Know the numbers
California car dealer fees and sales tax
What the state's own rules and tax pages say, with a link to each. Local taxes and fees are not included, so use the numbers on your quote for those.
- Dealer doc fee
- California caps the document processing charge at $85 for dealers that have a contract with the DMV as private industry partners. Dealers without that contract have a different limit we have not verified. Ask for the exact fee.
Source: dmv.ca.gov. Opened twice on 2026-11-02, same words both times. - Trade-in and sales tax
- California does not take the trade-in off the price before sales tax. The trade-in allowance stays in the amount that is taxed (CDTFA Regulation 1654).
Source: cdtfa.ca.gov. Opened twice on 2026-11-02, same words both times. - Tax rate
- The statewide rate is 7.25%. In most areas, local districts add a tax on top, so your total rate is higher.
Source: cdtfa.ca.gov. Opened twice on 2026-11-02, same words both times.
Try it with California's numbers
This opens the calculator with the state tax rate filled in. Add your local tax, the doc fee from your quote and the rest.
Other states
Texas · Florida · New York · Pennsylvania · Illinois · Ohio · Georgia · North Carolina · Michigan · All states in one table
Rules change. If you see a number here that does not match the state's page today, email support@playriot.co and we will fix it.
Want the dealer's paperwork checked against this?
DealShield reads the buyer's order or finance worksheet, flags add-ons and markups, and gives you the words to push back. Free to start.
See DealShield on the App Store