Out-of-State Car Purchase Calculator

The use-tax rule

You pay sales tax to your home state, not where the car is purchased. Selling-state dealers either collect nothing (no reciprocity) or collect the home-state rate (with reciprocity), and the rest is settled when you register at home. Four states levy no vehicle sales or use tax at all: Oregon, Montana, New Hampshire, and Alaska. Residents of those four genuinely save when buying anywhere. Delaware is the common point of confusion — it has no general sales tax, but it still charges a 4.25% document fee on vehicle purchases, so a Delaware buyer does not get a tax-free car.

For a deeper analysis, see the complete out-of-state purchase guide.