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Richmond, VA · Local numbers*

Buying a car in Richmond, VA.

By The Model Black · Updated October 7, 2026

Vehicle tax in Richmond runs about 4.15% all in, the rate for the City of Richmond. Virginia gives no trade-in credit, so tax applies to the full selling price.

Price a car with Richmond taxes and fees What is my car worth?
4.15%
Combined tax on a vehicle here
~$45.75
Title and registration on a $35,000 car
No credit
Trade-in reduces the taxable price
No cap
Doc fee, set by each dealership

Your payment, cash or finance.

Type your own numbers and see the same car priced as cash and as a loan, with the taxes and state fees for Richmond, VA. Nothing you type leaves this page.

The car
Your trade and money down
Credit and loan
Taxes and fees
Cash
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out the door
Sales tax
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Title, registration, and fees
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Trade-in
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Due at the dealership
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Finance
.../mo
 
Amount financed
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Total interest
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Payments plus cash down
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Lease

To see a lease, pick a vehicle. A lease is priced on one car: what it is expected to be worth at the end (its residual) and the leasing company's money factor change by model and by month.

Pick a vehicleHow leasing works

An estimate on the numbers you type, not an offer of credit or a quote from any dealership. Starting loan rates are Rateous's rates for each credit range and term; they are not an offer from any lender. The documentary fee starts at an example figure, the state's legal cap where it has one or $599 where it does not, not any dealership's fee; each dealership sets its own. Taxes and state fees are estimates for Richmond, VA; the dealership's paperwork and your motor vehicle agency have the final numbers. Nothing you type is sent, saved, or used to check your credit.

Browse inventory

On a $35,000 car.*

LineEstimate
Virginia motor vehicle sales tax (4.15%, paid at registration)$1,452.50
Title fee$15.00
Registration (estimate)$30.75
Virginia tax and fees are due when you register the car; the figures here are estimates from the state's published rates and are confirmed at registration.
Whether a dealership ships to Richmond, VA is up to the dealership. Where it does, it sets its own charge, shown on the car before you sign, and each car says how you sign: at the dealership, through a mobile notary at your door, or remotely, as the dealership offers.
Virginia also charges a Local personal property tax (car tax) (Locality rate (commonly $3.50-$4.60 per $100 of assessed value) on the vehicle's assessed value, partially offset by the state's Personal Property Tax Relief on the first $20,000) with registration, not included here.
Price a car with Richmond taxes and fees Virginia taxes and fees How it works

Questions.

How much is sales tax on a car in Richmond?

About 4.15% all in for the City of Richmond. Virginia uses one statewide rate on vehicles, so it does not change by city.

Does my trade-in lower the tax in Richmond?

Virginia's SUT is based on the gross sales price; no deduction is allowed for a trade-in (Va. Code 58.1-2401).

How is a car from an out-of-state dealership taxed if I live in Richmond?

A car the selling dealership ships out of its own state usually carries no sales tax in that state; you pay Virginia tax when you register it in Virginia. Picking the car up in another state can mean paying that state's tax at the dealership first, and whether Virginia credits it depends on the two states. Whether a dealership ships to Richmond is up to the dealership, and it sets its own shipping charge, shown on the car before you sign.

What is the doc fee in Richmond?

Virginia sets no cap on it. Each dealership sets its own documentary fee (not a government fee), and each car shows its dealership's fee. Virginia calls it a processing fee, and the dealership must disclose it (Va. Code 46.2-1530).

Where these numbers come from.