What is an out-the-door price?
The out-the-door price is the total you pay to drive away, with nothing left to add. Dealers advertise the selling price because it looks smaller. The OTD price includes the selling price, the dealer documentation fee, any accessories or protection packages already installed, state and local sales tax, and the title, registration and plate fees the dealer collects for the DMV. If a dealer quotes you a monthly payment or a “price plus fees,” you do not have a price yet.
How the calculator works.
Selling price + add-ons + doc fee = the taxable amount in most states. Multiply by your state’s vehicle sales tax rate to get the tax. Add title and registration. The sum is your OTD price. If you have a trade-in, most states tax only the difference between the new car and the trade-in value, which is why a trade-in handled inside the deal can be worth more than a private sale in a high-tax state. A handful of states, including California, Hawaii, Kentucky, Maryland and Virginia, tax the full price. The checkbox above lets you switch.
Doc fees: capped in some states, unlimited in others.
The documentation fee pays the dealer for paperwork. Some states cap it by law: California at $85, Minnesota at $125, Illinois around $358, indexed each year. Others have no cap, and doc fees of $700 to $900 are common in Florida, Virginia and Tennessee. A dealer usually cannot waive the doc fee for one customer, but the selling price can drop by the same amount. Negotiate the OTD total and let the dealer decide which line moves.
Lines that should not be on your quote.
Nitrogen-filled tires, VIN etching, paint and fabric protection, key replacement plans, pre-installed “appearance packages,” dealer-added GPS trackers and market adjustments above MSRP are profit lines, not costs. They are negotiable to zero or can be declined. Government fees, by contrast, are fixed: tax, title, registration and any state tire or battery fee do not change from dealer to dealer for the same car and address.
What to do with your number.
Email the internet sales manager at six to ten dealers with the exact trim, packages and color, and ask for an itemized out-the-door quote in writing. Compare each quote against this calculator. A quote that is higher than your calculation has either a higher selling price, a padded doc fee, add-ons or a mistake in the tax. Our email negotiation guide has the templates. If you already have a dealer quote, the free quote analyzer flags every line in about a minute. If you would rather not run the bid round yourself, OTDWolf does it for a $399 flat fee, refunded if the savings are under $1,200.
Data notes.
Tax rates and typical doc fees are 2025 reference values for each state and do not include city or county taxes. Georgia, Kentucky and West Virginia charge a titling or usage tax instead of sales tax; the rate shown is that tax. Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon charge no sales tax, though Delaware collects a 4.25% document fee and Oregon dealers often pass on a 0.5% privilege tax. Confirm title and registration with your DMV; they vary by weight, value and county.