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California & Mississippi DMV Fee Calculator

California assesses registration on vehicle VALUE, so an older or cheaper car costs materially less to register.

California, Mississippi share this page. Their rules produce the same answer to within a rounding difference, so publishing separate near-identical pages would add URLs without adding information. Every figure below applies to all 2.

California registration fee estimator

California assesses registration on vehicle VALUE, so an older or cheaper car costs materially less to register.

First-year total —
Annual registration —
California purchase tax —
Base fee —

California at a glance

FigureCaliforniaSource
Fee modelValue-based (ad valorem) state[2]
State sales tax on vehicles7.25%[2]
Max local sales tax add-on3.50%[2]
Typical annual renewal$1,971[2]

[2] Sources

State vehicle sales tax — all 50 states

California highlighted. Same data as the table below, shown as a distribution so the comparison is visible at a glance.

State vehicle sales tax — all 50 states. California is 7.25%, ranked 1 of 50. The national median is 6.00%, the highest is 7.25% (California), and the lowest is 0.00% (Oregon). CA 7.25% IN 7.00% MS 7.00% RI 7.00% TN 7.00% MN 6.88% NV 6.85% NJ 6.63% AR 6.50% KS 6.50% WA 6.50% CT 6.35% IL 6.25% MA 6.25% TX 6.25% UT 6.10% FL 6.00% ID 6.00% IA 6.00% KY 6.00% MD 6.00% MI 6.00% PA 6.00% SC 6.00% VT 6.00% WV 6.00% OH 5.75% AZ 5.60% ME 5.50% NE 5.50% VA 5.30% ND 5.00% WI 5.00% NM 4.88% NC 4.75% OK 4.50% LA 4.45% MO 4.22% SD 4.20% AL 4.00% GA 4.00% HI 4.00% NY 4.00% WY 4.00% CO 2.90% AK 0.00% DE 0.00% MT 0.00% NH 0.00% OR 0.00%

Highlighted: California, ranked 1 of 50. Median 6.00%.

California registration by vehicle and model year

Estimated annual registration under California's fee model.

Model year$8,000 vehicle$12,000 vehicle$18,000 vehicle$25,000 vehicle$32,000 vehicle$40,000 vehicle$50,000 vehicle$65,000 vehicle$85,000 vehicle
2026$721$1,059$1,566$2,158$2,749$3,425$4,270$5,538$7,228
2025$707$1,037$1,534$2,113$2,691$3,353$4,180$5,421$7,075
2024$694$1,019$1,506$2,074$2,642$3,292$4,103$5,321$6,944
2023$684$1,003$1,483$2,042$2,601$3,240$4,038$5,237$6,834
2022$675$990$1,463$2,014$2,565$3,196$3,983$5,165$6,740
2021$668$979$1,446$1,991$2,535$3,158$3,936$5,104$6,660
2020$661$969$1,431$1,971$2,510$3,126$3,896$5,052$6,592
2019$656$961$1,419$1,954$2,488$3,099$3,862$5,008$6,534
2018$651$954$1,409$1,939$2,470$3,076$3,833$4,970$6,485
2017$647$948$1,400$1,927$2,454$3,056$3,809$4,938$6,444
2016$645$943$1,393$1,917$2,441$3,039$3,788$4,911$6,408
2015$645$939$1,386$1,908$2,429$3,025$3,770$4,888$6,378
2014$645$935$1,381$1,900$2,420$3,013$3,755$4,868$6,353
2012$645$935$1,372$1,888$2,404$2,994$3,732$4,838$6,312
2010$645$935$1,370$1,880$2,394$2,981$3,715$4,815$6,283

Worked figures for California

California values:

YearAgeAnnual FeesPurchase TaxFirst Year
20260 yr$405$2,175$2,580
20251 yr$351$2,175$2,526
20242 yr$305$2,175$2,480
20233 yr$266$2,175$2,441
20224 yr$233$2,175$2,408
20206 yr$181$2,175$2,356
20188 yr$143$2,175$2,318
201610 yr$116$2,175$2,291
201412 yr$96$2,175$2,271
201016 yr$72$2,175$2,247

How California compares nationally

On state vehicle sales tax, California ranks #1 of 50 at 7.25% — 21% above the median of 6.00%. The national range runs from 0.00% (Oregon) to 7.25% (California).

RankStateState vehicle sales tax
#1California7.25%
#2Indiana7.00%
#3Mississippi7.00%

Value-based (ad valorem) states, ranked

Same rule structure as California:

StateState vehicle sales taxvs California
California7.25%—
Minnesota6.88%-5.2%
Washington6.50%-10.3%
Iowa6.00%-17.2%
Arizona5.60%-22.8%
Virginia5.30%-26.9%
Oklahoma4.50%-37.9%
Wyoming4.00%-44.8%
Colorado2.90%-60.0%

California questions, answered with California numbers

How does California calculate registration fees?▾
California assesses on vehicle VALUE, so the fee falls as the car depreciates. A newer vehicle costs materially more to register than an older one of the same type.
What does registration cost in California for a typical car?▾
Around $2,480 for a 2024 vehicle, versus about $2,271 for a 2014 one. The $209 gap is depreciation flowing through California's value-based formula.
What sales tax applies to vehicles in California?▾
California's state rate is 7.25%, and local add-ons can reach 3.50%. On a $30,000 purchase the state portion alone is about $2,175.

Other value-based (ad valorem) states

Arizona Colorado Iowa Minnesota Oklahoma Virginia Washington Wyoming

Last reviewed 2026-08-26. California figures only — verify with the relevant California agency before acting. How this is calculated.