CarTaxHub
CarTaxHub.comPrivate Party Vehicle Tax & Tags Calculator
Kentucky Guide

How to Title a Private Car Sale in Kentucky

Last verified: November 2026 against Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and DOR sources

When you buy a car from a private seller in Kentucky, the title must be transferred to you within 15 days at your county clerk’s office, where you also pay the 6% motor vehicle usage tax.

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

Step by step

  1. 1

    Get the title signed and notarized

    The seller signs the Kentucky title over to you. The signatures must be notarized. Do not use white-out or cross anything out on the title.

  2. 2

    Get Kentucky insurance

    Bring proof of Kentucky insurance with an issue date within 45 days.

  3. 3

    Go to the county clerk within 15 days

    Bring the title, the insurance, and your Kentucky driver’s license, Kentucky ID card, or Social Security card. If the transfer is late, you also complete the Affidavit of Incomplete Transfer (TC96-3).

  4. 4

    Pay the 6% usage tax

    The tax is 6% of the total price on the notarized affidavit of total consideration, less any trade-in allowance. It cannot be less than 50% of the trade-in value of the vehicle you buy minus the trade-in value of any vehicle traded.

  5. 5

    Pay the title and registration fees

    The title is $9 and recording a lien is $12. Registration is $20.50 a year for a car and $18 for a motorcycle. Electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids also pay an ownership fee with a $120 statutory base that the Department of Revenue adjusts each year.

What to bring

  • The Kentucky title, signed over to you with notarized signatures
  • Proof of Kentucky insurance issued within 45 days
  • Your Kentucky driver’s license, Kentucky ID card, or Social Security card
  • Form TC96-3, if more than 15 days have passed
  • Payment for the usage tax, $9 title, and $20.50 registration

Estimate your Kentucky costs

The calculator applies 6% to the price less any trade-in, with the $9 title and $20.50 registration. It does not apply the 50% floor or the yearly property tax.

Open the full Kentucky calculator

Vehicle & Transaction Details

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

51 Jurisdictions Active
Kentucky 6% tax base
$
7 years old
Kentucky tag options
1-Year Term (Kentucky registers for one year)
EV surcharge rules
Lien fee: $12.00
Kentucky: Deductible
$

Kentucky Notice: Kentucky taxes the price on the notarized affidavit (Form TC 96-182) less the seller's trade-in allowance, but not below 50% of the trade-in value of the vehicle you buy minus the trade-in value of the vehicle traded.

Vehicle HistorySponsored Link

Check this VIN before you buy

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

Check the VIN

We may earn a commission if you use partner links. It doesn't change your estimate.

Estimated taxes & fees

Estimated taxes & fees

Jurisdiction

Kentucky

Estimated taxes & fees
$929.50

Sales/Excise Tax + Title Certificate + Tags & Registration

Itemized Line ItemEstimated Fee
1Vehicle Sales / Excise Tax (6%)

Calculated at 6% on taxable base of $15,000

$900.00
2Certificate of Title Fee

Standard state title certificate issuance

$9.00
3Lien / Security Filing Fee

Unfinanced / cash purchase (waived $0.00)

$0.00
4Registration & Tag Fee

Base license plates & tags

$20.50

We email you this estimate and keep your address only for follow-ups about it. No newsletter, and no marketing unless you sign up for it separately. Privacy

Kentucky rates last verified: November 2026
Official Notice & Statutory Disclaimers

Estimates only, not tax or legal advice. Verify with your county clerk or the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.

The electric vehicle fee shown is the $120 statutory base. The Department of Revenue adjusts it each year, and the adjusted 2026 amount is not published on the Cabinet's fee pages.

The usage tax cannot fall below the floor set from the reference manual values, which the estimate does not apply.

Yearly vehicle property tax and the optional $10 wildlife contribution are not included.

An electric or plug-in hybrid motorcycle pays a $60 ownership fee instead (KRS 138.475). That is the base amount; the state adjusts it yearly, and the adjusted figure was not published when we checked.

County & Local Tax Note: Kentucky charges a 6% motor vehicle usage tax statewide (KRS 138.460). Counties and cities add no sales tax to a vehicle purchase.

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about this Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and DOR process.

No. In Kentucky the seller keeps the plates (KRS 186.190).

Sources

Last verified: November 2026. Rules change, so check with Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and DOR before you go.

More Kentucky guides

How to Gift a Car in KentuckyThe family exemption, Form 71A101, other gifts, and the title.Titling a Car in Kentucky After Moving From Another StateInsurance, the sheriff’s inspection, the usage tax credit, and the clerk.
Kentucky Private Party Car Tax Calculator