Arizona title transfer and VLT guide for used cars

Updated October 20, 2026 · Figures checked against the official sources listed below

The short answer

An Arizona title costs $4, and a new plate, if you need one, $5 (ARS 28-2003). The bigger cost of registering a used car is the Vehicle License Tax (VLT), which keeps counting down from the car's first registration: on a car with a $30,000 base retail price it's $305.58 in its fourth year and $105.45 in its tenth. Add the $8 registration fee and the $1.50 air quality fee. If you bought from a private seller in Arizona, there's no sales tax.

Title and other one-time fees

The VLT on a used car

The VLT is set by ARS 28-5801 from the manufacturer's base retail price, not the price you paid or the car's market value. The taxable value is 60% of the base price in year one and drops 16.25% every year after; the tax is $2.80 per $100 in year one and $2.89 per $100 from year two, with a $10 minimum. A used car doesn't start over when it changes hands: the registration year is counted from the vehicle's first registration.

The yearly registration (VLT + $8 registration + $1.50 air quality fee) for a gasoline car with a $30,000 base price, from our calculator:

An electric car pays $1.50 less each year, because it doesn't pay the air quality fee (ARS 49-551). A used electric or alternative fuel vehicle first registered in Arizona before 2023 keeps the old reduced VLT under ARS 28-5805 (1% of the base price if first registered before 2022, 20% if in 2022, $4 per $100, $5 minimum). One first registered in 2023 or later pays the normal VLT. Small rounding differences from your MVD bill are possible.

Sales tax on a used car

The combined county and city rate depends on the location; the Department of Revenue's rate tables list it. Our calculator asks you to enter it and shows the tax as not available if you leave it blank.

Late renewal

Under ARS 28-2162 a late renewal costs $8 for the first month and $4 for each further month, up to $100:

The penalty is waived or refunded if you show the vehicle wasn't driven on Arizona highways while the registration was expired. Driving an unregistered vehicle on a highway is a separate matter: a $300 civil penalty under ARS 28-2532, handled by the courts, not a fee the MVD adds to your renewal.

Emissions tests are a separate cost

In the Phoenix and Tucson areas, a car may need an emissions test before it is renewed; the test must be done within 90 days before the registration expires. The common OBD test costs $16.15; other tests run $12.25 to $23.75 (myAZcar.com, run for ADEQ). You pay it at the test station, not to the MVD, so it isn't part of the registration total. The five newest model years, motorcycles, electric vehicles and vehicles from 1966 or older are exempt. Outside the test areas there's no test.

What this guide doesn't cover

Lien fees, salvage and replacement titles, specialty and personalized plates, two-year and five-year registrations and commercial trucks. For first-year costs, trucks and motorcycles, see how much car registration costs in Arizona. For other states, see car registration late fees by state.

For a full worked example of a private-party transfer with plates, gifts and inheritance, see Arizona car title transfer fees.

Frequently asked questions

General information, not tax or legal advice. Fees and tax rules change; confirm with the agency listed before you pay.