Unlike nearly any other purchase, buying a car is full of gimmicks, tricks, and fees. Why? It may have something to do with the fact that dealerships have operated in this way for over a century now. This comprehensive guide to car dealer fees will help you understand common fees, spot hidden charges, and learn how to negotiate or avoid them.
Common Car Dealer Fees
When it comes to making your purchase, understand that the total price of your car (what we frequently refer to as the “out-the-door price”) is made up of a few components. There are legitimate fees and taxes you need to pay to purchase your vehicle, and those fees make up the out-the-door price.
State & local taxes
Buying a car comes with a whole host of taxes. These include city, state, and county sales tax, personal property tax, and often a vehicle license tax, which has to be paid annually. These all vary from state to state, and in the case of sales tax, in even smaller jurisdictions. Our free out-the-door price estimator will help you get a sense for how much tax you’ll owe on the purchase of a vehicle.
Title, Tags, and Registration
In addition to taxes, there are a handful of other legitimate fees that are imposed by your local government. Title, tags, and registration fees are all par for the course when purchasing a vehicle.
The title fee is charged as a cost for the documents required to transfer the title, the cost for this fee can range from $4 up to $150 depending on the state.
Registration fees, charged to cover the cost of registering the vehicle under the buyer’s name, can vary wildly. Some states charge a flat fee, some charge based on weight, while others charge based on how old the car is. Our free out-the-door price estimator will help you get a sense for how much your state’s registration fees will be.
Tag fees relate to the physical plates you need to carry on the vehicle. Again, this varies from state to state, but know it is another fee you should be prepared to pay.
Doc fee
Doc fees straddle the line of legitimate and illegitimate. Know that you can and should negotiate the doc fee with a car dealer. Also know that the dealer will never actually remove the fee from your buyer’s order, instead they will reduce the selling price of the vehicle by the same amount as the doc fee.
Doc fees are simply a profit center for the dealership. It’s a fee that is meant to offset the cost of non revenue producing employees at the dealership. It’s … bogus. But, dealers will tell you they legally can’t remove the fee from your purchase order, and this is true.
There are legal cases where dealerships have been sued for removing doc fees for some customers and not others. Doc fees are here to stay, for better or worse.
Doc fees change from state to state and from dealer to dealer. Many states cap doc fees to prevent dealers from exploiting them. For example you’ll never see a doc fee of more than $85 in California, whereas in Florida you’ll frequently find dealers charging upwards of $1,000 for a doc fee. In some states it’s the wild west.
Car Dealer Doc Fee by State 2023 (Updated)
If you haven’t used it already, I highly recommend using our free out-the-door price estimator. We aggregated doc fees (and other fees) from each state so that you can get an estimate as to what your total out-the-door price will be before going to the dealer.
How to Spot Hidden Dealer Fees
Read the contract carefully: Make sure to review the sales contract thoroughly and ask the dealer to explain any unfamiliar fees or charges.
Look for inconsistencies: Compare the fees listed in the contract to the fees mentioned during negotiations or in advertising materials. If there are discrepancies, ask the dealer to clarify or remove them.
Research online: Check out resources like CarEdge, Edmunds or Kelley Blue Book to get an idea of what fees are typical for your area and vehicle type.
These are the most common hidden fees you shouldn’t feel pressured to pay:
Nitrogen fees
The idea behind this fee is that the dealer will, for a healthy fee, fill up your tires with pure nitrogen gas so that they stay full longer due to the size of the nitrogen molecules. Surprise, surprise, this is barely true. Regular air that you would get from just about any tire pump is already 78% nitrogen, and Nitrogen is only 2.7% bigger than oxygen, which makes up almost all of the rest of the air. The additional nitrogen does almost nothing to help the life of the tires.
If a dealer is trying to get you with a $195 Nitrogen tire fee, politely let them know you won’t be able to pay for that.
Reconditioning fee
If you’re purchasing a used car you need to be wary of this fee. When car dealers purchase used vehicles they recondition them to get them “showroom ready.” Reconditioning entails mechanical inspections, detailing, and more. Recon, as it is commonly referred to, is simply a cost of doing business for a car dealer.
If you’re looking at purchasing a used car and the dealer has added an additional reconditioning fee to the purchase price, you should walk away. This is not a fee that you should pay for, this is a cost the dealers imply incurred in getting the car retail ready.
Additional Destination fee
When a dealer buys a new car from the manufacturer they pay the invoice price for that vehicle. Included in that invoice price is a destination charge. This destination charge shows up on the monroney sticker on the vehicle.
If you’re purchasing a new vehicle that has an additional destination fee of any kind, that is bogus.
If you’re purchasing a used vehicle that has any destination fee, that is bogus.
The destination charge is legitimate, but only if there’s one destination charge. The original destination fee is built into the MSRP of the vehicle and you can see it on the original window sticker. Any other destination charges are purely an attempt to make money off of you.
Cash up-charge
If you didn’t know, car dealers make most of their profit on the “back-end” of a car deal. The back-end comprises finance and insurance profit, aka marking up your car loan or selling you expensive warranties. Some dealers, when they learn a customer is going to pay with cash, instead of finance through them, will up-charge them. This is an entirely bogus fee.
As we’ve discussed in many videos and blog posts, negotiate the out-the-door price of the vehicle, and then discuss how you plan to pay for the purchase.
CarFax or AutoCheck
If you’re engaging with a reputable dealer, there is no reason why you should have to pay for a CarFax or AutoCheck report. Dealers pull these reports already, so simply ask them for one, and they should be able to supply you with it.
Now you can save money and time buying a car with your very own live coach. How much money can you save? Read CarEdge member success stories!
Are dealer installed accessories a legitimate car dealer fee?
Not a fee, per se, but another line item dealers add to the purchase price of your vehicle, dealer installed accessories are a major profit center for new car dealers. Typically dealers will install accessories such as door guards, Lojack, window etch (and more) to a vehicle when it arrives at their showroom. Generally speaking, no mention of these accessories will be made while you’re showing interest in the vehicle. Only once you look at the final numbers for the price of the car will you become aware of $1,000+ in accessories that have already been installed on the car.
Your salesperson or sales manager will say, “I understand you don’t want x, y, and z installed on the car, but they’re already there … I can’t take them off.”
Can you negotiate this “fee?” Absolutely! Sales managers do not expect every vehicle they accessorize to sell for full price. This tactic to boost dealer profit works on a lot of people, but you don’t have to fall prey to it. If you aren’t interested in the accessories, negotiate them off of the selling price of the vehicle. It isn’t easy, but it is entirely within your right to do that.
Remember, You’re In Control
You should never feel pressured to pay for something that doesn’t add value. Our #1 tip for negotiating car dealer fees is to enter the deal prepared and empowered with knowledge.
CarEdge free resources is a great place to start (especially with this negotiation cheat sheet). Looking for more insights? CarEdge Data unlocks real-time market data that empowers you to negotiate with confidence.
Understanding car dealer fees and how to navigate them is essential for saving money on your next car purchase. By being prepared, thoroughly examining contracts, and negotiating wisely, you can minimize surprise fees and secure the best deal possible.
And don’t forget to always negotiate the out-the-door price!
good stuff.thank you
More info on lease deal ‘s
Love your analyses, Zach
How can you justify the negotiation of additional installation fees to be taken off the purchase price? If it’s installed already, and they “can’t take it out/off”, and I don’t want it in/on the car, what do I tell them?
Brianna, we recommend asking for them “at cost” instead of at the retail price. That’s usually a good middle ground.
A doc fee is not legitimate, period. Those fees do not straddle the line between legitimate and illegitimate. It is a FAKE fee.
Dealers sell at a price. Price includes all dealer costs plus profit or loss. The minor costs associated with documents is a dealer cost. Hence, those minor costs are part of the price.
There is no legal reason why a car dealer must charge a doc fee nor is there a legal reason a dealer cannot remove a doc fee. The inclusion of doc fee or the non-inclusion of a doc fee is solely a decision by the dealer. When a dealer states they cannot remove the doc fee what they are saying, as noted, is their attorneys have advised them removing the fee from a contract risks being sued by people who paid the fee.
Regardless of whether the dealer includes the fee on the contract, they buyer as no legal obligation to pay the fake fee. The smart buyer will reduce the price by the amount of the fake doc fee.
Why supposed consumer advocates drift to suggesting or stating doc fees are legitimate is a disservice to car buyers.
Depending on the state doc fee is legal, some state doc fees are regulated such as NY state, supposedly cannot charge more than $75 for doc. states like NJ are unregulated so they can (and do) charge what ever they want.
This is correct. I’ve never paid a Doc Fee. How did I do that? When I see it written down, I take out a pen, cross it off, and say, “I don’t pay Doc Fees”. If they start to give me guff, I get up and walk away. Typically they are eager to drop the car’s price by that amount to keep me on the lot.
I bought a used car and they charge me documents processing fee $960.00 pre delivery inspection $979.00 destination charge $995.00 reconditioning fee $5900.00 you think I can sue them
Thank you
After viewing your very helpful and valuable video on fees, am I to understand that when buying a USED vehicle, I should negotiate the fees AFTER settling on a price or before? And should this negotiation be with the salesperson or the finance/insurance person? Thanks for your assistance. Cheers!
What is the best way to find the dealer invoice? Love the videos keep them coming… jimcatlette557@gmail.com
Yrs. ago that was called ” writing up a sale,, DOC FEE IS A SCAM. Dealer said ” i cant remove the doc fee,, I said ‘ SURE YOU CAN, YOU PUT IT IN THE COMPUTER.,I said ‘ YOURE MAKING $250.00 OFF OF ME EVEN B/4 I SIT DOWN AT THE TABLE. I said, see ya’ later,, and left..Funny that that law was made to help the dealers? How about a law that say, ALL DEALERS MUST give a 30 day warranty on used cars.? ThaT WAY DEALERS CANT pawn OFF THE JUNK CARS ON THE BUYERS. Also, its the LAW that if you ask a dealer who had the car before you, he MUST tell you. Dont let that thief say, cant tell you because of the privacy law. One tried that crap on me until i showed him on paper that he MUST tell mew who had the car b/4 i buy iit. ALSO, DEALERS CANNOT, CANNOT sell a car that not safe to be on the road., like bad frame, brakes, etc,,yes thats the law too. ALSO if you buy a car and dealer doesnt have the sticker in the window,, HE CAN BE FINED. ALSO if dealer lies about the price of the car on the TITLE, he can lose his license.[ fraud ] Yes, i looked all this up. DO NOT FALL FOR THE ” CAR SOLD AS IS CRAP ‘” Especially if dealer knew brakes/ frame was bad. After i got the name of the previous owner b/4 i bought car. he told me NOT to buy the car, which i didnt..
I have a dealer charging me “Accessories Fee” of $800. Because of what the car has. Is this a real fee? THANKS!!!
If it’s taxable … it’s negotiable! Push back on this “fee” please!
What is a cost of compliance fee? And , should I have to pay it when buying my used car. I asked what the Services Fee was and they told me it was for cost of compliance.
No it’s a fake fee. tell them your not paying it.
Should I pay a Government Fee of $103.50? I live in Ohio. Only other fee was the proc/doc fee of $300.00.
Please check the out the door price estimate for the VIN in your CarEdge account: https://app.CarEdgemember.com/
What is the “Government Fee”? is it a tax, a luxury tax? The only true fees are state fees and they are called TAXES, such as state tax, luxury tax, some states might even have an a tax for vehicles that over produce or put out too much emissions due to state emission laws, but that is mostly commercial vehicles and large heavy duty trucks.
very useful info, thank you very much!
I went to a car dealership last week and they showed me the “reconditioning fee 1.8k” + ” cash up charge 1.9k” to push the selling price up to sky for a 2018 model. While I did not know these non-legitimate fees, I felt the price was too high for the car, so after a lengthy negotiation , I walked out of the store without any regret, the sale manager was very pushy and rude too. I feel more confident to deal with car purchasing next time after reading your article.
You did good Lynn, if you feel uncomfortable, just walk out. “Reconditioning” should be done anyway to make the car ready for sale, it’s part of the cost for the dealership, what are they gonna do sell unreconditioned vehicle? Nobody would buy them! Who is gonna buy a filthy, unclean, UNSANITIZED!, car especially in the time of Covid-19!
“There are legal cases where dealerships have been sued for removing doc fees for some customers and not others.” Do you have case cites for any of these legal actions? If so, please provide them for me and I will look them up to see if the plaintiffs were successful in their lawsuits. Let me know. Thanks.
AZ dealerships love to charge a “window tinting fee.”
1) How do I know if THEY actually did this (vs the used vehicle already having them)
2) In this case this really is something they can’t remove (if in fact they did it), but how do I determine what “at cost” is?
Lindsey, great question! I’d highly recommend asking it in the CarEdge Community: https://community.CarEdgemember.com/home
Thank you for the great advice! I just got the run around with a dealer after spending way too much time just to be told I would have to pay an additional 2K in extra fees.
After I decided to purchase my used vehicle, the dealer tried to apply a $600 fee for some type of coating they applied to the surface of the vehicle that supposedly lasts for 5 years. Totally unable to know if it was legit or not, but I got them to cut it in half. It was not in the advertised price. Was this legitimate to add when not part of the advertised price?
Ray / Zach
We needed to purchase a vehicle for my wife . I came across and watched many of your YouTube videos and signed up to your service for a month ( for the time we would be looking). I had never heard of an out the door price ( OTD). Basically using your information to negotiate I ended up walking out of 5 different dealerships here in Florida ( much to the agitation of my wife and we honestly both started believing that dealerships simply did not care or were unwilling to entertain these negotiations ( nitrogen, recon fees etc……) Thankfully we stayed the course and found a dealership that was honorable and reasonable in negotiating ( Just as you said we would). From the start they were willing to give me an OTD price which did not include some of those crazy fees. Even upon arriving in the finance office where I used some of your suggested terminology All went well. I could tell that they knew I had done my homework and the process was really relaxed. As required they did offer the add on’s etc…. but I politely declined and we proceeded ( just as your videos state). The bottom line is your information made all the difference and I want to thank you for this and for helping me to come through looking like a seasoned car purchaser to my happy wife. 😂😂 Thank you and keep up the good work.
Just as a little additional info, North Carolina dealers got our legislature to pass a law to the effect of if they charge a doc fee on one car they must charge the same fee on all other cars. Very few dealers in NC don’t charge a doc fee. Think about it, if you want money you can rob some one, which is illegal. Or, you can legally rob them by overcharging them for what they buy.