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Indiana Guide

How to Title a Private Car Sale in Indiana

Last verified: October 2026 against Indiana BMV and DOR sources

When you buy a car from a private seller in Indiana, you pay the 7% sales tax at a BMV branch when you apply for the title.

Here is the order to do it in and what it costs.

Step by step

  1. 1

    Check the title before you leave

    Make sure the seller has completed both the seller and purchaser sections of the certificate of title before you go to a branch. Any lienholder must have released its interest.

  2. 2

    Leave the plate with the seller

    The seller removes the license plate at the sale. You get your own title, registration, and plate.

  3. 3

    Apply within 45 days

    Apply for the certificate of title within 45 days of the purchase. After that, the BMV charges a $30 administrative penalty.

  4. 4

    Pay the sales tax at the branch

    A private sale is taxed at 7% of the purchase price, paid at the branch when you apply for the title.

  5. 5

    Pay the title, registration, and excise tax

    The title is $15. Passenger registration is $21.35 plus the $15 Transportation Infrastructure Improvement Fee. Electric vehicles add $242 and hybrids $81.

    You also pay the yearly vehicle excise tax, set by the vehicle’s original retail price and age, and any county or municipal vehicle tax where you live.

What to bring

  • The certificate of title, with the seller and purchaser sections completed
  • Lien release, if a lien was recorded
  • Proof of identity and Indiana address
  • Payment for the 7% sales tax and the fees
  • Payment for the vehicle excise tax and any local vehicle tax

Estimate your Indiana costs

The calculator shows the 7% sales tax, title, registration, and a year of vehicle excise tax for the list price you enter. County or city vehicle taxes are not included; the BMV’s Quick Quote tool estimates them.

Open the full Indiana calculator

Vehicle & Transaction Details

Enter purchase information to calculate true out-of-pocket costs in Indiana.

51 Jurisdictions Active
Indiana 7% tax base
$
7 years old
Sets the yearly tax
$

The Indiana vehicle excise tax is figured from the price when new and drops as the vehicle ages. Blank uses $30,000.

Indiana tag options
1-Year Term (Indiana registers for one year)
EV surcharge rules
Lien fee: $0.00
Indiana: Non-Deductible
$

Indiana Notice: Indiana taxes the full agreed vehicle price. Trade-ins do not reduce the tax base on private-party sales.

Vehicle HistorySponsored Link

Check this VIN before you buy

Spot accident, title, and odometer problems before you pay a private seller.

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Estimated taxes & fees

Estimated taxes & fees

Jurisdiction

Indiana

Estimated taxes & fees
$1,192.35

Sales Tax + Title Certificate + Tags & Registration

Itemized Line ItemEstimated Fee
1Vehicle Sales Tax (7%)

Calculated at 7% on taxable base of $15,000

$1,050.00
2Certificate of Title Fee

Standard state title certificate issuance

$15.00
3Lien / Security Filing Fee

Unfinanced / cash purchase (waived $0.00)

$0.00
4Registration & Tag Fee

Base license plates & tags + $91.00 Indiana vehicle excise tax for a $30,000.00 list price

$127.35

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Indiana rates last verified: October 2026
Official Notice & Statutory Disclaimers

Estimates only, not tax or legal advice. Verify with the Indiana BMV or Department of Revenue.

County and municipal vehicle excise and wheel taxes are not included, and motorcycles are shown without the excise tax. A motorcycle’s registration is $26.35 plus the $15 fee. The BMV’s Quick Quote tool gives your exact total.

Registration shown is the BMV fee chart revised January 1, 2026.

The estimate shows a full year of the excise tax. Registering partway through your registration year, or a credit for excise paid on a vehicle you sold, can change the amount due (IC 6-6-5-7.2).

Indiana’s supplemental fee covers each hybrid or electric vehicle that must be registered, and its exemptions name motor driven cycles but not motorcycles (IC 9-18.1-5-12), so the estimate charges a motorcycle the same fee. Confirm with the BMV.

County & Local Tax Note: Indiana has no local sales tax on vehicles. The BMV collects a yearly vehicle excise tax with registration, set by the original retail price and the vehicle’s age; the estimate includes it. Some counties and cities add their own vehicle excise or wheel tax, which is not included.

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about this Indiana BMV and DOR process.

Applying more than 45 days after the purchase adds a $30 administrative penalty.

Sources

Last verified: October 2026. Rules change, so check with Indiana BMV and DOR before you go.

More Indiana guides

How to Gift a Car in IndianaThe gift exemption on Form ST-108E, loans, and the paperwork.Titling a Car in Indiana After Moving From Another State60 days, the VIN inspection, no sales tax, and the fees.
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