Missouri car sales tax: rate, sourcing and what it applies to

• Missouri's rate is not a single statewide number — it is resolved from the ZIP code you register in, because local jurisdictions add to the state rate. Across Missouri the combined rate runs 5.225% to 11.488%, so where you register genuinely changes what you owe.
• The rate that matters is the one where you register the vehicle, not where the dealership sits. Buying out of your area does not change what you owe.

• 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.

• In Missouri you pay the sales tax yourself, at a license office, when you title the car — not to the dealer. So the dealer's out-the-door figure will be missing the tax, title and registration shown here, and you have 30 days to pay them. Dealers are due to start collecting the tax when the state's new system goes live, expected in February 2027; the amount won't change, only where you pay it.
• The rate is set by where you live, not where the dealer is: 4.225% state tax plus your city, county and local district taxes. Across Missouri that runs from about 5.2% to 11.5%.
• In most of Missouri your ZIP code covers more than one rate, because city taxes stop at the city limits and fire and ambulance districts split the rest. If yours does, you'll be asked which applies — usually whether you live inside city limits.
• Your trade-in reduces the taxable amount, and so do rebates — from the dealer or the manufacturer. That is friendlier than most states, where a factory rebate is still taxed.
• The doc fee is capped at $620.79 for 2026; the cap rises with inflation each February. It is taxed.
• Extended warranties, service contracts and maintenance plans are not taxed when they are listed separately. Accessories the dealer installs are.
• Registration depends on your engine's taxable horsepower, which isn't on the window sticker, so this estimate uses the bracket most four-cylinder cars fall in. Bigger engines pay up to $30 more a year.

Source: MO DOR Tax Breakdown Report + jurisdiction totals + boundary database (quarterly); RSMo 144.069, 144.070, 32.087 · rules last verified Oct 2, 2026. Methodology.