Buying a car in California

Every figure below is sourced to California’s own revenue or motor vehicle publications and dated. Estimates only.

Auto loan calculator

The real out-the-door number — including whether your state credits your trade-in against the sales tax.

Auto lease calculator

Money factor, residual, and the payment — taxed by your state's actual method, since some states tax a lease's full value upfront instead of each payment.

Loan payoff calculator

What paying extra actually saves you — in interest and in months — on a car loan, a personal loan, or anything else that amortizes.

0% APR vs. cash rebate

Which dealer offer actually costs less over the life of the loan, and the rate at which they tie.

Personal loan calculator

Payment, total interest, and the effective APR once an origination fee is deducted from what actually reaches your account.

Debt consolidation calculator

Whether one loan actually beats paying your existing debts off as they are — measured against the best you could do without consolidating.

Auto refinance calculator

Whether refinancing your car loan is worth it — including whether a lower payment is being bought with a longer term on a depreciating asset.

Lease vs. buy a car

The same car both ways over the same months, with the resale value credited to the buyer — the part most comparisons leave out.

California at a glance

State sales tax: 7.25%; Local tax is added on top in most states — treat this as a floor.
Trade-in credit: No credit; You are taxed on the full price even when you trade a car in.
Dealer doc fee: $260.00 or 1%; Base caps are $85 for a dealer holding a Vehicle Code section 1685 private-industry-partner agreement with the DMV and $70 without one. Until 1 January 2031 a dealer may exceed those only if the charge is no more than 1 percent of the total vehicle price AND no more than $260, with conspicuous signage and pre-sale disclosure. So $260 is a ceiling, not the cap: on a vehicle under $26,000 the 1 percent test binds first, and from 2031 the cap reverts to $85 or $70. The charge may not be presented as a governmental fee.
Title and registration: $104.00; $28.00 title + $76.00 registration.

Local tax in California

CDTFA publishes 7.25% as the rate applicable to a vehicle sale, 'plus applicable district taxes.' That 7.25% is itself 6.00% state plus a 1.25% uniform local rate imposed in every county, so it is the statewide minimum rather than a pure state-only figure. Voter-approved district taxes stack on top and vary by city and county, pushing combined rates well above 7.25% in much of the state. For vehicles the applicable district tax generally follows the purchaser's registration address rather than the dealer's location.