Out-the-door price in New Hampshire
How New Hampshire works
- New Hampshire has no general sales tax, and none applies to a vehicle. The cost is registration: the town or city permit fee (a percentage of the car's original list price), a state fee set by weight, a $35 title fee and $8 for plates.
- The town permit fee is the large part. In the first year it is 1.8% of the maker's list price: about $630 on a $35,000 car. It falls with each model year of age (15, 12, 9, 6, then 3 mills per dollar). The formula is the same in every town; only small add-ons differ.
- On a used car the permit fee uses the car's original list price when new, not what you pay. Enter that MSRP, or the figure here will run low. The DMV's fee estimator takes a VIN and returns the exact amount.
- Registration is set by your birth month, so the first period runs 5 to 16 months and the state and town fees are adjusted to match. This estimate uses a standard 12 months, the same assumption the DMV's own estimator uses.
- You register at your town or city clerk with the dealer's title paperwork within 20 days, on the dealer's 20-day temporary plate. A dealer that is an approved state agent can register the car at the sale. The fees are the same either way, and a dealer may not pay them for you or advertise that it will.
- The doc fee: the state does not cap it. The Banking Department allows an administrative fee if the dealer charges it on every sale, cash or financed, and does not use it unfairly or deceptively. It is not taxed, because there is no tax.
- Town add-ons vary: some towns charge a $3 waste reclamation fee, a transportation improvement fee of up to $5, or both, and Manchester and Nashua can add a parking fee. This estimate uses $8 for them.
Rules last verified Oct 11, 2026. Our methodology.
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What a New Hampshire advertised price has to include
New Hampshire has no rule that says what a dealer's advertised price must include. The state's general ban on unfair or deceptive ads applies, and the Banking Department allows an administrative fee if the dealer charges it on every sale. The FTC expects more: every fee the dealer requires, the administrative fee included, belongs in the advertised price, so only government charges like the town permit 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 administrative fee (New Hampshire's doc fee; the state sets no dollar cap)
- Freight (destination) and dealer preparation charges
- Anything the dealer has added to the car, such as accessories already installed
- The dealer's title application preparation charge, if billed separately (the state maximum is $2)
- Any other fee the dealer requires
Can still be added on top
- Sales tax: New Hampshire has none on vehicles
- The town or city permit fee, which is 1.8% of the car's original list price in the first year, and the state registration fee
- Title ($35), plates ($8 for two) and the town clerk's fees
- Optional products you choose to buy, such as a service contract or GAP coverage
- The administrative fee: no statutory cap. The Banking Department says a dealer may charge one if it charges it on every motor vehicle sale, cash or financed, and not in a way that is an unfair or deceptive practice. A dealer can charge a separate $2 at most for preparing the title application.
- Registration fees: a dealer that registers the car as the state's agent can't absorb the town and state fees or advertise that it will, and a violation costs $100 each time. Free-registration offers should be read with that in mind.
- General rules: New Hampshire's Consumer Protection Act bans unfair or deceptive acts, including bait advertising and false claims about price reductions (RSA 358-A:2, IX and XI), and false or misleading statements about rates and terms in a financed sale (RSA 361-A:14, I).
- Temporary plate: a dealer has to give a buyer a 20-day temporary plate on a sale, and the law sets no charge for it.
More in our guide: Do dealers have to put fees in the advertised price? What actually changed for 2026
New Hampshire in detail
New Hampshire OTD questions, answered
Does a trade-in reduce sales tax in New Hampshire?
Yes — New Hampshire taxes the difference: your trade-in's value is subtracted before tax is computed.
Are manufacturer rebates taxed in New Hampshire?
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 New Hampshire?
No — doc fees are uncapped in New Hampshire; buyers report a typical $375.00. It's negotiable as part of your total OTD.
Is there sales tax on cars in New Hampshire?
No general sales tax.
What does a New Hampshire dealer's advertised price have to include?
Every fee the dealer charges, including the administrative fee (the FTC's position; New Hampshire has no rule requiring it). Only government charges, such as the town permit fee, the state registration fee and title, can be added on top. New Hampshire has no sales tax.
Is there a cap on New Hampshire dealer doc fees?
No. The state sets no dollar cap. The Banking Department allows an administrative fee if the dealer charges it on every sale, cash or financed, and it may not be used unfairly or deceptively. Ask what it is before you negotiate, and ask whether the advertised price includes it.
Do I pay sales tax on a car in New Hampshire?
No. New Hampshire has no general sales tax. You pay a town or city permit fee instead, about 1.8% of the car's original list price in the first year and less each year after, plus a state registration fee and a $35 title fee.
Does the dealer register my car in New Hampshire?
Often, if the dealer is an approved state agent. Otherwise the dealer files your title application and gives you a 20-day temporary plate, and you register at your town or city clerk with the blue copy. The fees are the same either way.