Every fee on a Ohio car deal

Doc fee: capped at $250 per sale by Ohio law. Dealer revenue, not a government charge — and a paperwork line above $250 isn't legitimate.

Sales tax: 5.75% state base, plus a county permissive tax — locals typically add ~1.5 points. Charged based on the county where you live.

Title: $18 statewide ($23 in some counties).

Registration: about $47 a year. Ohio's fee varies somewhat by vehicle, so treat this as an estimate for a typical passenger car.

Destination: manufacturer-set (~$1,395 on a typical $40,000 vehicle), non-negotiable and identical across dealers.

Worked out-the-door example

A $40,000-MSRP vehicle bought at sticker in Ohio:

Line	Amount
Vehicle price	$40,000
Destination	$1,395
Doc fee	$250
Sales tax (5.75% state base on $41,645)	$2,394.59
Title + first-year registration	$65
OTD total	$44,104.59

That uses the state rate only. Your county's permissive tax adds more — at a typical ~1.5 extra points, that's roughly $625, putting most real-world totals near $44,700.

Calculate your exact OTD price

How to negotiate in Ohio

Ohio gives a trade-in tax credit on new-vehicle purchases — the trade-in allowance comes off the taxable price — so on a new car, every $1,000 of trade value also saves you roughly $60–$70 in tax at typical combined rates. Beyond that, tax and BMV fees are fixed: the negotiable money is the vehicle price, the doc fee, and dealer add-ons. Get each dealer's quote as a written OTD total at your county's rate and compare; that's the negotiation saveoncar.us runs for you.

Frequently asked questions

What sales tax do I pay on a car in Ohio?

5.75% to the state, plus your county's permissive tax — typically around 1.5 additional points. The rate is set by the county where you live, not where the dealer is located.

Does a trade-in reduce sales tax in Ohio?

On new-vehicle purchases, yes — you're taxed on the price after the trade-in allowance is deducted.

What are Ohio's title and registration fees?

$18 for the title ($23 in some counties) and about $47 a year for registration on a typical passenger car.

What is a doc fee in Ohio?

A dealer paperwork charge, capped by Ohio law at $250 per sale. It's dealer revenue rather than a government fee, so even if the dealer won't remove the line, they can offset it with a lower vehicle price.

All state fee guides

Ohio dealer fees & out-the-door price guide

Doc fee $250Capped by lawBase sales tax 5.75%Registration + title (first yr) $65

Registration note: Weight-based; some counties title at $23 — figure above is a $40,000-MSRP example; see the calculator for your own vehicle.

Ohio charges 5.75% state sales tax on vehicle purchases, and your county layers a permissive tax on top — locals typically add ~1.5 points, so most Ohio buyers land somewhere around 7% combined. The rate follows your county of residence, so driving one county over to buy doesn't change your tax bill.

The rest of the state's costs are low: an $18 title, registration around $47 a year for a typical car, and a dealer doc fee capped by law at $250 per sale. As everywhere, the sticker price and the tax rate are only inputs — the out-the-door (OTD) price is the figure to compare between dealerships.