Out-the-door price in California
How California works
- California does not reduce the taxable price for trade-ins — you pay sales tax on the full price even with a trade.
- Manufacturer rebates are taxed in CA (tax is computed before the rebate is applied). A dealer discount, by contrast, DOES lower your taxable price — that distinction is worth real money.
- The doc fee is capped by law ($85 e-filing dealers / $70 otherwise) and is part of the taxable base.
- Buying used? Enter the plate expiration month: if the registration is expired or expires within 120 days of purchase, renewal fees ride along with the deal — otherwise they're not due at sale.
- Used car without current California plates (out-of-state car)? Full first registration is due and a smog test is required regardless of the car's age.
- Used vehicles four or fewer model years old skip the $50 smog test — just an $8 exemption fee. Five or older: $50 test + $8.25 certificate.
- A California dealer's advertised price has to include any markup and anything already installed on the car (SB 766), plus every fee the dealer charges, including the doc fee, the electronic filing fee and the smog check charge on a used car that needs one (federal law). Only tax, registration and other government fees go on top, so an advertised price still isn't your out-the-door number.
Rules last verified Oct 3, 2026. Our methodology.
Try it for your ZIP
What a California advertised price has to include
Since October 1, 2026, California's CARS Act (SB 766) requires a dealer to state a car's total price in any ad for a specific car, and in its first written reply to you about one. The FTC expects more: every fee the dealer charges belongs in the advertised price, so only government charges like tax and registration can be added on top. That still isn't your out-the-door number; the calculator above adds the rest for your ZIP.
Federal law comes first
The FTC requires a dealer's advertised price to include every fee the dealer charges. Only charges the government requires you to pay, like tax, title and registration, can be left out. Where a state's rules let a dealer leave a fee out, the dealer still has to follow the federal rule, so the fee goes in. The FTC says a state's doc-fee rules can add disclosures, but they don't change the price that has to be advertised. Read the FTC's guidance.
California law and the FTC conflict on these fees
California's own definition of a total price lets a dealer leave the doc fee, the electronic filing fee and a used car's smog check charge out of an advertised price. The FTC expects every fee a dealer charges to be in the advertised price, and says a state's rule on disclosing the doc fee separately doesn't change that. California's new-car dealers association now tells its members to advertise one all-in price that includes all three. Until regulators or the courts settle it, you may see California ads that leave them out. Ask whether a price includes them, and get the out-the-door price in writing.
What the FTC expects in the advertised price
- Any dealer price adjustment, such as a "market adjustment" markup
- Anything already installed on the car when it's advertised or quoted, such as accessories and dealer add-ons
- The doc fee (capped at $85, or $70 for dealers that don't register cars electronically)
- The electronic filing fee
- On a used car that needs a smog check, the smog check charge (typically $50)
- Any other fee the dealer charges, such as a "dealer prep" fee
- The price before any rebate: a rebate can be shown separately, but it can't be subtracted from the total
Can still be added on top
- Sales tax
- Registration and other government fees, including the state tire fee and the $8.25 smog certificate fee
- Optional products you choose to buy, such as a service contract or GAP coverage
- Finance charges, if you finance
- No "call for price": an ad for a specific car has to show its total price.
- The price you can actually pay has to be the most prominent number. MSRP, and discounts only some buyers get (such as first-responder or dealer-financing discounts), can only appear less prominently.
- The first written reply: a dealer's first written response to you about a specific car has to state its total price. The dealer has to keep a copy for two years and give you one if you ask in writing.
- Optional add-ons: when a dealer brings up an add-on in writing, it has to tell you in writing that the add-on isn't required and that you can buy the car without it.
- Add-ons you can't benefit from are banned, such as an oil-change plan on an electric car, nitrogen tire fill under 95% pure, catalytic-converter marking on a car without one, a paint coating that voids the factory paint warranty, or a service contract the car's existing damage would void.
- Monthly payments: a written payment quote has to show the total you'd pay over the whole loan or lease, plus any down payment or trade-in it assumes.
- Used cars bought or leased for $50,000 or less come with a 3-day right to cancel, starting the day after you sign; if the third day falls on a day the dealer is closed, it runs to the next day it's open. The car has to come back in the same condition apart from normal wear and tear, driven no more than 400 miles. The dealer can't charge for the right but can keep a restocking fee of 1.5% of the price ($200 minimum, $600 maximum), plus $1 a mile over 250 miles, up to $150. Motorcycles and vehicles of 10,000 lbs GVWR or more aren't covered.
More in our guide: Do dealers have to put fees in the advertised price? What actually changed for 2026
See every state: Which states let dealers leave the doc fee out of the advertised price?
California in detail
Rates by county in California
Counties where the rate differs from the rest of California, or changes from one city to the next. The 50 listed here are the ones where your county actually changes the number.
| County | Combined rate | ZIPs |
|---|---|---|
| Alameda County | 10.25%–10.75% | 69 |
| Los Angeles County | 10.25%–11.75% | 508 |
| Santa Clara County | 9.75%–10.5% | 109 |
| San Mateo County | 8.625%–9.875% | 38 |
| Contra Costa County | 8.75%–10.25% | 52 |
| Santa Cruz County | 9.25%–9.75% | 21 |
| Santa Barbara County | 7.75%–9.25% | 41 |
| Solano County | 7.375%–9.625% | 16 |
| Sonoma County | 9.25%–10.5% | 50 |
| San Joaquin County | 7.75%–9% | 44 |
| Humboldt County | 8.75%–10.25% | 38 |
| Monterey County | 8.75%–9.5% | 35 |
| Riverside County | 7.75%–9.25% | 99 |
| Sacramento County | 7.75%–9.25% | 132 |
| San Luis Obispo County | 7.25%–8.75% | 35 |
| City and County of San Francisco County | 8.625% | 50 |
| Fresno County | 7.975%–9.225% | 98 |
| Butte County | 8.25%–9.25% | 24 |
| Calaveras County | 8.25%–8.75% | 20 |
| Kern County | 7.25%–9.25% | 67 |
| Kings County | 7.25%–8.25% | 9 |
| Marin County | 8.25%–9.25% | 41 |
| San Benito County | 8.25%–9.25% | 5 |
| Yuba County | 7.75%–8.25% | 12 |
| Mendocino County | 7.875%–9.25% | 28 |
| Stanislaus County | 7.875%–8.875% | 28 |
| Amador County | 7.75%–8.75% | 13 |
| Colusa County | 7.75%–8.75% | 7 |
| Imperial County | 7.75%–8.75% | 18 |
| Inyo County | 7.75%–8.75% | 12 |
| Madera County | 7.75%–8.75% | 12 |
| Merced County | 7.75%–8.75% | 23 |
| Napa County | 7.75%–8.75% | 12 |
| Orange County | 7.75%–9.25% | 146 |
| San Bernardino County | 7.75%–9% | 116 |
| San Diego County | 7.75%–8.75% | 182 |
| Tulare County | 7.75%–9.25% | 42 |
| Nevada County | 7.5%–9% | 16 |
| El Dorado County | 7.25%–8.75% | 30 |
| Glenn County | 7.25%–8.75% | 7 |
| Lake County | 7.25%–8.75% | 15 |
| Lassen County | 7.25%–8.25% | 15 |
| Mono County | 7.25%–7.75% | 7 |
| Placer County | 7.25%–7.75% | 29 |
| Shasta County | 7.25%–7.75% | 33 |
| Siskiyou County | 7.25%–8.75% | 22 |
| Tehama County | 7.25%–8.5% | 13 |
| Tuolumne County | 7.25%–8.75% | 15 |
| Ventura County | 7.25%–10.25% | 47 |
| Yolo County | 7.25%–9.25% | 21 |
California OTD questions, answered
Does a trade-in reduce sales tax in California?
No — California computes tax on the full purchase price even when you trade in. This surprises a lot of buyers.
Are manufacturer rebates taxed in California?
Effectively yes — tax is computed before the rebate is applied, so you pay tax on the pre-rebate price.
Is the doc fee capped in California?
Yes — the cap is $85.00 (CVC 11713.1). A dealer may not exceed it.
What does a California dealer's advertised price have to include?
Any markup and anything the dealer has already installed on the car (SB 766, since October 1, 2026), plus every fee the dealer charges, including the doc fee, the electronic filing fee and the smog check charge on a used car that needs one (the FTC's position; California lets dealers leave those fees out, so the two conflict). It can't subtract a rebate. Only sales tax, registration and other government fees can be added on top.
Can I return a used car I bought from a California dealer?
Yes, if you bought or leased it for $50,000 or less on or after October 1, 2026. You have 3 calendar days, starting the day after you sign, to bring it back in the same condition apart from normal wear and tear, driven no more than 400 miles. The dealer can't charge for the right, but it can keep a restocking fee of $200 to $600, plus up to $150 if you've driven it more than 250 miles. New cars and motorcycles aren't covered.