California, Texas, and Florida have the most registered vehicles, accounting for 26% of America’s total. In fact, as of April 2023 Florida alone had 23,722,892 registered vehicles. The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles includes cars, motorcycles, pickups, buses, trailers, and more in that number.
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FL sales tax is 6% whether you buy new or used
Car ownership involves a variety of upfront costs aside from the sticker price itself. Title fees, auto insurance, and sales tax of course. If you buy a vehicle in Florida, the tax you pay on that purchase depends on the county you live in, if you bought the vehicle out of the state, or if you traded in another car. But generally speaking, the Sunshine State has a vehicle sales tax of 6% whether you buy new or used.
If you buy a vehicle and the dealer delivers it to you outside of Florida, you don’t have to pay sales tax
If you buy at a car dealership, the sales tax will be included in all the fees that come up when finalizing the sale. But if you buy from a private seller, you’re responsible for paying up that 6% to tax collector’s office or the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. If you choose to transfer your car title online with eTags, the titling and registration company collect sales tax at the time of transfer and passes it on to FLHSMV.
But wait, there’s the counties’ discretionary surtax
Back to the 6%. Just multiply your car’s price by 0.06 sales tax percentage to get amount you owe in taxes. But, as mentioned before, you may have to pay a discretionary surtax if you live in certain counties. For instance, Alachua County has a 1.5% surtax rate for 2023. Sarasota County has a 1% surtax rate. Broward and Miami-Dade counties are also at 1%. These surtax charges though only apply for the first $5,000 of the total sticker price.
Florida collects sales tax on conversion vans and fifth-wheel trailers too
Discounts and out-of-state purchases
If you buy your next vehicle from a car dealership, know that your Florida sales tax is calculated off the full price minus discounts and trade-in allowances. But not minus the manufacturer’s rebate. If you buy a car from out of the state and bring it in to Florida, you still have to pay the FL sales tax. But if you paid any taxes in the state where the vehicle was bought, you can get credit for those fees.
If the payment is the same or more than what you’d pay in the Sunshine State, you won’t have to pay more sales tax. If the out-of-state tax is less than the amount due in FL, you only have to pay the difference. You won’t have to pay any taxes if you have proof that you used the car for at least six months out of state before registering it in Florida.
SEE ALSO: FL CAR REGISTRATIONS & TITLES ONLINE
Unpaid Florida sales tax on cars are collected when you apply for the title in your name
If you recently purchased a vehicle, you can transfer the title and register it online with eTags. If you have any outstanding sales tax to pay, eTags will collect those fees and pass on to the FLHSMV.
