Hawaii Car Sales Tax Calculator Tax, title & license fees (2026)

How much is car sales tax in Hawaii?

Hawaii has no sales tax in the mainland sense. Dealers pay a general excise tax (GET) and usually pass it on to you: 4% state plus a 0.5% county surcharge, which all four counties charge through 2030. Cars shipped in from another state owe a 4.5% use tax instead.

On a dealer purchase, expect GET of about 4.5% of the price. The most a dealer can visibly pass on is 4.712%, so check your invoice for the exact line.

If you import a vehicle, the use tax is 4.5% of its landed value: the purchase price plus shipping, insurance and duty. Sales tax paid in another state is credited, but the credit can't exceed the Hawaii use tax.

Registration includes a $46 state fee and a state weight tax: 1.75 cents a pound up to 4,000 lb, 2 cents up to 7,000 lb, 2.25 cents up to 10,000 lb, and $300 above that. Counties add their own weight tax and fees.

1. Dealer: GET = price x 4.5% (or invoice GET amount, or up to 4.712% max pass-on)
2. Import: use tax = (price + shipping + insurance + duty) x 4.5%, minus tax paid elsewhere (credit capped at Hawaii tax)
3. Registration = state registration + state weight tax + county weight tax + county fees (+ EV/AFV fee at renewal)
4. Total = tax + registration + lien + doc fee

Hawaii car tax example with real numbers

Buying from a Honolulu dealer

You buy a $3,300-lb sedan for $30,000 from a dealer that passes on GET at the combined 4.5% rate.

1. GET: $30,000 × 4.5% = $1,350.
2. State weight tax: $3,300 lb × 1.75 cents = $57.75.
3. With the $46 state registration, fees come to $103.75.
4. Estimated total: $1,453.75, before county weight tax and fees.

Computed with the calculator on this page using the figures in our data. Local add-ons not mentioned in the example are left out.

Exceptions that change your Hawaii tax bill