Massachusetts Vehicle Registration Fee Calculator: Tax, Title and Registration
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Registering a car in Massachusetts costs $60 for two years plus a $75 title fee. If you just bought the car, you also pay 6.25% sales tax. Every year after that, your city or town bills a motor vehicle excise of $25 per $1,000 of the car’s value.
Use this vehicle registration fee calculator for Massachusetts to estimate the sales tax, RMV fees and excise on a new or used car. The guide below shows how each piece is figured.
Checked against the Massachusetts DOR, the Mass.gov excise guide and the RMV Schedule of Fees (revised May 2025) on October 13, 2026. This is an independent estimate. The RMV, DOR and your town set the final amounts.
Massachusetts Car Tax and Fees at a Glance
| Charge | Amount | When |
|---|---|---|
| Sales or use tax | 6.25% | Once, at purchase or registration |
| Certificate of title | $75 | Once |
| Passenger registration | $60 for 2 years | Every two years |
| Add a lienholder | $25 | If you finance |
| Motor vehicle excise | $25 per $1,000 of value | Every year, billed by your town |
| Inspection | $35 | Every year, and within 7 days of registering |
| Transfer a registration | $25 | Moving plates to a new car |
| EV fee | None | No extra yearly fee |
On this page13 sections
- Massachusetts Car Tax and Fees at a Glance
- Massachusetts RMV Registration and Title Fees
- How the Massachusetts Excise Tax Is Calculated
- Massachusetts Car Sales Tax
- How Much Is Car Sales Tax in Massachusetts?
- Family Transfers and Gifts
- Buying Out of State or Moving to Massachusetts
- How to Use a Tax, Title and Registration Calculator for Massachusetts by Hand
- What This Estimate Includes
- What This Estimate Does Not Include
- Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Official Sources
Massachusetts RMV Registration and Title Fees
| RMV fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Passenger registration, standard plate | $60 (2 years) |
| Passenger vanity plate registration | $80 a year |
| Certificate of title | $75 |
| Add or remove a lienholder | $25 |
| Duplicate title | $25 |
| Transfer registration to another car | $25 |
| Replacement plate | $10 |
| Late excise release fee | $20 |
A standard first registration with a loan is $160: $60 registration, $75 title and $25 for the lienholder. Without a loan, it’s $135.
How the Massachusetts Excise Tax Is Calculated
Excise = manufacturer’s list price × valuation % × $25 per $1,000
The excise is a yearly tax in place of personal property tax. It’s based on the car’s original list price, not what you paid, and the share drops each year. Your city or town sends the bill, and it’s due within 30 days. The minimum bill is $5.
| Year | Share of list price | Excise on a $35,000 list price |
|---|---|---|
| Year before the model year | 50% | $437.50 |
| Model year | 90% | $787.50 |
| Second year | 60% | $525 |
| Third year | 40% | $350 |
| Fourth year | 25% | $218.75 |
| Fifth year and later | 10% | $87.50 |
The first bill is prorated from the month you register. If you sell the car and cancel or move the registration, you can ask your assessor for an abatement. Maine also has a town excise tax, and Colorado’s specific ownership tax drops with age in a similar way.
Massachusetts Car Sales Tax
Sales tax = (price − trade-in − rebate applied at the sale) × 6.25%
Massachusetts charges a flat 6.25% everywhere in the state, with no local add-on. A registered dealer collects it. In a private sale, you pay use tax when you register at the RMV, and it’s due by the 20th of the month after the purchase.
Does a trade-in lower the tax?
Yes at a registered dealer, as long as the trade-in was taxed or exempt before. A $40,000 car with a $15,000 trade-in is taxed on $25,000. In a private sale, a trade-in doesn’t lower the tax.
Are rebates taxed?
It depends on timing. A manufacturer rebate applied at the sale counts as a cash discount and isn’t taxed. A rebate you get after the sale doesn’t lower the tax, and you can’t get a refund of tax on it.
How are private sales taxed?
On the higher of the price you paid or the car’s clean trade-in (book) value, adjusted for mileage. If you pay $9,000 for a car with an $11,000 book value, you’re taxed on $11,000. A salvage-titled car is taxed on the actual price.
How Much Is Car Sales Tax in Massachusetts?
| Taxable price | Sales tax (6.25%) |
|---|---|
| $20,000 | $1,250 |
| $30,000 | $1,875 |
| $40,000 | $2,500 |
| $50,000 | $3,125 |
Example 1: New car from a Boston dealer
Assumptions: $42,000 price, $2,000 rebate applied at the sale, $15,000 trade-in, financed, $43,000 list price.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Taxable price | $25,000.00 |
| Sales tax (6.25%) | $1,562.50 |
| Title | $75.00 |
| Registration (2 years) | $60.00 |
| Add lienholder | $25.00 |
| Total at purchase | $1,722.50 |
| Excise for a full model year (billed later by your town) | $967.50 |
Example 2: Private sale
You pay $9,000 for a used car with an $11,000 clean trade-in value. Tax is $11,000 × 6.25% = $687.50. Add $75 for the title and $60 for registration, for $822.50, plus the yearly excise.
Family Transfers and Gifts
A sale or transfer to your parent, spouse, child or sibling is exempt if the person giving the car already paid any Massachusetts tax due on it. You claim this on Form MVU-26.
A true gift to anyone else is exempt too, using Form MVU-24, but only if no money changes hands, none is promised, and nobody takes over a loan on the car.
Buying Out of State or Moving to Massachusetts
If you buy a car in another state and bring it here within six months, you owe Massachusetts use tax. If you paid sales tax to a state that gives Massachusetts the same credit, you get credit for it (Form MVU-29). If that state’s rate was lower, you pay the difference.
A New Hampshire purchase is the common case. New Hampshire has no sales tax, so you’ll owe the full 6.25% when you register here. Buying in a higher-tax state such as Rhode Island, with its 7% sales tax, leaves nothing extra to pay if credit applies.
A car you owned and used outside Massachusetts for more than six months before moving in isn’t subject to the use tax. A nonresident who buys and takes delivery in Massachusetts does pay Massachusetts tax.
- Inspection and EVs
Massachusetts requires a $35 inspection every year, and a newly registered car must be inspected within 7 days of registration. There’s no extra yearly EV fee. Electric cars pay the same sales tax, registration and excise as gas cars.
See also: Connecticut: a 6.35% sales tax plus a town car tax.
See also: Vermont: a 6% purchase and use tax.
How to Use a Tax, Title and Registration Calculator for Massachusetts by Hand
- Start with the price. Use book value instead if it’s a private sale and the book value is higher.
- Subtract a dealer trade-in and any rebate applied at the sale.
- Multiply by 6.25%.
- Add $75 for the title and $60 for registration.
- Add $25 if you’re financing.
- Plan for the excise: list price × valuation % × $25 per $1,000.
- Add $35 for the inspection.
What This Estimate Includes
- 6.25% sales or use tax
- Dealer trade-in and rebate rules
- Book value for private sales
- $75 title, $60 registration and $25 lienholder fee
- An excise estimate from list price and age
What This Estimate Does Not Include
- Excise proration for a partial first year
- Inspection fee
- Vanity or specialty plates
- Dealer add-ons, insurance and loan costs
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Forgetting the excise. It’s billed every year by your town.
- Using the purchase price for excise. It’s based on the original list price.
- Expecting trade-in credit in a private sale. It only applies at a dealer.
- Lowballing a private sale price. Tax is on book value if that’s higher.
- Counting on a mailed rebate. Only a rebate applied at the sale lowers the tax.
- Skipping the 7-day inspection after you register.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How much does it cost to register a car in Massachusetts?
Registration is $60 for two years. A first registration also needs a $75 title, plus $25 if there’s a loan, so most buyers pay $135 to $160 in RMV fees.
How is the Massachusetts excise tax calculated?
It’s $25 per $1,000 of value. Value is a share of the list price: 90% in the model year, then 60%, 40%, 25% and 10%.
What is the sales tax on a car in Massachusetts?
It’s 6.25% everywhere in the state, with no local add-on.
Is a car from my parents taxed in Massachusetts?
No, if they already paid Massachusetts tax on it. Transfers to a parent, spouse, child or sibling are exempt with Form MVU-26.
Does Massachusetts charge an EV registration fee?
No. EVs pay the same $60 registration and excise as other cars.
Official Sources
- Mass.gov: Motor Vehicle and Trailer Sales and Use Tax
- Mass.gov: Motor Vehicle Excise
- Massachusetts RMV: Schedule of Fees (revised May 2025)
This page is an independent estimate tool and guide. It isn’t affiliated with the Massachusetts RMV, DOR or any city or town. Rates and fees can change, so confirm your amounts before you pay.
William researches vehicle taxes, title fees, registration charges and DMV requirements across the United States. His work focuses on turning state-specific fee schedules, tax guidance, registration requirements and statutory information into practical explanations for vehicle buyers and owners. He cross-checks calculator inputs against official state revenue departments, motor vehicle agencies and published fee schedules, paying particular attention to differences between sales tax, title fees, registration charges and local or county taxes. He also reviews state-level changes so that calculator results and supporting articles reflect the latest available requirements rather than relying on outdated third-party estimates.
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