Florida (FL) Vehicle Sales Tax & Fees [+ Calculator]
How much extra are you going to have to pay for that new ride? Florida charges 6% state sales tax on a vehicle, plus a county surtax that applies only to the first $5,000 of the price.
Our expert editors have found that you must still pay dealer fees and vehicle sales tax for Florida. We’ve also created a sales tax calculator to help you get an idea of what you’ll pay before you buy.
Let’s dive in to learn more about the vehicle sales tax in Florida and what to expect.
How Much Will I Pay in Car Sales Tax in Florida Video
How Much Is the Car Sales Tax in Florida?
Sales tax in the United States varies by state. The car sales tax in Florida is 6%. Your county then adds a discretionary sales surtax on top, ranging from 0% in counties like Citrus and Collier up to 2% in Hamilton, with most counties between 0.5% and 1.5%.
Crucially, that surtax applies only to the first $5,000 of the price, so it can never add more than $100 to a car. The 6% state rate is what applies to the rest.
How to Calculate Florida Sales Tax on a Car
Find the sales tax percentage for your location, as this may increase the total sales tax fee to over the base amount of 6%. Then, you’ll multiply the cost of the vehicle by the sales tax percentage.
Let’s say in your location the sales tax is at the base of 6%. Imagine you purchased a vehicle from a trade-in. The full price was $30,000, but you received a trade-in value of $5,000, a manufacturer’s rebate of $500, and a dealer incentive of $1,000. You would pay $23,500 for the vehicle.
In this case, Florida collects a 6% sales tax on $24,000. $24,000 is the advertised price minus the dealer incentive and trade-in allowance. This price does not factor in the manufacturer’s rebate. Based on this example, you would need to pay $1,440 in sales tax.
Remember that the total amount you pay for a car (out the door price) not only includes sales tax, but also registration, and dealership fees.
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Do I Have to Pay Sales Tax on a Used Car?
Florida is one of the best states to purchase a used car because of its large inventory and quality of used cars. Purchasing a used vehicle can help you lower the cost of purchasing a new car, but it won’t decrease the tax percentage you owe. You must still pay sales tax on a used car in Florida. The sales tax rate is the same for new and used vehicles. However, since used vehicles are less expensive overall, you can often expect to pay fewer dollars in taxes.
Which City Has the Highest Tax?
While Florida has a state sales tax of 6%, your county adds a discretionary surtax on top, and that depends on where you live rather than where you buy. Counties charge up to 2%.
Hamilton County has the highest surtax in the state at 2%, for a nominal 8%. Hillsborough (Tampa), Duval (Jacksonville) and Leon are at 1.5%, for a nominal 7.5%. Cities in those 1.5% counties include:
- Tampa
- Jacksonville
- Pensacola
- Kissimmee
Do not take those headline rates at face value on a car. The surtax only touches the first $5,000, so living in a 1.5% county costs you $75 more than a 0% county, not 1.5% of the whole purchase price.
Which City Has the Lowest Tax?
A county is categorized based on the maximum sales tax rate of any town in the county. The counties with the lowest vehicles sales tax rate include:
- Citrus County- 6%
- Hernando County- 6.5%
- Lee County- 6.5%
- Martin County-6.5%
- St. John’s County- 6.5%
- Volusia County- 6.5%
The $5,000 Rule That Makes Florida Cheaper Than It Looks
This is the detail almost every Florida tax table gets wrong, and it works in your favour.
The county surtax only applies to the first $5,000 of the purchase price. The 6% state rate applies to the whole thing, but the local portion stops at $5,000. So the most any county surtax can ever cost you on a car is 2% of $5,000, which is $100.
That means a “7.5% county” does not charge you 7.5% on a $40,000 car. Work it through:
- 6% of $40,000 = $2,400 in state tax
- 1.5% of the first $5,000 = $75 in surtax
- Total $2,475, an effective rate of 6.19%, not 7.5%
Anyone quoting you 7.5% of the full price is overstating the bill by $525 on that car. The more expensive the vehicle, the closer your real rate gets to a flat 6%.
One more thing worth knowing: the surtax follows your home address, not the dealership’s. Buying in a different county does not change what you owe.
Car Sales Tax for Trade-Ins in Florida
The value of your trade-in vehicle is not subject to sales tax. Imagine that you receive $7,000 for your trade-in. You then apply the $7,000 credit to a $14,000 new car purchase. The trade-in credit reduces the cost of your new car to $7,000. In this case, you then pay sales tax on the $7,000 new vehicle price.
Tax on Rebates & Dealer Incentives
Rebates and other dealer incentives are commonly offered to encourage buyers to purchase certain vehicles. For example, a $1,500 cash rebate may be offered on a $15,000 vehicle, dropping the out-of-pocket cost to $13,500.
In Florida, vehicle sales tax is applied before manufacturer incentives or rebates. In the example above, you would pay taxes on the $15,000 price of the vehicle, since this is the price before incentives.
However, the sales tax is applied minus dealer incentives. Imagine the incentive above is from the dealer, not the manufacturer. In that case, the car buyer would pay the sales tax on the car price of $13,500.
Other Taxes & Fees for Florida
Car buyers will pay other taxes and fees in addition to the sales tax in Florida. The other fees and taxes are collected by the Department of Motor Vehicles. Other car-buying fees for Florida include:
- DMV Fee: The average DMV fee for a new car purchase in Florida is $181. The DMV fees include the following:
- Title: $75.75
- Plate Transfer Fee: $7.85
- Registration Fee: $1.60 to $91.20.
- Initial Registration Fee: $225, a one-off charge the first time a vehicle is registered in Florida. It is the single largest DMV cost on a Florida purchase and it catches out anyone moving to the state or buying their first car here. You never pay it again on that vehicle.
- Documentation Fee: Florida sets no cap on this, and it shows. Averages sit somewhere around $600 to $900, and $999 is now common on new-car deals, among the highest in the country. Florida Statute 501.976 does require the dealer to disclose it in writing and to include it in the advertised price if every customer pays it, so it should never appear as a surprise late in the paperwork.
When Sales Tax is Exempt in Florida
Florida does offer some exemptions or situations where you are not required to pay sales tax on a vehicle. One exemption is a vehicle gifted to a family member. To ensure this exemption, you must have a bill of sale gift or affidavit to present at registration.
Florida EV Rebates & Incentives
Florida offers some state incentives, though none for the purchase of an EV itself. There is no federal help either: the federal EV tax credit ended on September 30, 2025.
Read more about the EV incentives Florida offers here.
Tax information and rates are subject to change, please be sure to verify with your local DMV.
