Gas vehicle, no trade-in
$20,000 vehicle
$1,125.00
Delaware document fee (5.25%) $1,050.00, Title $35.00, Registration (passenger vehicle) $40.00.
What a vehicle purchase costs in Delaware, itemized and sourced.
Sales tax, title and registration for a vehicle registered in Delaware. Every line cites the page it came from and the day we opened it.
On a $30,000.00 gas vehicle with no trade-in, the Delaware estimate is $1,650.00 in taxes and fees (delaware document fee (5.25%) $1,575.00, title $35.00, registration (passenger vehicle) $40.00).
Estimate / Delaware
Reviewed Oct 24, 2026
- Delaware document fee (5.25%)[1] source[2] source$1,575.00
- Title[3] source$35.00
- Registration (passenger vehicle)[4] source$40.00
Total taxes and fees$1,650.00
Price plus these items: $31,650.00.
Sources
- [1]Motor vehicle document feeSupports: State sales tax rate, Trade-in rule, Local tax, Tax paid to another state
- [2]DMV fees increase in October 2025 (document fee 4.25% to 5.25%)Supports: State sales tax rate
- [3]Certificates of titleSupports: Title
- [4]Registration feesSupports: Registration (passenger vehicle), Electric vehicle fee (all-electric)
What changed
- Oct 24, 2026Added state with the 5.25% document fee (Delaware has no sales tax) after trade-in, title, registration and the electric vehicle fee. The fee's rounding rules are not modeled.
How Delaware works out this bill
Delaware has no sales tax. It charges a one-time document fee of 5.25% of the purchase price when you title a vehicle, plus a flat title fee and a yearly registration fee.
The document fee is 5.25% of the purchase price. A trade-in lowers the price, and so does a sale of another vehicle within a set window if you have no trade-in.
Source: Delaware Code, Title 30, Chapter 30 - Motor vehicle document fee
If you bought and registered the vehicle in another state and paid a sales or similar tax there recently, the document fee may not apply.
Source: Delaware Code, Title 30, Chapter 30 - Motor vehicle document fee
The state announced an increase of the document fee from a lower rate to the current one in a recent fee change.
Source: Delaware News - DMV fees increase in October 2025 (document fee 4.25% to 5.25%)
All figures this calculator uses (6)
- State rate (document fee)5.25%VerifiedDelaware has no sales tax. It charges a one-time document fee when a vehicle is titled. The statute sets $5.25 for each $100 of the purchase price, and the state announced the change from 4.25% to 5.25% on Oct 1, 2025. The statute rounds to the nearest dollar and has lower flat amounts under $500.Delaware Code, Title 30, Chapter 30 - Motor vehicle document feeDelaware News - DMV fees increase in October 2025 (document fee 4.25% to 5.25%)
- Trade-in reduces taxable priceYesVerifiedThe purchase price is the gross price less any trade-in or allowance. With no trade-in, a private sale of another vehicle within 60 days before or after the title date earns the same credit.Delaware Code, Title 30, Chapter 30 - Motor vehicle document fee
- Local taxNoneCheck sourceThe document fee is a state fee; no local charge is described in the statute.Delaware Code, Title 30, Chapter 30 - Motor vehicle document fee
- Title$35VerifiedFee for issuing a certificate of title for a vehicle, Title 21, section 2305.Delaware Code, Title 21, Chapter 23 - Certificates of title
- Registration (passenger vehicle)$40Verified$40 per year for a vehicle used for carrying persons. Registration is for 12 months.Delaware Code, Title 21, Chapter 21, Subchapter IV - Registration fees
- Electric vehicle fee (all-electric)$110Check sourceAdded to the registration fee for an electric motor vehicle of 6,000 pounds or less. The code page does not define the three electric vehicle types, so this assumes the highest-fee type is the all-electric one.Delaware Code, Title 21, Chapter 21, Subchapter IV - Registration fees
Common questions
Does Delaware have a sales tax on cars?
No. It charges a document fee on the purchase price when a vehicle is titled.
Source: Delaware Code, Title 30, Chapter 30 - Motor vehicle document fee
Does a trade-in lower the document fee?
Yes, the purchase price is the gross price less any trade-in or allowance.
Source: Delaware Code, Title 30, Chapter 30 - Motor vehicle document fee
How often is this page updated?
The data on this page was last reviewed on Oct 24, 2026. Pages get a changed-page check each month and a full re-verification each January and July.
Worked examples
Gas vehicle with a trade-in
$30,000 vehicle, $8,000 trade-in
$1,230.00
Tax is charged on $22,000, so the trade-in saves $420.00 in sales tax.
Electric vehicle
$45,000 vehicle
$2,547.50
Delaware document fee (5.25%) $2,362.50, Title $35.00, Registration (passenger vehicle) $40.00, Electric vehicle fee (all-electric) $110.00.
Each example runs the same calculation as the calculator above. Local tax and county fees are left out unless the example says otherwise, because they depend on where you live. Estimates only.
What this calculator does not cover
- The document fee is rounded to the nearest dollar and is lower in flat amounts for prices under $500; the calculator uses a straight 5.25%.
- If you bought the vehicle in another state and paid a sales or similar tax there within 90 days before titling in Delaware, the document fee may not apply at all.