Maine car sales tax: 5.5% and what it applies to

• Maine charges 5.5%, and that rate is the same everywhere in the state — no county or city adds to it on a vehicle purchase.

• Taxed on top of the vehicle price: the dealer doc fee and dealer-installed accessories.
• Not part of the taxable amount: extended warranties and service contracts.
• Your trade-in comes off before tax is calculated.

• Maine's sales tax is 5.5% in 2026, the same in every town and county. The dealer collects it at the sale, on the price after your trade-in and any dealer discount, plus the dealer's document fee and installed accessories. A manufacturer rebate does not lower it. A service contract is taxed on its own at the same rate; GAP coverage is not.
• The town excise tax is the large yearly cost. In the first year it is 2.4% of the car's original list price: about $876 on a $36,500 MSRP. You pay it to your town office, not the dealer, and it has to be paid before the car can be registered. It falls with each model year of age. It uses the original MSRP, not what you pay, so enter it for a used car or the figure here runs low.
• Registering the car: you register at your town office after paying the excise tax there, or at a BMV branch if your town does not issue registrations. A dealer may offer to do the paperwork for you; ask. The state fees are a $33 title and a $35 registration for a car; your town adds a service fee of up to $6.
• Maine sets no dollar cap on the dealer's document fee. The dealer has to post it on the car and tell you before the sale, and it is taxed at 5.5%. Maine's advertising rules put it in the advertised price, which matches what the FTC expects.
• If you move a registration from a car you are replacing, the transfer costs $8 and your town credits the excise tax you already paid on the old car. That credit depends on your old registration, so the total here does not subtract it and can run high.
• Buying from a Maine dealer to drive out of state right away: you do not pay Maine sales tax if you live elsewhere, and your home state may tax the car when you register it there. If you live in Maine and buy out of state, Maine collects its 5.5% when you register, less any sales tax you paid there.

Source: Maine Revenue Services — Instructional Bulletin No. 24, Vehicle Dealers · rules last verified Oct 11, 2026. Methodology.