Gas vehicle, no trade-in
$20,000 vehicle
$875.75
Virginia sales tax (4.15%) $830.00, Title $15.00, Registration (by weight) $30.75.
Not included yet: Highway use fee.
What a vehicle purchase costs in Virginia, itemized and sourced.
Sales tax, title and registration for a vehicle registered in Virginia. 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 Virginia estimate is $1,290.75 in taxes and fees (virginia sales tax (4.15%) $1,245.00, title $15.00, registration (by weight) $30.75).
Estimate / Virginia
Reviewed Oct 24, 2026
- Virginia sales tax (4.15%)[1] source[2] source$1,245.00
- Title[3] source$15.00
- Registration (by weight)[3] source$30.75
Total taxes and fees$1,290.75
Not the full cost. This total leaves out 1 item, listed below.
Price plus these items: $31,290.75.
Costs not in this total
- Highway use fee. Virginia may add a highway use fee to vehicles rated 25 mpg or better. It is set by a formula and a yearly chart that is not modeled here.
Sources
- [1]Sales and use taxSupports: State sales tax rate, Trade-in rule, Local tax, Tax paid to another state
- [2]Motor vehicle sales and use tax (titling)Supports: State sales tax rate, Trade-in rule, Local tax
- [3]Fees for vehicle titling and registration (DMV 201, rev. 08/10/2026)Supports: Title, Registration (by weight), Electric vehicle fee, Highway use fee
- [4]Highway use feeSupports: Highway use fee
What changed
- Oct 24, 2026Added state with the 4.15% sales and use tax, title fee and registration by weight class. The highway use fee is not included.
How Virginia works out this bill
Virginia charges 4.15% sales and use tax on the price of a vehicle when it is titled, plus a title fee and a registration fee that depends on the vehicle's weight.
The tax rate is 4.15% of the gross sales price. A trade-in does not lower the price the tax is figured on, and the state sets a minimum tax.
Source: Virginia DMV - Sales and use taxVirginia DMV - Motor vehicle sales and use tax (titling)
Registration is charged by weight class for passenger vehicles. Some Northern Virginia localities add an emissions inspection charge, and some localities add a local registration fee.
Source: Virginia DMV - Fees for vehicle titling and registration (DMV 201, rev. 08/10/2026)
Vehicles with good fuel economy, and electric vehicles, can also owe a highway use fee set by a state formula. It is not included in the total.
Source: Virginia DMV - Highway use fee
All figures this calculator uses (7)
- State sales tax rate4.15%VerifiedVirginia DMV - Sales and use taxVirginia DMV - Motor vehicle sales and use tax (titling)
- Trade-in reduces taxable priceNoVerifiedThe gross sales price is taken after rebates and incentives, but not reduced by a trade-in, an unpaid lien or other credits.Virginia DMV - Sales and use taxVirginia DMV - Motor vehicle sales and use tax (titling)
- Local taxNoneCheck sourceThe DMV pages list one statewide rate and no local sales tax on vehicles. Some localities charge a local registration fee, which is not included.Virginia DMV - Sales and use taxVirginia DMV - Motor vehicle sales and use tax (titling)
- Title$15VerifiedVirginia DMV - Fees for vehicle titling and registration (DMV 201, rev. 08/10/2026)
- Registration (by weight)Depends on weightVerifiedAdd $2 in Northern Virginia emissions-inspection localities. Local registration fees may also apply.Virginia DMV - Fees for vehicle titling and registration (DMV 201, rev. 08/10/2026)
- Electric vehicle fee$135.63Check sourceListed in the DMV 201 passenger registration table. An older edition of the form described it as an annual fee on top of registration.Virginia DMV - Fees for vehicle titling and registration (DMV 201, rev. 08/10/2026)
- Highway use feeUnknownNot verifiedVirginia DMV - Highway use feeVirginia DMV - Fees for vehicle titling and registration (DMV 201, rev. 08/10/2026)
Common questions
Does a trade-in lower the sales tax in Virginia?
No. The state taxes the gross sales price after rebates and incentives. A trade-in, an unpaid lien or other credits do not reduce it.
Source: Virginia DMV - Sales and use taxVirginia DMV - Motor vehicle sales and use tax (titling)
Is there a minimum sales and use tax?
Yes. The state charges the greater of the percentage tax or a flat minimum amount.
Source: Virginia DMV - Sales and use tax
What is the highway use fee?
It is a yearly fee on vehicles with good fuel economy, worked out from a state formula. It is not part of the total shown here.
Source: Virginia DMV - Highway use 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, no trade-in
$30,000 vehicle
$1,290.75
Virginia sales tax (4.15%) $1,245.00, Title $15.00, Registration (by weight) $30.75.
Not included yet: Highway use fee.
Electric vehicle
$45,000 vehicle
$2,048.88
Virginia sales tax (4.15%) $1,867.50, Title $15.00, Registration (by weight) $30.75, Electric vehicle fee $135.63.
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
- Sales and use tax has a $75 minimum. The calculator does not apply it, so prices below about two thousand dollars come out low.
- The highway use fee depends on fuel economy and is not included.