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Hawaii Tax, Title & Registration Calculator

Hawaii doesn't have a DMV - it has four of them. Registration is run entirely by your county (Honolulu, Maui, Hawaiʻi, or Kauaʻi), and each county sets its own per-pound weight tax on top of a shared state formula, so the exact same 4,000-lb SUV can cost twice as much to plate on Oʻahu as it does on the Big Island. There's also no sales tax in the way most buyers expect one: Hawaii charges the General Excise Tax (GET) on the dealer's gross income, not on you directly - but dealers pass it through at a grossed-up 4.712% rate that shows up on your invoice looking exactly like a tax.

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Your numbers

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Hawaii has no state DMV. The state sets a uniform base fee and weight-tax formula, but each county layers its own weight-tax rate on top and collects the whole bill.

Use the vehicle's actual registered (curb) weight - it's on your current registration or the driver's-door jamb sticker.

Official fees

Hawaii tax, title & license fee chart

GET (dealer sale, visible pass-on rate)

4.712%

of purchase price

Private-party / casual sale

$0

GET applies only to business activity

State registration fee

$46.00

State highway beautification fee

$7.00

County registration fee

$20.00

plus $0.50 county emblem

State weight tax

1.75¢–2.25¢/lb

up to 10,000 lbs; flat $300 above that

County weight tax

1.25¢–7.0¢/lb

set independently by each county, $12 minimum

Ownership transfer fee

$5–$20

varies by county

Figures verified July 2026 against official sources (listed below). Always confirm the final amount with your county motor vehicle registration office (Honolulu, Maui, Hawaiʻi, or Kauaʻi) - counties can add small local fees.

Step by step

How to pay tax, title and registration in Hawaii

  1. 1

    Get the seller's signed-over Hawaii title, or, for a dealer purchase, let the dealer prep the paperwork.

  2. 2

    If it's a dealer sale, GET is already built into the price at checkout - you don't pay it separately at the counter.

  3. 3

    If it's a private-party sale, bring a bill of sale and complete Form G-27 (Motor Vehicle Use Tax Certification) to document the casual-sale exemption.

  4. 4

    Take the title, G-27 (if applicable), proof of no-fault insurance, and safety inspection certificate to your county vehicle registration office within 30 days.

  5. 5

    Pay the state and county registration fees plus your county's weight tax - the clerk calculates weight tax off the vehicle's actual scale weight.

GET (dealer sales)
4.712% visible rate
Private-party sales
Usually $0 GET
Base registration
$46 state + $20 county
Weight tax
Varies hugely by county
Pay at
Your county vehicle registration office

Overview

The real surprise is private-party sales: because GET only taxes business activity, a genuine person-to-person sale - running friend to friend, stranger to stranger, no dealer involved - owes no GET and no use tax at all, regardless of price. Buy from a dealer and you owe the 4.712%; buy from a private seller and you typically owe $0 in transaction tax, just registration. Pick your county and vehicle below to see your real total.

Same state, other costs

More Hawaii vehicle costs

Common questions

Hawaii tax, title & license FAQ

How much is tax, title and registration on a $30,000 car in Hawaii?
For a dealer purchase: about $1,414 in GET (4.712%), plus roughly $250–$650 a year in registration and weight tax depending on your county and the vehicle's weight - Honolulu runs highest, Hawaiʻi County lowest. A private-party purchase skips the $1,414 entirely.
Why is my friend on Oʻahu paying so much more than me on the Big Island?
County weight tax. Honolulu charges 7.0¢ per pound on passenger vehicles; Hawaiʻi County charges just 1.25¢. A 4,000-lb SUV's weight tax alone is $280 on Oʻahu versus $50 on the Big Island - the state portion is identical everywhere.
Is Hawaii's GET the same thing as sales tax?
Legally, no - GET is levied on a business's gross income, not on the buyer. But dealers are allowed to pass it on, and the grossed-up rate they charge (4.712% on top of a 4.5% GET liability, since the pass-on amount is itself taxable income) looks and functions like a sales tax on your invoice.
Do I really owe nothing when I buy from a private seller?
In almost all cases, yes - Hawaii's GET only reaches business activity, and an individual selling their own car isn't 'in business' for that transaction. File Form G-27 at registration to document the casual-sale exemption; skip it and the county clerk may default to taxing the vehicle's fair market value instead.
I'm shipping a car to Hawaii from the mainland - what do I owe?
Use tax at 4.5% of the 'landed value' - your purchase price plus shipping, insurance, and handling to get it to port - unless you already paid sales/use tax to another state, which credits against it. This applies whether you're a new resident or just buying a mainland vehicle and having it shipped.
Does a trade-in reduce what I owe in Hawaii?
No - unlike sales-tax states, Hawaii's GET is based on the dealer's gross income from the deal, and trade-in allowances generally don't reduce that taxable base. There's no trade-in credit built into the 4.712% calculation.
What paperwork does the county actually want?
The signed title, a completed registration application, current no-fault insurance, a passed safety inspection (annual, required before registering), and - for private sales - Form G-27. Bring all of it in one visit; each county office processes registration on the spot.

Receipts

Official sources

Every number on this page comes from these documents - check them yourself.

Everywhere else

Tax, Title & License Calculator by state

Fees and rules are different in every state. Pick yours for exact numbers.

each state hand-verified against its DMV before it goes live

Disclaimer

DMVCosts provides fee estimates for general informational purposes only - it is not legal, tax, or financial advice, and no calculator can account for every county surcharge, exemption, or mid-year rate change. Figures are verified against official sources on the date shown, but fees change over time.

The final, binding amount is always the one quoted by your county motor vehicle registration office (Honolulu, Maui, Hawaiʻi, or Kauaʻi). Confirm with them before making payment decisions. To the fullest extent permitted by law, DMVCosts disclaims all liability for decisions made based on these estimates.