Ohio charges sales and use tax of 5.75% at the state level, and local jurisdictions add their own, which brings a typical vehicle to about 7.25%. 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 Ohio. 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 Ohio; 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.
The clerk of courts collects sales tax at the rate of the purchaser's county of residence. County permissive plus transit rates: Cuyahoga and Franklin 2.25% (8.0% combined); Hamilton 2.05%; Lucas and Coshocton 2.0%; 51 counties 1.5% (7.25%); Butler, Lorain, Stark, Wayne 0.75% (6.5%). Warren County rises from 1.0% to 1.5% on October 1, 2026.
Manufacturer rebates and cash down payments do not reduce the taxable price; cash discounts not reimbursed by a third party do.
Leases: sales tax on the total of all lease payments for the initial term is collected up front at lease consummation.
The BMV lists the title fee as $18 statewide ($23 in counties that approve an additional charge); older references show $15.
On a $35,000 new car with a $37,000 sticker, registered in Cincinnati, 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 | $18.00 |
| Registration (est., flat based) | $66.00 |
| Local permissive tax (annual; maximum per taxing district, varies $0-$30) | $30.00 |
| In all | $114.00 |
Ohio 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.
Ohio charges 5.75% at the state level and local jurisdictions add more, so a typical combined rate on a vehicle is about 7.25% and can reach 8% at the high end. The rate is set by where you live, so pick your city above for the exact figure.
Trade-in allowance reduces the taxable price only when purchasing a NEW motor vehicle (or watercraft) from a licensed dealer; it does not reduce the price on a used-vehicle purchase (R.C. 5739.01(H)).
On a $35,000 new car with a $37,000 sticker, registered in Cincinnati: Title fee $18.00, Registration (est., flat based) $66.00, Local permissive tax (annual; maximum per taxing district, varies $0-$30) $30.00, about $114.00 in all. State passenger registration $36 per year plus local permissive taxes of up to $30 per registration (assessed in $5 increments by county/municipality/township) and a deputy registrar fee of $8-$24 depending on term. Plates included. EVs add $200, hybrids $100 per year.
Yes, at $398. Under R.C. 4517.261, as amended by SB 94 (effective October 24, 2024), the fee is limited to the lesser of 10% of the price or an inflation-indexed cap, $398 for 2026.
Ohio 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.