Car registration fees in Washington
Registering a car in Washington costs about $125, on top of a dealer doc fee averaging $200 and a vehicle sales-tax rate of 6.5%. Together these are part of the real cost of putting a car on the road here — see the calculator below with Washington’s tax pre-filled.
Your Washington car payment, with tax
Monthly payment
$965.53
$48,185 financed at 7.5% for 60 mo
Total interest
$9,747
Sales tax
$3,185
Total of payments
$57,932
| Year | Principal | Interest | Balance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | $8,252 | $3,334 | $39,933 |
| Year 2 | $8,893 | $2,693 | $31,040 |
| Year 3 | $9,583 | $2,003 | $21,456 |
| Year 4 | $10,327 | $1,259 | $11,129 |
| Year 5 | $11,129 | $457 | $0 |
The numbers behind this estimate
Sourced figures last verified 2026-11-07| Figure | Value | Source · verified |
|---|---|---|
| Sales tax on vehiclesCombined avg ~9.57%. | 6.5% | Tax Foundation — State & Local Sales Tax Rates, Midyear 2026 · 2026-07-06 |
| Average dealer doc feeCapped (RCW 46.70.180). | $200 | QuoteDefender — 2026 Dealer Doc Fee by State · 2026-10-11 |
| Registration feePARTIAL: basic $43.25 + title $40 + filing/service. Excludes weight fee, RTA excise, local TBD. | $125 | WA DOL — Vehicle Tab Fees · 2026-11-07 |
Registration fees by state
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia · soon
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming