The short answer
| Item | Oregon answer |
|---|---|
| Title fee | $101 (0–19 MPG), $106 (20–39 MPG), $116 (40+ MPG) or $192 (electric). That's a $77 base fee plus the MPG surcharge = an extra charge based on the car's fuel-economy rating. The flat $77 figure on older pages is out of date. |
| Tax | None on a private-party sale. Oregon has no sales tax. A 0.5% tax applies only to some new cars bought from a dealer. |
| Deadline | Apply within 30 days. Late: $25 (days 31–60) or $50 (day 61 on). |
| Plates | Plates stay with the owner. You never get the seller's plates. Moving your own: $30. New plates: $26. |
| Typical total | $20,000 private-party car, 20–39 MPG, own current plates moved over, on time: $136.00. |
Our shorter Oregon title transfer fees and late fees guide is the quick reference for the title fee and late fees. This guide covers the rest of a transfer: plates, gifts, inheritance, DEQ tests, trip permits, duplicates, and salvage and heavy vehicles.
Worked example: $20,000 private-party car
A 20–39 MPG passenger car. The buyer moves their own Oregon plates, which are current. They apply on time and have no loan on the car. No registration and no DEQ test is due at the transfer, because the plates are current. There's no tax.
- Title fee (20–39 MPG): $106.00
- Plate transfer: $30.00
Total: $106.00 + $30.00 = $136.00. No tax.
- Late, 31 to 60 days: $106 + $25 + $30 = $161.00. Late, 61 days or more: $186.00.
- New plates instead of a transfer: $106 + $26 = $132.00.
- Registration due at the same visit (no plates, or plates expired), 2 years at 20–39 MPG ($136): own plates $272.00; new plates $268.00. In Multnomah County add $112: $384.00 / $380.00. In Washington or Clackamas County add $60: $332.00 / $328.00.
- Other MPG ratings, own plates, on time: 0–19 MPG $131.00; 40+ MPG $146.00; electric $222.00. With new plates: $127.00 / $142.00 / $218.00.
- Motorcycle with a new plate: $101 + $13 = $114.00. With your own plate moved over, using the DMV's general $30 transfer fee: $131.00. Whether a one-plate vehicle pays a different transfer fee isn't stated, so that's not available.
- Gift: $136.00, the same as a sale.
- DEQ test due (registration due and you live in a test area): add $25 Portland or $20 Medford, paid to DEQ, only if the car passes.
- Car with an out-of-state title: add the $9 VIN inspection: $145.00, before any registration or county fees.
- Salvage title, own plates: $27 + $30 = $57.00.
- Heavy vehicle (over 26,000 lbs), own plates: $90 + $30 = $120.00; new plates $116.00.
- Duplicate title filed with the transfer: no extra fee.
- For contrast only, a new car from an Oregon dealer that meets all five tax conditions: 0.5% × $20,000 = $100.00 privilege tax. An out-of-state dealer purchase owes the same $100.00 as use tax, minus vehicle tax paid to the other state.
Trip permit to drive home without plates: $35 for 21 days (not in the totals).
The Oregon calculator below starts from a brand-new 20–39 MPG car from an Oregon dealer in Multnomah County on a 4-year first registration ($778.00), so it's a different case from this $136.00 transfer.
How much does a title transfer cost in Oregon?
The title fee depends on the fuel-economy rating linked to the car's VIN (the manufacturer's combined MPG), not the dashboard figure or what the seller tells you. It's a $77 base plus the MPG surcharge, so you pay $101, $106, $116 or $192 in total. Don't add $77 on top; it's already inside those amounts. Since 2020 the fee has followed MPG, so the old flat $77 undercharges every buyer.
| Vehicle | Title fee |
|---|---|
| Passenger car, 0–19 MPG | $101 |
| Passenger car, 20–39 MPG | $106 |
| Passenger car, 40+ MPG | $116 |
| Electric (any type) | $192 |
| Motorcycle or moped | $101 |
| Light trailer, travel trailer, motor home, bus, camper, park model RV, ATV | $101 |
| Heavy vehicle (motor vehicle over 26,000 lbs; trailer over 8,000 lbs loaded; not motor homes) | $90 |
| Salvage title, any vehicle | $27 |
- Duplicate or replacement title: the same MPG fee as a title. There's no cheaper duplicate fee. The $27 figure is for salvage titles, not duplicates. If you file the duplicate together with the transfer, you pay only the transfer fee.
- Loan on the car (lien): the lender is recorded on the application and title. The DMV fee page lists no separate fee for it.
- Faster titles: the DMV handbook lists an odometer-related rush at the title fee + $10, and a dealer rush at the title fee + $100.
- Wait times: Oregon and out-of-state titles 2–3 weeks; Oregon replacement titles 1 week; mailed-in dealer titles 4 weeks.
Proposed increases: the legislature's planned title and registration increases are on hold until the November 2026 ballot. This guide shows current fees only.
Do you pay sales tax on a private-party car in Oregon?
No. Oregon has no general sales tax and no tax on private car sales. The total is fees only.
The 0.5% vehicle privilege tax (or use tax) applies only when all five of these are true:
- bought from a dealer (or someone who should be a registered Oregon dealer),
- bought on or after January 1, 2018,
- driven 7,500 miles or less (or sold new with a certificate of origin if it has no odometer),
- gross vehicle weight rating of 26,000 lbs or less,
- never registered or titled in Oregon (except as a dealer demo).
If any one fails, as it does on an ordinary private sale, no tax is due. An Oregon dealer owes the privilege tax and may pass it on to you as a line item. After an out-of-state dealer purchase, you pay the use tax within 30 days, and the DMV won't title the car until you show the payment certificate. Trade-ins and cash down payments don't lower this tax.
How many days do you have to transfer a title in Oregon?
30 days after the sale. In short: $25 late for days 31 to 60, $50 from day 61, and no daily or monthly charge on top. The full rules are in our Oregon late fees guide.
These late fees are for a late title only. The DMV lists no late fee for renewing an expired registration. For other states' renewal rules, see car registration late fees by state.
Plates and registration
Plates stay with the owner and never go with the car. The seller may take them off before selling. You can't use the seller's plates.
- Moving your own plates: plate transfer = moving plates you already own onto another car you own. The fee is $30. If you don't own the car the plates came off, registration and county fees may apply too.
- New plates: $26 for a car with two plates; $13 for a one-plate vehicle (motorcycle, trailer). Replacement plates $12 (on top of plate fees); replacement stickers only $10.
- When registration is due: only if the car has no Oregon plates, or its plates have expired. If you move over current plates, you pay registration at the next renewal, not at the transfer.
- Registration, 2 years: $126 (0–19 MPG), $136 (20–39 MPG), $216 (40+ MPG), $376 (electric). 40+ MPG and electric cars enrolled in OReGO (the pay-per-mile program) pay $86. Motorcycle or moped $88. A brand-new car with a certificate of origin gets a 4-year first registration at double the fee.
- County fees (2 years): Multnomah $112, Washington $60, Clackamas $60. No other Oregon county charges one. They come with registration, not the title, so moving current plates means no county fee at the transfer.
Registration costs in detail are in how much car registration costs in Oregon.
DEQ emissions tests
DEQ (Oregon) = the air-quality agency; its test is for emissions, not for the title. A passed DEQ test is needed to register a car only in two areas:
- Portland area: 1975 and newer gasoline, alternative-fuel and hybrid vehicles, and diesel vehicles of 8,500 lbs or less.
- Medford area: gasoline, alternative-fuel and hybrid vehicles 20 years old or less, and diesel vehicles 20 years old or less of 8,500 lbs or less.
- Cost: $25 Portland, $20 Medford, charged only if the car passes, and paid to DEQ, not the DMV. We show it as a separate line, never inside the DMV total.
- Valid for: 6 months.
- Exempt in 2026: model years 2024, 2025, 2026 and 2027, and 2023 while its current registration runs out before January 1, 2027. Also exempt: cars registered outside the test areas, heavy diesels over 8,500 lbs, motorcycles, low-speed vehicles and electric cars.
- At a transfer: if you move current plates and no registration is due, you don't need a DEQ test then.
Is a gifted car cheaper in Oregon?
No. A gift costs the same as a sale in Oregon. You pay the same MPG title fee and the same plate fee. There's no gift form, no family list and no tax to save, because a private sale has no tax anyway. A sale to a relative at a price is treated like any sale, which in Oregon means $0 tax either way.
Steps for a gift: the giver signs the title (or a bill of sale showing $0 or "gift") and files the 10-day sale notice. The person receiving the car applies for the title within 30 days and pays the normal title fee. Moving their own plates costs $30, whatever the relationship.
Inheritance
What you bring depends on how the title was set up:
- Title with survivorship (the survivorship box is marked): proof of death for each owner who died (death certificate, a copy, or court papers).
- Survivorship, all owners have died: proof of death for all but the last owner who died, plus estate papers for that last owner.
- No survivorship, estate not probated: a notarized Inheritance Affidavit from each heir. If a simple estate affidavit was filed with the county, a copy of it, or a Simple Estate Certification from the person who filed it.
- No survivorship, estate being probated: a copy of the court's appointment papers (Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration) and an original release or bill of sale from each personal representative.
- No survivorship, estate probated and closed: a copy of the court's Decree of Final Distribution showing who got the car, plus original releases from any earlier owners other than the person who died.
No transfer-on-death option: Oregon has no way to name a transfer-on-death beneficiary on a car title. Form 735-227 is labelled "TOD", but that stands for Transitional Ownership Document, a dealer and lender record. It isn't a death designation.
Seller's notice and title duties
- Notice of sale: the seller tells the DMV within 10 days, online through DMV2U, with the buyer's name and address. The seller stays listed as owner until the buyer transfers the title. A seller who filed the notice and signed over the title isn't liable for what the buyer later does with the car.
- Your clock doesn't wait: the buyer's 30 days run from the sale, whether or not the seller filed.
- Signing: the seller signs and dates the back of the title or a bill of sale. If there's a loan, the lender signs the front of the title or gives a signed release. A car with an unpaid loan can't be sold or given away until the payoff is arranged.
- Odometer: for model year 2011 or newer and under 20 years old, write the mileage on the back of the title and both sign. If that title is lost, get a replacement before selling.
- No notary is needed for these signatures.
Trip permits
To drive a car home without plates, a light vehicle trip permit costs $35 for 21 days. Other permits are for different vehicles: heavy motor vehicle $43 (10 days), heavy trailer $10 (10 days), RV $35 (1–10 days), registered vehicle $7.50 (10 days), registration weight $5 (10 days). The $5 permit isn't for an ordinary car.
Forms
- 735-226: Application for Title and Registration (DMV2U has a guided online version for passenger vehicles).
- 735-501: Vehicle Bill of Sale, used as the seller's release where the title alone doesn't carry it (for example, the seller's name isn't on the title).
- Notice of sale: online through DMV2U.
- Odometer disclosure: on the title or a separate form.
- Inheritance Affidavit (notarized, one per heir) and Simple Estate Certification, if they apply.
- VIN inspection: done at the DMV during the title appointment ($9).
Other states
Title transfer guides for other states: California, Arizona and Colorado.
What this guide doesn't cover
Trucks registered by weight, quarterly truck registration, special and custom plates, dealer paperwork, and the proposed fee increases (current law only).
Frequently asked questions
How much does a title transfer cost in Oregon?
The title is $101 to $192 by MPG, $106 for a typical 20–39 MPG car. With your own plates moved over ($30), a private-party car comes to $136.00. There's no tax.
Is the Oregon title transfer fee $77?
No. $77 is the old flat fee and today's base fee only. Since 2020 the full fee is $101 to $192 by MPG ($106 for a typical 20–39 MPG car).
Do I pay sales tax on a private-party car in Oregon?
No. Oregon has no sales tax, and the 0.5% privilege tax applies only to qualifying new cars from dealers.
Is a gift cheaper than a sale in Oregon?
No. A gift pays the same MPG title fee as a sale. There's no gift exemption in Oregon.
Can I keep the seller's plates in Oregon?
No. Plates stay with the owner. You move your own Oregon plates ($30) or buy new ones ($26).
Can I name a transfer-on-death beneficiary on my Oregon title?
No. Oregon has no transfer-on-death option for vehicles. Form 735-227 "TOD" is the Transitional Ownership Document, not a death designation.
See title transfer fees for all 50 states
Calculate your Oregon fees
Example for a $30,000 car. Enter your own price to update it.
- Registration (4 yrs)20-39 MPG, brand new: doubledOregon DMV · checked Oct 20, 2026$272.00
- County registration fee (4 yrs)Doubled for a brand-new vehicle$224.00
- License platesTwo plates$26.00
- Title fee20-39 MPG$106.00
- Vehicle privilege tax0.5% of price; the dealer's tax, which it may pass on to you$150.00
Total excludes items marked "not available".
What you'll pay later
Renewal at today's rates: $248.00 for 2 years
5-year total: not shown, because it is a 2-year registration.
Estimate only, at today's rates for the same car.
Rates and sources for every fee are on the Oregon car registration fee calculator page.
- Oregon DMV – Vehicle fees (title $101 / $106 / $116 / $192 by MPG; heavy vehicle $90; salvage $27; plate transfer $30; plates $26 / $13; replacement plates $12; stickers $10; trip permits; 2-year registration $126 / $136 / $216 / $376; OReGO $86; title fees apply to original, duplicate and replacement titles)
- Oregon DMV – Vehicle registration (registration due when there are no Oregon plates or they've expired; county fees; no late renewal fee listed)
- Oregon DMV – VIN inspections ($9, out-of-state titles)
- Oregon DMV – Other vehicle types (June 2026: motorcycles, trailers, motor homes and county fees)
- Oregon Department of Revenue – Vehicle privilege and use taxes (0.5%; the five taxable-vehicle conditions; trade-ins not deducted)
- Oregon DEQ – Vehicle inspection fees (Portland $25, Medford $20, charged only when the vehicle passes)
- Multnomah County – Vehicle registration fee ($112 for two years)
- Oregon Revised Statutes chapter 803 (§§ 803.053, 803.090, 803.091, 803.092, 803.112, 803.113, 803.117, 803.130–803.138, 803.207)
- Oregon Revised Statutes chapter 320 (§ 320.405)
General information, not tax or legal advice. Fees and tax rules change; confirm with the agency listed before you pay.
Related guides
- PenaltiesCar registration late fees in all 50 statesLate registration renewal fees by state from official sources: $5 in Missouri, $10 in Michigan and Virginia, $20 in Illinois, none in Maryland or Pennsylvania.Read guide →
- OregonHow much is car registration in Oregon?Oregon car registration is $126 to $376 for two years, set by MPG ($86 in OReGO). New cars pay four years up front. County fees add $60 to $112.Read guide →
- OregonOregon title transfer fees and late feesOregon title fees are $101 to $192 by MPG. Apply within 30 days of buying or pay a $25 late fee, $50 after 60 days. Out-of-state titles need a $9 VIN check.Read guide →