Maryland charges vehicle excise tax (titling tax) of 6.5% statewide on vehicles, with no local add-on. A trade-in does reduce the taxable price, which is real money on the deal.
Type your own numbers and see the same car priced as cash and as a loan, with the taxes and state fees for Maryland. 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 Maryland; 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.
No local sales tax; the excise tax is uniform statewide.
The FY2026 budget reconciliation act raised the excise tax to 6.5% and doubled the title fee to $200 effective July 1, 2025, and raised registration surcharges.
Manufacturer rebates are not deducted from the purchase price for excise tax purposes (MVA treats them as part of the price); dealer discounts are.
Leases: the excise tax is charged on the vehicle's full purchase price (capitalized cost) when the leased vehicle is titled, not on the monthly payments.
On a $35,000 new car with a $37,000 sticker, registered in Baltimore, 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 | $200.00 |
| Registration (est., weight based) | $120.50 |
| In all | $320.50 |
Maryland taxes the vehicle's price when the leased car is titled. The leasing company pays it and it is carried in the lease, so it shows up in your payment rather than as a separate tax on each payment.
Pick your city for the exact combined rate where you register, plus what title and registration run there.
6.5%. Maryland applies one rate statewide on vehicles, so it does not change from city to city.
For a dealer sale, the taxable price is the total purchase price less the allowance for a vehicle traded in (Md. Transportation Code 13-809).
On a $35,000 new car with a $37,000 sticker, registered in Baltimore: Title fee $200.00, Registration (est., weight based) $120.50, about $320.50 in all. Class A passenger car annual fee (includes the $40 EMS surcharge): 3,500 lbs or less $120.50; 3,501-3,700 lbs $125.50; over 3,700 lbs $191.50. New registrations are issued for two years, so a 3,500 lb car pays $241 at titling.
Yes, at $800. Under Md. Transportation Code 15-311.1(b), the dealer processing charge may not exceed $800 on and after July 1, 2024.
Maryland taxes the vehicle's price when the leased car is titled. The leasing company pays it and it is carried in the lease, so it shows up in your payment rather than as a separate tax on each payment.