South Carolina charges infrastructure maintenance fee (IMF) of 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 South Carolina. 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 South Carolina; 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.
Since July 1, 2017 vehicles are exempt from sales tax and pay the IMF (5% of price, maximum $500) to SCDMV at titling; local option sales taxes do not apply.
Any new car priced above $10,000 pays the flat $500 maximum.
The county property tax is the significant recurring cost.
On a $35,000 new car with a $37,000 sticker, registered in Columbia, 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 | $15.00 |
| Registration (est., flat based) | $40.00 |
| In all | $55.00 |
South Carolina 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. IMF of 5% capped at $500 applies to a lease from an SCDMV-licensed dealer at inception; no sales tax on the monthly payments.
Pick your city for the exact combined rate where you register, plus what title and registration run there.
5%. South Carolina applies one rate statewide on vehicles, so it does not change from city to city.
Gross proceeds exclude the trade-in allowance (S.C. Code 12-36-90); the $500 cap makes this moot on most new cars over $10,000.
On a $35,000 new car with a $37,000 sticker, registered in Columbia: Title fee $15.00, Registration (est., flat based) $40.00, about $55.00 in all. Passenger vehicle registration $40 for two years (plates included); $36 for owners 65+. EVs add $120 and hybrids $60 per two-year registration. County property tax is due before the plate is issued.
No. South Carolina sets no statutory cap. Each dealership sets its own documentary fee (not a government fee), and each car shows its dealership's fee. South Carolina calls it a closing fee; the dealership must file it with the Department of Consumer Affairs and disclose it.
South Carolina 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. IMF of 5% capped at $500 applies to a lease from an SCDMV-licensed dealer at inception; no sales tax on the monthly payments.