What does it cost to buy and finance a $35,000 car in each US state?
A $35,000 sticker price is never what you end up paying in any US state. Add the state's tax and fees, finance the lot for 60 months at the average Prime-tier rate of 6.23%, and the total paid ranges from $40,901.18 in New Hampshire to $43,889.64 in California.
That's a difference of $2,988.46 for the same car, or $49.82 a month.
Averaged across all 50 states, the payment is $715.88 a month and the interest comes to $6,127.56 over five years. Your credit score moves that number far more than your state does: on the same car, average interest is $4,417.03 at the best rate tier and $16,917.59 at the worst.
How we worked out these numbers
We ran each state's own auto loan calculator on this site, such as the California auto loan calculator and the Oregon auto loan calculator, with the same inputs everywhere:
- Vehicle price of $35,000, new
- No down payment and no trade-in, so tax and fees are rolled into the loan
- No dealer documentation fee, since the dealer sets it
- Statewide tax only, with local add-ons set to zero
- A 60-month loan at 6.23%
The rate is the average APR for a new car in Experian's Prime tier, from its State of the Automotive Finance Market report for Q1 2026. Experian groups borrowers by VantageScore 4.0, and Prime covers scores of 661-780. That's a VantageScore range, not a FICO range, so your FICO score might put you in a different tier.
There's one thing worth knowing about that rate: it's a national average. No primary source publishes average car loan rates by state, so we use the same rate in every state. That means every difference between states on this page comes from tax and fees, plus the interest charged on them.
"Total paid" is the amount financed plus all the interest. Because nothing is put down, the amount financed is the car plus tax plus the title and registration fees each state's calculator includes.
What a $35,000 car costs in every state
Sort by any column. The fee column shows what each state calculator adds for title and registration. In some states the calculator includes only the title fee, because the registration fee depends on the car's weight, value or age and couldn't be pinned to one number.
Total cost to buy and finance a $35,000 car, by state (60 months, Prime APR)
Download CSVFully financed, no down payment or trade-in, no dealer fee, statewide tax only. Fees are the title and registration amounts each state calculator includes. Total paid is the delivered price plus all interest.
| California | $2,537.50 | $91.00 | $37,628.50 | $731.50 | $6,261.14 | $43,889.64 |
| Washington | $2,450.00 | $86.00 | $37,536.00 | $729.70 | $6,245.87 | $43,781.87 |
| Tennessee | $2,494.00 | $40.50 | $37,534.50 | $729.67 | $6,245.57 | $43,780.07 |
| Illinois | $2,187.50 | $316.00 | $37,503.50 | $729.07 | $6,240.36 | $43,743.86 |
| Rhode Island | $2,450.00 | $53.50 | $37,503.50 | $729.07 | $6,240.36 | $43,743.86 |
| Georgia | $2,450.00 | $38.00 | $37,488.00 | $728.76 | $6,237.89 | $43,725.89 |
| Indiana | $2,450.00 | $36.35 | $37,486.35 | $728.73 | $6,237.56 | $43,723.91 |
| Maryland | $2,275.00 | $200.00 | $37,475.00 | $728.51 | $6,235.70 | $43,710.70 |
| Nevada | $2,397.50 | $61.25 | $37,458.75 | $728.20 | $6,232.92 | $43,691.67 |
| New Jersey | $2,318.75 | $119.00 | $37,437.75 | $727.79 | $6,229.45 | $43,667.20 |
| Minnesota | $2,406.25 | $8.25 | $37,414.50 | $727.34 | $6,225.61 | $43,640.11 |
| Florida | $2,100.00 | $302.25 | $37,402.25 | $727.10 | $6,223.57 | $43,625.82 |
| Connecticut | $2,222.50 | $145.00 | $37,367.50 | $726.42 | $6,217.84 | $43,585.34 |
| Kansas | $2,275.00 | $52.25 | $37,327.25 | $725.64 | $6,211.09 | $43,538.34 |
| Massachusetts | $2,187.50 | $135.00 | $37,322.50 | $725.55 | $6,210.29 | $43,532.79 |
| Arkansas | $2,275.00 | $27.00 | $37,302.00 | $725.15 | $6,206.89 | $43,508.89 |
| Texas | $2,187.50 | $84.75 | $37,272.25 | $724.57 | $6,201.98 | $43,474.23 |
| Pennsylvania | $2,100.00 | $120.00 | $37,220.00 | $723.55 | $6,193.27 | $43,413.27 |
| Idaho | $2,100.00 | $83.00 | $37,183.00 | $722.83 | $6,187.15 | $43,370.15 |
| West Virginia | $2,100.00 | $66.50 | $37,166.50 | $722.51 | $6,184.40 | $43,350.90 |
| Vermont | $2,100.00 | $42.00 | $37,142.00 | $722.04 | $6,180.25 | $43,322.25 |
| Kentucky | $2,100.00 | $30.00 | $37,130.00 | $721.80 | $6,178.34 | $43,308.34 |
| Michigan | $2,100.00 | $15.00 | $37,115.00 | $721.51 | $6,175.77 | $43,290.77 |
| Ohio | $2,012.50 | $49.00 | $37,061.50 | $720.47 | $6,166.92 | $43,228.42 |
| Wisconsin | $1,750.00 | $299.50 | $37,049.50 | $720.24 | $6,164.88 | $43,214.38 |
| Maine | $1,925.00 | $68.00 | $36,993.00 | $719.14 | $6,155.46 | $43,148.46 |
| Arizona | $1,960.00 | $4.00 | $36,964.00 | $718.58 | $6,150.61 | $43,114.61 |
| Nebraska | $1,925.00 | $25.00 | $36,950.00 | $718.31 | $6,148.28 | $43,098.28 |
| Delaware | $1,837.50 | $75.00 | $36,912.50 | $717.58 | $6,142.10 | $43,054.60 |
| North Dakota | $1,750.00 | $98.00 | $36,848.00 | $716.32 | $6,131.34 | $42,979.34 |
| Louisiana | $1,750.00 | $88.50 | $36,838.50 | $716.14 | $6,129.80 | $42,968.30 |
| Iowa | $1,750.00 | $35.00 | $36,785.00 | $715.10 | $6,120.88 | $42,905.88 |
| Mississippi | $1,750.00 | $23.00 | $36,773.00 | $714.86 | $6,118.89 | $42,891.89 |
| Utah | $1,697.50 | $0.00 | $36,697.50 | $713.40 | $6,106.30 | $42,803.80 |
| Oklahoma | $1,575.00 | $107.00 | $36,682.00 | $713.10 | $6,103.68 | $42,785.68 |
| Missouri | $1,478.75 | $8.50 | $36,487.25 | $709.31 | $6,071.30 | $42,558.55 |
| Virginia | $1,452.50 | $0.00 | $36,452.50 | $708.63 | $6,065.61 | $42,518.11 |
| New York | $1,400.00 | $50.00 | $36,450.00 | $708.59 | $6,065.08 | $42,515.08 |
| Wyoming | $1,400.00 | $45.00 | $36,445.00 | $708.49 | $6,064.23 | $42,509.23 |
| South Dakota | $1,400.00 | $10.00 | $36,410.00 | $707.81 | $6,058.45 | $42,468.45 |
| New Mexico | $1,400.00 | $5.00 | $36,405.00 | $707.71 | $6,057.67 | $42,462.67 |
| Hawaii | $1,400.00 | $0.00 | $36,400.00 | $707.61 | $6,056.84 | $42,456.84 |
| North Carolina | $1,050.00 | $113.00 | $36,163.00 | $703.01 | $6,017.30 | $42,180.30 |
| Colorado | $1,015.00 | $7.20 | $36,022.20 | $700.27 | $5,993.94 | $42,016.14 |
| Alabama | $700.00 | $42.25 | $35,742.25 | $694.83 | $5,947.30 | $41,689.55 |
| South Carolina | $500.00 | $55.00 | $35,555.00 | $691.19 | $5,916.14 | $41,471.14 |
| Oregon | $175.00 | $174.00 | $35,349.00 | $687.18 | $5,881.95 | $41,230.95 |
| Montana | $0.00 | $229.00 | $35,229.00 | $684.85 | $5,861.99 | $41,090.99 |
| Alaska | $0.00 | $115.00 | $35,115.00 | $682.63 | $5,843.05 | $40,958.05 |
| New Hampshire | $0.00 | $66.20 | $35,066.20 | $681.68 | $5,834.98 | $40,901.18 |
Why tax matters twice when you finance
When you pay cash, the sales tax is a one-time cost. When you roll it into the loan, you pay interest on it for five years. That's why the gap between California and New Hampshire is bigger than the tax difference alone. Of the $2,988.46 spread, $426.16 is extra interest on the extra tax and fees.
California lands at the top because it has the highest statewide rate on vehicles, with a tax bill of $2,537.50 on this car. The cheapest three, New Hampshire, Alaska and Montana, charge no state-level tax on the purchase, so the only add-ons are fees.
Putting money down, or paying the tax and fees in cash at signing, cuts the interest you pay on them. Even covering just the tax up front takes it out of the loan entirely.
Your credit score matters more than your state
The spread between states is real, but it's small next to the spread between credit tiers. Here's the same car, financed the same way, averaged across all 50 states at each of Experian's new-car rate tiers.
The same car at every Experian credit tier (average of all 50 states)
Download CSVNew-vehicle APR by VantageScore 4.0 tier, Experian Q1 2026. Each figure is the 50-state average from the state calculators.
| Super prime | 781-850 | 4.55% | $687.37 | $4,417.03 | $41,242.28 |
| Prime | 661-780 | 6.23% | $715.88 | $6,127.56 | $42,952.81 |
| Nonprime | 601-660 | 9.67% | $776.46 | $9,762.44 | $46,587.69 |
| Subprime | 501-600 | 13.44% | $846.21 | $13,947.09 | $50,772.34 |
| Deep subprime | 300-500 | 16.01% | $895.71 | $16,917.59 | $53,742.84 |
At the super prime rate of 4.55%, average interest is $4,417.03. At the Prime rate it's $6,127.56. At the deep subprime rate of 16.01%, it's $16,917.59, and the payment rises from $715.88 to $895.71 a month. Over five years the gap between the best and worst tier is $12,500.56, several times the gap between the most and least expensive states.
If your credit is in the lower tiers, getting a quote from a credit union or your bank before you visit the dealer, or waiting a few months to improve your score, can save more than shopping across state lines ever would.
What these figures leave out
- Local tax. Many states let cities or counties add to the vehicle tax. We set those to zero, so your total may be higher.
- Dealer fees. Documentation fees are set by the dealer and are taxable in some states.
- Annual vehicle taxes and later registration renewals. Several states charge a yearly tax tied to the car's value. Those costs come after the purchase and aren't counted.
- Insurance, fuel and maintenance. This page covers buying and financing, not running the car.
- Fees that vary by vehicle. Where a state's registration fee depends on weight, value or age, the calculator leaves it out rather than guess, so the fees here are a floor. Our stats page on title and registration fees by state explains which fees are verified.
- Your actual rate. Lenders price on your own credit, the loan term and the car. The benchmark is an average.
Run your own numbers
Open your state's calculator, such as the Texas auto loan calculator, and enter your price, down payment, trade-in, local tax rate and the APR you've been quoted. The general auto loan calculator and car loan calculator work for any state if you already know your total tax rate.
