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Michigan Guide

How to Title a Private Car Sale in Michigan

Last verified: October 2026 against Michigan Secretary of State sources

When you buy a car from a private seller in Michigan, you transfer the title at a Secretary of State office (or online) within 15 days and pay the 6% tax there.

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

Step by step

  1. 1

    Get the completed title

    The seller completes and signs the seller’s portion of the title, with an accurate odometer reading. If the title has no space for it, use an Odometer Mileage Statement.

    If the seller had a loan, get the lien termination: a completed termination statement on the title, the lienholder’s paid stamp, or a signed release.

  2. 2

    Know the plate rules

    The seller keeps the plate. You transfer a plate you already own or buy a new one.

  3. 3

    Get Michigan No-Fault insurance

    You need proof of a Michigan No-Fault policy to register the vehicle. An out-of-state policy does not qualify.

  4. 4

    Transfer the title within 15 days

    Visit a Secretary of State office, or transfer online if you and the seller each have a Michigan driver’s license or ID and an online account, it is a one-to-one sale on a Michigan paper title, and you are not financing the car.

    After 15 days, a $15 late fee applies.

  5. 5

    Pay the tax and fees

    You pay 6% of the purchase price or the car’s fair market value, whichever is greater, plus the $15 title transfer fee.

    Registration for 1984 and newer cars is set by the original list price (MSRP): $178 at $30,000, for example. It drops 10% a year for three years, then stays level. A plate transfer is $10 to $15.

Michigan registration by list price

The first-year registration tax depends on the original list price:

  • $36 up to $6,000, then $4 to $6 more for each $1,000.
  • $148 at $25,000 and $178 at $30,000.
  • Above $30,000, $6 more for each $1,000 or part of $1,000.
  • The next three years are 90% of the year before, then the amount stays level.

What to bring

  • The title, with the seller’s portion completed and the odometer reading
  • A lien termination, if the seller had a loan
  • Proof of Michigan No-Fault insurance
  • Your driver’s license or ID
  • Payment for the 6% tax, the $15 title fee, and registration

Estimate your Michigan costs

Enter the original list price (MSRP) for the registration estimate. The calculator taxes the price you enter; Michigan uses fair market value if it is higher.

Open the full Michigan calculator

Vehicle & Transaction Details

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

51 Jurisdictions Active
Michigan 6% tax base
$
7 years old
Sets the registration fee
$

Michigan bases registration on the price when new, reduced as the vehicle ages. Blank uses $30,000.

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

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

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Estimated taxes & fees

Estimated taxes & fees

Jurisdiction

Michigan

Estimated taxes & fees
$1,044.76

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

$15.00
3Lien / Security Filing Fee

Unfinanced / cash purchase (waived $0.00)

$0.00
4Registration & Tag Fee

Base license plates & tags for a $30,000.00 list price

$129.76

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

Estimates only, not tax or legal advice. Verify with the Michigan Secretary of State or the Michigan Department of Treasury.

Michigan charges 6% on the full purchase price or fair market value, whichever is greater. The estimate uses the price you enter.

Registration shown is the statutory registration tax for the list price entered (MCL 257.801), assuming the vehicle was first registered in its model year. Plate, plate transfer ($10 to $15), and processing fees are added at the office.

Electric vehicles pay $267 a year more and plug-in hybrids $113.

The seller keeps the plate. You transfer a plate you own or buy a new one.

County & Local Tax Note: Michigan’s 6% tax applies statewide, on the full purchase price or the vehicle’s fair market value, whichever is greater. The Secretary of State collects it when you transfer the title.

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about this Michigan Secretary of State process.

15 days from the date of sale. After that, a $15 late fee applies.

Sources

Last verified: October 2026. Rules change, so check with Michigan Secretary of State before you go.

More Michigan guides

How to Gift a Car in MichiganWhich relatives are tax-exempt, proof, and the title transfer.Titling a Car in Michigan After Moving From Another StateNo grace period, No-Fault insurance, and your out-of-state title.
Michigan Private Party Car Tax Calculator