Hawaii charges general excise tax (GET) with county surcharge of 4% at the state level, and local jurisdictions add their own, which brings a typical vehicle to about 4.5%. A trade-in does not reduce the taxable price here.
Type your own numbers and see the same car priced as cash and as a loan, with the taxes and state fees for Hawaii. Nothing you type leaves this page.
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.
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 Hawaii; 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.
All four counties (Honolulu, Maui, Hawaii, Kauai) currently impose the 0.5% county surcharge through 2030, so the effective rate is 4.5% (4.712% when passed on) everywhere.
The GET is a tax on the seller's gross income, so manufacturer rebates and other consideration are included in the taxable base.
Registration is annual and mostly weight-based; the county weight tax dominates on Oahu.
The $10 title figure is the Honolulu certificate of ownership/transfer fee; new-vehicle titling in other counties is similar but set by each county.
On a $35,000 new car with a $37,000 sticker, registered in Honolulu, no trade-in: the same figures the calculator above uses. The dealership's documentary fee is its own and is not included.
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Title fee | $10.00 |
| Registration (est., weight based) | $360.00 |
| License plate fee | $5.00 |
| In all | $375.00 |
Hawaii taxes a lease one payment at a time: the tax is added to each monthly payment, so you pay it as you go.
Pick your city for the exact combined rate where you register, plus what title and registration run there.
Hawaii charges 4% at the state level and local jurisdictions add more, so a typical combined rate on a vehicle is about 4.5% and can reach 4.5% at the high end. The rate is set by the dealership location, so pick your city above for the exact figure.
The general excise tax (GET) applies to the dealer's gross proceeds, and Hawaii does not exclude the trade-in allowance from the taxable amount.
On a $35,000 new car with a $37,000 sticker, registered in Honolulu: Title fee $10.00, Registration (est., weight based) $360.00, License plate fee $5.00, about $375.00 in all. Honolulu example (3,320 lb car): state registration $46 + county registration $20 + state weight tax $58.10 (1.75 cents/lb up to 4,000 lbs) + county weight tax $232.40 (7 cents/lb) + highway beautification $10 + emblem $0.50 = $367. Other counties set their own county weight tax and county registration fee.
No. Hawaii sets no statutory cap. Each dealership sets its own documentary fee (not a government fee), and each car shows its dealership's fee.
Hawaii taxes a lease one payment at a time: the tax is added to each monthly payment, so you pay it as you go.