Out-the-door price in Delaware
How Delaware works
- Delaware has no sales tax. When a car is titled it charges a document fee instead: 5.25% of the purchase price, paid to the DMV, the same everywhere in the state. It was 4.25% until October 1, 2025. It is not the dealer's own doc fee.
- Your trade-in comes off the price before the 5.25% is figured, but only a trade-in that is titled in Delaware, and only one vehicle per purchase. A trade-in titled in another state gets no credit. The calculator assumes your trade-in qualifies. If it is titled in another state, tick that box under More options and the credit is dropped.
- A manufacturer credit applied to the price lowers the amount the fee is figured on, according to the DMV's notice to dealers, and so does a dealer discount. One page of the DMV's dealer manual says manufacturer rebates are not deducted, so confirm that with the dealer. Accessories the dealer adds are part of the amount. Extended warranties and service contracts are not.
- The dealer's own processing fee is a separate charge. Delaware does not cap it and sets no required wording. The DMV tells dealers to list it as a service charge or administrative fee, apart from the state fees. The calculator does not figure the state document fee on it; the DMV does not say either way.
- Registration is $40 a year for a car or SUV. A new car can be registered for up to 7 years at once, at $40 a year, and the DMV lists up to 6 years for many used cars. The calculator shows one year. A hybrid adds $60 a year, a plug-in hybrid $85 and an electric car $110, for vehicles of 6,000 pounds or less.
- Your plate stays with you in Delaware. You can retain your plate number when you sell or trade a car and move it to the new one for about $20. If you need a new plate, the dealer's temporary plate (up to $20) covers you for up to 90 days.
- A new car sold by a Delaware dealer with a Delaware title application does not need an inspection, and DMV inspections carry no fee. Some used cars need a VIN check at a DMV lane before they can be titled.
Rules last verified Oct 11, 2026. Our methodology.
Try it for your ZIP
What a Delaware advertised price has to include
Delaware has no statute or rule that says what a dealer's advertised price must include, and none that caps or words the dealer's own processing fee. Its general consumer fraud law bars deception and leaving out material facts in an ad. The FTC expects more: every fee the dealer requires, the processing fee included, belongs in the advertised price, so only government charges like Delaware's document fee, title 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.
Has to be in the advertised price
- The dealer's processing or documentation fee (Delaware sets no cap and no required wording)
- Freight (destination) and dealer preparation charges
- Anything the dealer has added to the car, such as accessories already installed
- The temporary plate, if the dealer charges for it (up to $20)
- Any other fee the dealer requires
Can still be added on top
- Delaware's document fee: 5.25% of the purchase price, paid to the DMV when the car is titled
- The $35 title fee, the $20 lien fee if you finance, and registration ($40 a year for a car), plus the yearly alternative fuel fee on a hybrid or electric car
- Optional products you choose to buy, such as a service contract or GAP coverage
- Two different charges share the name "document fee": the state's (5.25% of the price, a government charge under 30 Del. C. 3002, collected by the DMV) and the dealer's own processing fee. Only the state's can be added on top of an advertised price.
- The dealer's fee: Delaware does not cap it. A 2024 bill that would have capped it at $475 and required a disclosure on the bill of sale (House Substitute 1 for HB 295) was reported out of a House committee in March 2024 and did not become law. The DMV's dealer manual says a dealer may charge an administrative fee for title work and has to list it as a service charge or administrative fee, apart from the state fees.
- The bill of sale: a dealer has to list the sale price, any trade-in credit and the document fee, title fee, registration fee or any other fee the buyer pays, each one separately (21 Del. C. 6305).
- General law: 6 Del. C. 2513 makes it unlawful to use deception, or to conceal or leave out a material fact, in connection with the advertisement or sale of merchandise. We found no Delaware rule or enforcement action that applies it to a dealer's processing fee.
- Rebates and add-ons: under the FTC's FAQ 9, an advertised price can't assume a discount or rebate that only some buyers can get, and a dealer can't present an optional add-on as required.
More in our guide: Do dealers have to put fees in the advertised price? What actually changed for 2026
Delaware in detail
Delaware OTD questions, answered
Does a trade-in reduce sales tax in Delaware?
Yes — Delaware taxes the difference: your trade-in's value is subtracted before tax is computed.
Are manufacturer rebates taxed in Delaware?
No — rebates passed to you are treated like a cash discount and reduce the taxable amount.
Is the doc fee capped in Delaware?
No — doc fees are uncapped in Delaware; buyers report a typical $697.00. It's negotiable as part of your total OTD.
What does a Delaware dealer's advertised price have to include?
Every fee the dealer charges, including its processing fee (the FTC's position; Delaware has no rule on the point). Only Delaware's document fee, the title fee, registration and other government charges can be added on top.
Is there a limit on Delaware dealer doc fees?
No. Delaware caps neither the dealer's processing fee nor how it is worded. The 5.25% document fee is the state's charge, not the dealer's, and it is a separate line.
Do I pay sales tax on a car in Delaware?
No. Delaware has no sales tax. A car titled in the state owes the document fee instead: 5.25% of the purchase price after a Delaware-titled trade-in, paid to the DMV, the same statewide.
Does the dealer register my car in Delaware?
Usually. A dealer has to send your title application to the DMV within 30 days of delivery, or give it to you to file within that time. It can issue a temporary plate for up to 90 days.