Official fees
Kansas car sales tax chart
State rate
6.5%
every vehicle sale statewide
Wichita (Sedgwick County)
7.5%
combined
Overland Park (Johnson County)
9.35%
combined, higher in special districts
Kansas City, KS (Wyandotte County)
9.125%
combined
Topeka (Shawnee County)
9.35%
combined
Trade-in deduction
Full FMV
dealer or private-party trade
Lineal family sale/gift
Exempt
Form TR-215, notarized
Figures verified July 2026 against official sources (listed below). Always confirm the final amount with your county treasurer (Kansas Department of Revenue, Division of Vehicles) - counties can add small local fees.
- State rate
- 6.5%
- Local add-on
- 1%–2.85%+
- Private sales
- Fully taxable
- Trade-in credit
- Dealer AND private
- Lineal family
- Exempt (Form TR-215)
Overview
The rate is the easy part. The part that trips people up is that Kansas taxes private-party sales in full - a general 'isolated or occasional sale' exemption covers casual sales of other property between individuals, but a specific state regulation excludes motor vehicles and trailers from it. What DOES help private buyers: Kansas allows a trade-in deduction even outside a dealership, and sales between parents, children, grandparents, and their spouses are exempt outright.
Same state, other costs
More Kansas vehicle costs
Common questions
Kansas car sales tax FAQ
- Why did my neighbor pay a different sales tax rate on the same model car?
- Kansas taxes vehicles based on where the buyer registers it - their county and city of residence - not the dealership's location. If you and your neighbor live in different taxing jurisdictions, your combined rates can differ by a percentage point or more even for an identical purchase.
- I bought my car from a private seller, not a dealer - do I still owe sales tax?
- Yes. Kansas has a general exemption for isolated or occasional sales between individuals, but a specific regulation (K.A.R. 92-19-30) removes motor vehicles and trailers from that exemption. You pay the same combined rate at the county treasurer that a dealer would have collected.
- Does trading in a car reduce the tax on a private sale?
- Yes - Kansas is unusual here. K.S.A. 79-3603(o) lets the fair-market value of a vehicle the buyer trades in directly to the seller be deducted from the taxable price, even when neither party is a licensed dealer. It has to be an actual vehicle-for-vehicle trade documented in the sale, not a separate transaction.
- What if the bill of sale says $0 or a suspiciously low price?
- The county treasurer can override a stated price that doesn't reflect fair market value and tax the sale based on an NADA or comparable guide value instead - this applies most often to under-the-table 'gifts' between non-family parties. A genuine lineal-family transfer with Form TR-215 sidesteps this entirely.
- Who counts as exempt 'lineal family' in Kansas?
- Parents and children (including step and adopted), grandparents and grandchildren, and their spouses. Siblings, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and in-laws outside that direct line do not qualify for the sales-tax exemption, even though a treasurer may still ask them to document that a transfer is a genuine gift.
- Do I get credit for sales tax paid in another state before moving to Kansas?
- Generally yes - Kansas credits legally-imposed sales or use tax you already paid another state against what you'd owe here, up to the Kansas rate. Bring your out-of-state purchase receipt when you title the vehicle.
Receipts
Official sources
Every number on this page comes from these documents - check them yourself.
