Wisconsin charges sales and use tax of 5% at the state level, and local jurisdictions add their own, which brings a typical vehicle to about 5.5%. 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 Wisconsin. 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 Wisconsin; 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.
County and city taxes apply based on where the vehicle will be customarily kept, not the dealer's location. 70 of 72 counties impose 0.5% (Waukesha and Winnebago none); Milwaukee County is 0.9% and the City of Milwaukee adds 2.0% (since January 1, 2024), so a vehicle kept in the City of Milwaukee pays 5% + 0.9% + 2.0% = 7.9%.
Manufacturer rebates assigned to the dealer are included in the taxable sales price; dealer discounts reduce it.
Title fee rose to $164.50 and registration to $85 under 2019 Wisconsin Act 9.
On a $35,000 new car with a $37,000 sticker, registered in Milwaukee, 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 | $164.50 |
| Registration (est., flat based) | $85.00 |
| In all | $249.50 |
Wisconsin 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.
Wisconsin charges 5% at the state level and local jurisdictions add more, so a typical combined rate on a vehicle is about 5.5% and can reach 7.9% at the high end. The rate is set by the address you register the car to, so pick your city above for the exact figure.
Trade-in allowance for a motor vehicle taken in trade reduces the taxable sales price (Wis. Stat. 77.51(15b)).
On a $35,000 new car with a $37,000 sticker, registered in Milwaukee: Title fee $164.50, Registration (est., flat based) $85.00, about $249.50 in all. Automobile registration $85 per year (plates included); hybrids add $75, EVs $175. Municipal/county wheel taxes of $10-$60 apply where adopted (e.g., Milwaukee city $30 + county $30).
No. Wisconsin sets no statutory cap. Each dealership sets its own documentary fee (not a government fee), and each car shows its dealership's fee.
Wisconsin taxes a lease one payment at a time: the tax is added to each monthly payment, so you pay it as you go.