Minnesota charges motor vehicle sales tax (MVST) of 6.875% 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 Minnesota. 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 Minnesota; 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.
MVST is 6.875% (up from 6.5% on July 1, 2023) and applies statewide with no local sales tax on vehicles.
Manufacturer rebates: DVS has treated a rebate applied at the time of sale as reducing the purchase price only when the dealer is not reimbursed for it, so this guide does not count rebates as a deduction.
Leases of 120 days or more: MVST is paid up front on the total lease price (all scheduled payments plus down payment).
On a $35,000 new car with a $37,000 sticker, registered in Minneapolis, 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 | $8.25 |
| Registration (est., value based) | $640.00 |
| License plate fee | $15.50 |
| Filing fee (title/new registration transaction) | $12.00 |
| Technology surcharge (each transaction) | $2.25 |
| Public Safety Vehicle fee (each transaction) | $3.50 |
| Local office surcharge (each transaction) | $1.00 |
| In all | $682.50 |
Minnesota taxes a lease up front: the tax on the total of all your lease payments is due in full at signing, not spread across the payments.
Pick your city for the exact combined rate where you register, plus what title and registration run there.
6.875%. Minnesota applies one rate statewide on vehicles, so it does not change from city to city.
Value of a motor vehicle taken in trade is deducted from the purchase price (Minn. Stat. 297B.01).
On a $35,000 new car with a $37,000 sticker, registered in Minneapolis: Title fee $8.25, Registration (est., value based) $640.00, License plate fee $15.50, Filing fee (title/new registration transaction) $12.00, Technology surcharge (each transaction) $2.25, Public Safety Vehicle fee (each transaction) $3.50, Local office surcharge (each transaction) $1.00, about $682.50 in all. Passenger class registration tax = $10 + 1.575% of the manufacturer's suggested retail price (100% of MSRP in year 1, declining 10% per year to 10% in year 10, then $20 flat) per Minn. Stat. 168.013 subd. 1a. A $40,000 MSRP car: $10 + $630 = $640, plus plates $15.50 and filing/technology fees. Wheelage tax up to $20 in participating counties.
Yes, at $350. Minn. Stat. 168.27 subd. 31: lesser of $350 or 10% of the sale for sales/leases on or after July 1, 2025 ($275 from July 2024, $200 from July 2023).
Minnesota taxes a lease up front: the tax on the total of all your lease payments is due in full at signing, not spread across the payments.