Overview
Enter your purchase price and the vehicle's age bracket below. If you're financing at a dealership, your trade-in reduces the taxable price dollar for dollar - a rule Idaho does NOT extend to private-party sales, where you're taxed on the full price you actually paid, recorded on the bill of sale you bring to the county assessor.
01 - Official fees
Idaho tax, title & license fees at a glance
| Fee | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sales tax | 6% | of price minus trade-in (dealer) or full price (private) |
| Title fee | $14.00 | plus $2–$19 county filing fee |
| Registration, 1–2 years old | $69.00/yr | |
| Registration, 3–6 years old | $57.00/yr | |
| Registration, 7+ years old | $45.00/yr | |
| EMS + Idaho State Police fees | $4.25 | every registration |
| Electric vehicle fee | $140.00/yr | |
| Plug-in hybrid fee | $75.00/yr |
Figures verified June 2026 against official sources (listed below). Always confirm the final amount with your county DMV/assessor's office (Idaho Transportation Department) - counties can add small local fees.
02 - Step by step
How to pay tax, title and registration in Idaho
- 1
Get the title signed over by the seller, or let the dealer handle the paperwork.
- 2
Bring the title, a bill of sale showing the price, proof of insurance, and ID to your county assessor's motor vehicle desk within 30 days.
- 3
The assessor calculates 6% sales tax on your price (minus trade-in for dealer purchases), the $14 title fee plus county add-on, and your age-based registration.
- 4
Pay it all in one transaction - Idaho no longer issues a physical registration sticker as of July 1, 2026, so your plate and paperwork are your proof.
- 5
Keep the receipt; the county's system now verifies your registration electronically.
03 - Same state, other costs
More Idaho vehicle costs
04 - Common questions
Idaho tax, title & license FAQ
How much is tax, title and license on a $25,000 car in Idaho?
About $1,584 if the car is 1–2 years old: $1,500 in sales tax (6%), roughly a $20 title fee, and $69 for the first year's registration plus the $4.25 EMS/State Police add-on. A 7-year-old vehicle at the same price drops the registration line to $45.
Why does my registration cost less than my neighbor's identical car?
Idaho prices registration by the vehicle's age, not its value or weight class. Your neighbor's newer car of the same model pays more ($69 or $57) than an older one ($45) even if today's resale values are similar.
Does Idaho tax the sale price or a book value like some states?
Idaho taxes the actual price on your bill of sale. There's no presumptive-value floor like Texas's SPV - but if you skip the bill of sale, the assessor defaults to the NADA average trade-in value, and if your reported price looks artificially low, they can assess tax on fair market value instead.
Do I pay city or county sales tax on top of the state's 6%?
No. Idaho's resort-city local-option taxes (McCall, Ketchum, and similar) generally exclude motor vehicle sales, so 6% is the ceiling almost everywhere in the state.
Is there a discount for registering 2 years at once?
You can prepay two registration years in one visit, but it's simply double the annual fee - no discount. The upside is skipping a trip to the county office the following year.
What if I'm gifted or given the car by family?
A genuine gift, or a sale between parents, children, grandparents, grandchildren, or siblings, skips the 6% tax entirely with a signed Form ST-133 or ST-133GT - see our Idaho gift-a-car page for the full rules on who qualifies.
05 - Receipts
Official sources
Every number on this page comes from these documents - check them yourself.