only if MVA’s current miscellaneous-fee list shows an amount for your vehicle. Those lines default to $0 on this page until you enter them.
Example 1 — Walkthrough on $38,000, light, 1-year
Tax: $2,470.00 Title: $200.00 Tags: $120.50 Total: $2,790.50
Example 2 — Walkthrough on $18,000 private, two-year tags
Tax: $1,170.00 Title: $200.00 2-year tags: $241.00 Total: $1,611.00
What this page does not estimate
This calculator is Maryland passenger vehicles titled with MVA. For everything else, ask the office that bills it.
- Real-estate transfer and recordation tax. “Maryland transfer tax calculator” and “maryland recordation tax calculator” are house closings, not car titles. Ask SDAT or your county.
- Title insurance. That is a lender product on real estate, not MVA’s $200.00 certificate.
- Historic tags, temporary tags, and custom plates. Ask MVA’s miscellaneous plate rows. Class A $120.50 is not a historic or temp tag.
- VEIP emissions test dollars and ZEV/PHEV surcharges unless you type the current MVA amount. This page does not guess Tesla-specific registration extras.
- Boats, tire tax, and tolls. Different agencies, different bills.
- Driver IDs, estimated income tax, raffle cars, and lemon-law buybacks. Ask MVA, the Comptroller, or the program that runs that transaction.
- Fuel-economy or gas-price calculators. This page is tax, tags, and title.
Example 1 — House transfer tax
A Maryland home sale uses county recordation and state transfer tax. It is not 6.5% of a car price and not $200.00.
Example 2 — Temporary tags
Ask MVA what a temporary plate costs today. Do not use the annual Class A $120.50 as a temp-tag quote.
Cuánto cuesta plaquear un carro en Maryland
Plaquear (título y placas) en Maryland no es el impuesto de ventas del supermercado. El impuesto al titular es 6.5%. En un carro de $38,000 eso es $2,470.00. El título de pasajero cuesta $200.00. Las placas Class A de un año (hasta 3,500 lb, recargo EMS incluido) cuestan $120.50. El total estimado de impuesto, título y placas de un año es $2,790.50. Un regalo familiar que califica (VR-103) deja el impuesto en $0.00 y el paquete de título y placas en $320.50. MDOT MVA cobra el monto final.
Ejemplo 1 — Compra de $38,000
Impuesto: $2,470.00 Total con título y placas de 1 año: $2,790.50
Ejemplo 2 — Venta privada de $18,000
Impuesto: $1,170.00 Total: $1,490.50
How to use this calculator
- Enter the purchase price MVA will verify. Maryland has no city sales-tax picker — the rate is statewide 6.5%.
- Leave the deal as a purchase unless it is a qualifying family gift, inheritance, or rental.
- Pick shipping weight and 1, 2, or 3 years of tags when you want the full MVA stack.
- Turn on title and full registration when you want tax + tags + title, not tax alone.
- If you are a new resident, set the 60-day path and the vehicle’s model age. Optional financing uses a Federal Reserve G.19 APR of 7.14% for illustration only.
Example 1 — Tax-only quote
$38,000 purchase: $2,470.00.
Example 2 — MVA fee-estimator quote
Title + 1-year light tags (no tax): $320.50. Full $38,000 deal: $2,790.50.
Two complete buying examples
Example 1 — $18,000 private used, 3,500 lbs or less, one-year tags
Excise (6.5%): $1,170.00 Title: $200.00 1-year Class A tags: $120.50 Estimated total: $1,490.50
Example 2 — $38,000 dealer, over 3,700 lbs, two-year tags, $5,000 trade
Excise (trade does not cut it here): $2,470.00 Title: $200.00 2-year heavy tags: $383.00 Estimated total: $3,053.00
The same car with one-year light tags instead of two-year heavy tags is $2,790.50.
Common questions
How much are Maryland car tax and title fees on a $38,000 car?
Excise $2,470.00. With passenger title and one-year light Class A tags: $2,790.50.
What is the Maryland car tax rate in 2026?
6.5% titling excise for non-rental vehicles, effective for contracts on or after July 1, 2025. It is not 6%.
Is Maryland car tax the same as sales tax?
People call it sales tax, but MVA collects a vehicle excise (titling) tax of 6.5%. Grocery sales tax is a different statute. There is no local car excise on this page (0%).
How much is title in Maryland?
Passenger title $200.00. Rental $100.00. Duplicate $40.00.
How much are tags in Maryland?
Class A one-year, EMS included: $120.50 / $125.50 / $191.50 by weight. Two-year light tags: $241.00. Three-year light tags: $361.50.
How much is 2-year tags in Maryland?
For a Class A car at 3,500 lbs or less: $241.00. That is two times $120.50.
Does a trade-in reduce Maryland excise tax?
Not automatically on this page. $38,000 with a $5,000 trade is still $2,470.00. If MVA verifies a different taxable value, enter that value.
What is the used-car sales tax rate?
The same 6.5%, with a $640.00 valuation floor (minimum tax $41.60).
Do I pay tax on a family gift?
A VR-103 qualifying immediate-family gift is $0.00 of excise. Title and tags are still $320.50.
I just moved to Maryland. How much is the tax?
Within 60 days, a vehicle 7 or more model years old often uses the $41.60 path ($41.60 on the $38,000 example). After 60 days, expect full 6.5%. Confirm age-band and credit rules on MVA’s Excise Tax page.
Does Maryland have property tax on cars?
This page estimates titling excise, title, and tags — not an annual county car property-tax bill. Ask SDAT or your county about real-estate property tax.
What about EV or Tesla registration fees?
Enter the current ZEV/PHEV surcharge from MVA’s miscellaneous fees if it applies. This page has no Tesla-only surcharge — use MVA’s current ZEV/PHEV amount if one applies. Class A tags are still the weight row above.
How much is a Maryland emissions test?
VEIP is billed separately. Enter the current inspection amount if you owe it; this page leaves that line at $0 until you do.
What APR does this calculator use if I finance?
7.14% — Federal Reserve G.19 60-month new-car bank average, not a Maryland cap. MVA’s fee table on this page has no separate lien line.
Before you sign
- Use 6.5%, not 6%, on a 2026 purchase.
- Use $200.00 for a passenger title, not $100.
- Do not subtract a trade-in from the 6.5% base unless MVA’s verified taxable value is actually lower — then enter that value.
- Do not add another $40.00 on top of Class A $120.50.
- A qualifying family gift skips excise; it does not skip title and tags.
- MVA’s receipt wins.
Complete reference list
- MDOT MVA Fees and Payment Options — title $200.00; Class A tags; EMS $40.00; duplicate $40.00
- MDOT MVA Excise Tax — 6.5%; $640.00 floor; 60-day new-resident paths
- MVA New Vehicle Registration Fees bulletin — 6.5% / 3.5% effective July 1, 2025 (HB352)
- MVA Giving a Vehicle as a Gift — VR-103 family path
- Md. Code, Transportation §13-912 — Class A registration
- Federal Reserve G.19 (7.14%)
Figures on this page are estimates that follow MDOT MVA amounts used by this calculator: titling excise 6.5% ($2,470.00 on a $38,000 purchase), passenger title $200.00, and Class A one-year tags from $120.50. MDOT MVA sets the amount you pay.