Official fees
Connecticut tax, title & license fee chart
Motor vehicle sales tax
6.35%
of price minus trade-in
Luxury rate (taxable amount over $50,000)
7.75%
applies to the whole amount, not just the excess
Title fee
$25
Lien recording fee
$10
if financed
Base registration
$120
passenger vehicle, 3-year term ($57 for EVs)
Plate + admin fees
$15
Clean Air Act + Greenhouse Gas fees
$15–$30
new vehicles; reduced for EVs
Passport to the Parks fee
$72
$24/yr × 3-year term
Municipal property tax
70% of value × town mill rate
billed by your town, capped at 32.46 mills
Figures verified July 2026 against official sources (listed below). Always confirm the final amount with the Connecticut DMV (plus your town tax collector for the annual property tax) - counties can add small local fees.
Step by step
How to pay tax, title and registration in Connecticut
- 1
Get the signed-over title from the seller (or let the dealer handle the paperwork electronically).
- 2
Complete Form H-13B (Application for Registration and Title) with the purchase price.
- 3
Bring the title, H-13B, proof of CT insurance, and ID to a DMV office or use an eligible online/dealer path.
- 4
Pay the 6.35%/7.75% sales tax, $25 title fee, and the 3-year registration stack in one transaction.
- 5
Watch for your town's supplemental motor vehicle tax bill the following January - it's separate from anything DMV collected.
- Sales tax
- 6.35% (7.75% over $50k)
- Title fee
- $25
- Registration
- $120 / 3 years
- Paid at
- DMV, then town tax office
- Ongoing cost
- Annual town property tax
Overview
There's also a cliff hiding in the sales tax: cross $50,000 in taxable price (after any trade-in) and the rate doesn't step up gradually - the whole amount jumps to 7.75%. A $49,999 purchase owes $3,175; a $50,001 purchase owes $3,875, a $700 swing from two extra dollars of price. Enter your numbers below for the DMV total, plus an estimate of what your town will bill you in year one.
Same state, other costs
More Connecticut vehicle costs
Common questions
Connecticut tax, title & license FAQ
- How much is tax, title and registration on a $30,000 car in Connecticut?
- About $2,120 at the DMV window: $1,905 in sales tax (6.35%), a $25 title fee, and roughly $190 for the first 3-year registration cycle (base fee, plate, admin, and Passport to the Parks). That figure doesn't include the town property tax bill that arrives separately.
- Why would a $50,001 car cost so much more in tax than a $49,999 one?
- Connecticut's luxury rate isn't marginal - once your taxable amount (price minus trade-in) passes $50,000, the ENTIRE amount is taxed at 7.75% instead of 6.35%. A $50,001 purchase owes $3,875.08 versus $3,174.94 at $49,999 - a roughly $700 jump from two dollars of price.
- Does Connecticut give a trade-in tax credit?
- Yes, at a dealership - the 6.35%/7.75% tax applies to price minus trade-in allowance. Private-party sales don't have a trade-in mechanism since there's no dealer transaction; DRS instead compares your price to the vehicle's NADA average trade-in value.
- Why is my registration a 3-year fee instead of annual?
- Connecticut moved passenger vehicles to triennial (3-year) registration. The $120 base fee, Clean Air Act fee, and Passport to the Parks charge are all collected once, up front, covering the full 3 years - drivers 65+ can opt for a prorated 1-year renewal instead.
- I already paid TTL - why did my town send me a tax bill?
- Connecticut is one of the few states that taxes vehicles as personal property every year, separate from the DMV entirely. Your town assesses the car at 70% of its value each October 1st and mails a bill the following July (with a prorated supplemental bill in January for cars bought mid-year). It's paid to the town tax collector, not the DMV.
- Is there a limit on how high my town's car tax can go?
- Yes - while a town's real-estate mill rate can run well past 60 mills in cities like Hartford or Waterbury, state law caps the motor vehicle mill rate at 32.46. So even in the highest-taxed cities, your car is billed at 32.46 mills times 70% of its value, not the full local rate.
- What if I bought the car from a private seller for less than it's worth?
- Connecticut compares your bill-of-sale price to the vehicle's NADA average trade-in value and taxes whichever is higher - so a suspiciously low private-sale price doesn't lower your tax bill the way it might elsewhere.
Receipts
Official sources
Every number on this page comes from these documents - check them yourself.
