CarCostByState

Tennessee Out-the-Door Price Calculator (2026)

Out-the-door price so far

$32,214 – $32,226

Still to add: doc fee.

Fees, rebates and discounts

Paperwork fee. Ask your dealer; there is no state cap.

Lowest published amount.

Cash back from the carmaker.

What you still owe on it.

Selling price
$30,000.00
Tax
$2,176 – $2,188
Doc fee
Not added
Title
$11.00
Registration
$26.50
Out-the-door price so far
$32,214 – $32,226

Title and registration use the lowest published amounts. Yours may be higher.

A $30,000 car in Tennessee comes to about $32,214 to $32,226 out the door, before the dealer's doc fee, which varies. Tennessee sets no cap on dealer doc fees, so compare them between dealers.

By . Checked against state sources on .

Fees to know about in Tennessee

  • Counties may also charge a wheel tax, which varies by county.

Tennessee dealer and government fees

Dealer doc fee
No legal cap
Doc fee taxed
Yes
Title fee
$11.00 ($11 title fee, as listed on the Department of Revenue's military registrations page; check the county clerk for added fees.)
Registration
$26.50 standard passenger plate fee, plus additional county clerk fees and any county wheel tax, which vary by county.

How Tennessee taxes trade-ins and rebates is on the Tennessee car sales tax page.

A $30,000 car in Tennessee, line by line

Tax and fees we can price add $2,226 to a $30,000 new car for a buyer in Nashville-Davidson, or 7.4% on top of the price.

Line itemNo trade-in$10,000 trade-in, $4,000 still owed
Car price$30,000$30,000
Tax$2,188$1,488
Doc feeNot includedNot included
Title$11$11
RegistrationFrom $27From $27
Out-the-door price so far$32,226$31,526
Trade-in equity Trade-in value minus the loan still owed—−$6,000
Balance after trade-in so far$32,226$25,526

Amounts are rounded to the dollar, so lines may not add up exactly. The out-the-door price is what the car costs with tax and fees; the balance is what is left to pay or finance once your trade-in is settled. Anything marked not included has no single published amount, so add it from your dealer's offer sheet.

With sales tax, title and registration on a $30,000 new car, Tennessee ranks 32nd of 34, from lowest cost to highest. Compare every state.

What to check on your dealer's offer sheet

  • Tennessee sets no dollar cap on doc fees, so ask each dealer for theirs and compare.
  • Tax can apply to the doc fee as well as the price.
  • Tax should be figured after subtracting your trade-in.
  • A manufacturer rebate generally comes off after tax is figured.
  • We list a title fee of $11.00 for a standard dealer sale. If yours differs, ask the dealer which state charge it covers.
  • The registration varies, but expect at least $26.50 for a newer car.

Doc fee limits in nearby states

Arkansas
Capped at $129.00
Mississippi
Capped at $425.00
Missouri
Capped at $620.79
Alabama
No legal cap
Georgia
No legal cap
Kentucky
No legal cap
North Carolina
No legal cap
Tennessee
No legal cap
Virginia
No legal cap

Tennessee out-the-door price: common questions

Is there a limit on dealer doc fees in Tennessee?

No. Tennessee sets no dollar cap on dealer documentation fees, so they vary from dealer to dealer. Ask for the doc fee in writing and compare it between dealers.

Is the doc fee taxed in Tennessee?

Yes. Tennessee charges sales tax on the doc fee as well as the car.

What is added to the price of a car in Tennessee?

On a $30,000 car bought from a dealer: sales tax of $2,176, the dealer's doc fee, title from $11 and registration from $27. Any other dealer charges come on top.

How does a trade-in with a loan on it change what you pay in Tennessee?

On a $30,000 car the out-the-door price is about $32,214, before any fees we cannot price. A $10,000 trade-in with $4,000 still owed gives you $6,000 of trade-in equity, which comes off what is left to pay: about $25,514. Because Tennessee taxes the price after the trade-in, the tax drops too, so the out-the-door price itself falls to about $31,514.

How we calculate this

Out-the-door price = selling price + tax + doc fee + title + registration + other fees − rebate. Trade-in equity = trade-in value − loan still owed on it. Balance after trade-in = out-the-door price − trade-in equity. Tax follows Tennessee's rules for trade-ins, rebates and doc fees. Where a fee varies, we start from the lowest published amount. An empty fee field counts as $0, and the calculator lists it as still to add.

The full method is on our methodology page.

Sources

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Nearby states