Out-the-door price in Montana
How Montana works
- Montana has no sales tax, and no state or local tax on a car's price. The tax line is $0.
- Registration is set by the car's age, not its value: $217 a year for a car 4 model years old or newer, $87 for 5 to 10 and $28 for 11 or more. The state adds a 3% administrative fee to each state fee.
- Your county adds its own vehicle tax: 0.5% of the car's depreciated MSRP in 49 counties, 0.3% in Lake County, and none in Big Horn, Deer Lodge, Flathead, Granite, Phillips and Richland counties. Granite County adds 0.5% on vehicles with an MSRP of $150,000 or more from January 1, 2027.
- You pay these fees to your county treasurer, not the dealer, within 40 days of buying. The dealer sends in the title paperwork within 30 days and can issue a 40-day temporary permit ($24.50). They are in the calculator's total because you pay them either way.
- Doc fees are not capped in Montana. A dealer has to disclose the fee in the sales contract, and the FTC expects it in the advertised price.
- The $9 state parks fee and a $1 donation are on by default at the counter; you may decline both.
Rules last verified Oct 11, 2026. Our methodology.
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What a Montana advertised price has to include
Montana has no rule that says what a dealer's advertised price may leave out, and it puts no cap on the doc fee. Its consumer protection law tells courts to give weight to FTC interpretations, and the FTC expects every fee the dealer requires, the doc fee included, to be in the advertised price, so only government charges like title, registration and the county's vehicle tax 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 doc fee, whatever the dealer calls it (Montana has no cap)
- Freight (destination) and dealer preparation charges
- Dealer-installed accessories and anything else the dealer has added to the car
- A title and registration service or convenience fee, if the dealer charges one and makes it mandatory
Can still be added on top
- Montana has no sales tax
- The title fee, the registration fee and the state's 3% administrative fee
- Your county's vehicle tax, the Highway Patrol fee, the state parks fee and the license plate fee, all paid to your county treasurer
- The state's temporary registration permit fee ($24.50 when a dealer issues it)
- Optional products you choose to buy, such as a service contract or GAP coverage
- No sales tax: Montana has no general sales tax and none on vehicle sales, so the only government charges are the title, registration and county vehicle tax.
- Doc fees: there is no cap and no set amount. A dealer has to disclose the fee in every binding sales contract and has to tell you in writing, at or before the sale, that any taxes are due (ARM 23.19.204(11), (15)). Those are paperwork rules. They don't make a fee the dealer requires optional to include in the price.
- Misleading prices: Montana's rules list false statements about a price, bait-and-switch advertising and undisclosed conditions on an advertised price as unfair practices (ARM 23.19.101), and an ad has to give the business's legal name and street address.
- Registering at the sale: you register at your county treasurer within 40 days. A dealer that is an authorized agent of the state can issue the temporary permit and may charge a "reasonable" convenience fee (MCA 61-3-116(4)). The law sets no amount, so ask what it is.
More in our guide: Do dealers have to put fees in the advertised price? What actually changed for 2026
Montana in detail
Montana OTD questions, answered
Does a trade-in reduce sales tax in Montana?
Yes — Montana taxes the difference: your trade-in's value is subtracted before tax is computed.
Are manufacturer rebates taxed in Montana?
No — rebates passed to you are treated like a cash discount and reduce the taxable amount.
Is the doc fee capped in Montana?
No — doc fees are uncapped in Montana; buyers report a typical $299.00. It's negotiable as part of your total OTD.
Is there sales tax on cars in Montana?
No general sales tax.
What does a Montana dealer's advertised price have to include?
Every fee the dealer requires, including the doc fee (the FTC's position; Montana has no rule on what an ad may leave out and no cap on the doc fee). Only title, registration, the county vehicle tax and other government charges can be added on top. Montana has no sales tax.
Do I pay the county vehicle tax to the dealer?
No. You pay the county option tax, the registration fee and the title fee to your county treasurer within 40 days of buying. The dealer sends the paperwork and can issue a 40-day temporary permit. The calculator includes these fees because you pay them either way.
Why is registration so high on a new car in Montana?
Registration is $217 a year for a car 4 model years old or newer, plus a 3% state fee, and most counties add 0.5% of the car's depreciated MSRP. A new car with a $40,000 MSRP in Billings runs about $450 at the county treasurer's counter. The county tax falls every year as the car depreciates.