Buying a car in Virginia follows a set sequence no matter who you buy from: get liability insurance in place, complete the sale with the correct paperwork, then title and register at the DMV. Plan on 4.15% sales and use tax, a $15 title fee, weight-based registration, and an annual safety inspection on top of the purchase price. A dealer will handle most of the filings for you; a private sale puts every form in your hands and gives you just three days to get the car home legally.
Line Up Insurance Before You Register
Virginia will not register a vehicle without proof of liability insurance, and coverage has to stay active for the whole registration period. Minimum limits are $50,000 for bodily injury or death of one person, $100,000 for two or more people in the same accident, and $25,000 for property damage.1Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Insurance Requirements Those limits took effect January 1, 2025, and carry into 2026.
Letting coverage lapse after you register is expensive. The DMV suspends your license and registration, charges a $600 statutory fee that goes into the Uninsured Motorist Fund, and requires an SR-22 proof of financial responsibility for three years before reinstatement.2Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Uninsured Vehicle Penalty Have the policy active and your insurance card in hand before you walk into a DMV customer service center.
If You Buy From a Dealer
Dealers carry most of the paperwork load. Virginia law requires every dealer to hand you a buyer’s order during negotiations, before you sign the sales agreement. That document must show the vehicle’s make, model year, VIN, and body style; the sale price; any trade-in and credit; the cash deposit; and an itemized list of every tax and fee, including sales and use tax, the title fee, registration, and any dealer processing fee.3Virginia Code Commission. Code of Virginia 46.2-1530 – Buyer’s Order If the dealer is arranging financing and plans to assign the loan to a bank or credit union, the buyer’s order must also include a conspicuous notice that the sale depends on lender approval, and explain what happens if the financing falls through.
After the sale, the dealer issues a temporary registration certificate good for up to 30 days while your permanent title and plates are processed.4Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code Title 46.2 Motor Vehicles 46.2-1542 The dealer typically collects the sales tax, submits the title application, and orders the plates, so you leave with the car and pick everything up once it arrives.
Look closely at the dealer processing fee. Virginia does not cap it, and amounts vary widely between dealers. Because the buyer’s order has to list it separately, you can see the exact figure before you agree. It is negotiable.
If You Buy From a Private Seller
Private sales put the paperwork on you. The critical document is the vehicle’s Virginia title with a properly completed assignment section. The seller fills in your name and address, the odometer reading, the sale date, the sale price, and signs the title over to you.5Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Title Your Vehicle or Trailer Before you hand over money, check for liens. If a bank or finance company is listed on the title, the seller still owes money on the car and cannot transfer clear ownership until the lien is satisfied.
A separate bill of sale is not strictly required by the DMV for vehicles over five years old, but it protects both sides and makes the tax calculation cleaner. Include full names and signatures of both parties, the VIN, the sale price, the date, and a description of the vehicle. For a vehicle more than five years old, you can submit either a bill of sale or the Vehicle Price Certification form (SUT 1) to verify the purchase price at titling.6Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Motor Vehicle Sales and Use Tax
Newer vehicles get extra scrutiny. If the vehicle is less than five years old and the sale price is not within $1,500 of the current trade-in value in the NADA Official Used Car Guide, you have to submit a notarized Affidavit of Vehicle Purchase Price (SUT 1A) with your title application.6Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Motor Vehicle Sales and Use Tax7Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Affidavit of Vehicle Purchase Price The DMV uses NADA, not Kelley Blue Book, so check the NADA number before you agree on a price.
Driving the Car Home
Private sales do not come with temporary tags. Virginia sells a trip permit for exactly this situation, valid for three consecutive days from the date of purchase, and you have to attach the original bill of sale to it while driving. You can buy the permit online through the DMV before you pick up the vehicle.8Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Trip Permit Three days is tight. Line up your DMV appointment, insurance start date, and safety inspection before the purchase date if you can.
Odometer Disclosure
Federal law requires the seller to provide a written mileage disclosure on the title at the time of sale, and to note it on the title if the odometer reading is inaccurate or the odometer has been replaced. Model year 2010 or older vehicles are exempt from the written disclosure requirement.9NHTSA. Odometer Fraud Odometer tampering is a federal crime, but it still happens. If wear on the pedals, steering wheel, and driver’s seat does not match a suspiciously low reading, walk away.
Check the Vehicle’s History
Before you commit to any used vehicle, run a history report. The National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS), maintained by the Department of Justice, covers the current title state and date, brand history like “salvage,” “junk,” or “flood” applied by any state, odometer readings over time, total loss declarations, and salvage history.10Office of Justice Programs. Understanding an NMVTIS Vehicle History Report NMVTIS reports are concise and focused on fraud and safety flags. Commercial services like Carfax and AutoCheck pull NMVTIS data plus service records and auction data, so running both gives you the broader picture.
When you buy from a dealer, federal law adds another layer. The FTC’s Used Car Rule requires any dealer selling more than five used vehicles a year to display a Buyers Guide on every used vehicle’s window. The guide has to state whether the vehicle is sold “as is” or with a warranty, what percentage of repair costs the dealer will cover under warranty, and a reminder to get all promises in writing and have the car inspected by an independent mechanic.11Federal Trade Commission. Dealer’s Guide to the Used Car Rule The Buyers Guide becomes part of your sales contract. Keep it.
Title and Register at the DMV
Once you have insurance, a completed title assignment (or a Manufacturer’s Certificate of Origin for a new car), and your bill of sale or price certification, bring everything to a DMV customer service center. You will complete the Application for Certificate of Title and Registration (Form VSA 17A) if you need both a new title and registration, or the Vehicle Registration Application (Form VSA 14) if the car already has a Virginia title and just needs registration.12Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Application for Certificate of Title and Registration
You will also need:
- Proof of insurance: a Virginia auto insurance card or digital equivalent
- A current Virginia safety inspection sticker (most vehicles must be inspected annually)
- An emissions inspection if the vehicle is garaged in Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William, or Stafford counties, or the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas, or Manassas Park13Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. New to Virginia
- Valid ID and proof of Virginia residency
If you bought from an out-of-state seller, the process is the same, but you bring the out-of-state title with a completed assignment. Virginia will issue a new title in your name. If the car has a current emissions certificate from another state issued in the past 12 months, you can register without a separate Virginia emissions test.13Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. New to Virginia
What It Costs
Sales and Use Tax
Virginia collects a 4.15% Motor Vehicle Sales and Use Tax at titling, with a $75 minimum even when 4.15% of the sale price would be less.6Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Motor Vehicle Sales and Use Tax A $20,000 vehicle costs $830 in tax. Dealers usually collect this at the point of sale. On a private purchase, you pay it at the DMV when you apply for the title.
Title and Registration
The title fee is $15. Registration is weight-based: $30.75 a year for passenger vehicles at 4,000 pounds or less, and $35.75 for 4,001 to 6,500 pounds. Add $2 to registration if the vehicle is garaged in one of the Northern Virginia emissions localities.14Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. DMV Fees Standard plates for a personal vehicle come with registration; there is no separate plate fee.
Safety and Emissions Inspections
Every registered vehicle needs an annual safety inspection. The maximum fee at a licensed inspection station is $16 for standard passenger vehicles.15Virginia Code Commission. 19VAC30-70-40 – Fees Emissions inspections are required every two years in the Northern Virginia localities listed above. Budget for both as recurring costs.
Highway Use Fee on Electric and Hybrid Vehicles
Buy an electric or hybrid, and Virginia adds an annual Highway Use Fee on top of registration. From July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026, all-electric vehicles pay $131.88 a year. Hybrids pay a sliding amount tied to the manufacturer’s combined fuel economy rating, from about $7 for a 25 MPG hybrid up to roughly $101 for a 100 MPG plug-in hybrid.16Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. 2025 Estimated Highway Use Fee Chart The fee replaces the gas tax revenue these vehicles do not generate at the pump.
Local Personal Property Tax
This one catches new residents. Virginia localities assess an annual personal property tax on vehicles, and you will get a bill from your city or county based on the vehicle’s assessed value. Rates vary significantly by locality. Contact your local Commissioner of the Revenue after registering to find out what to expect; on a newer vehicle, it can easily run several hundred dollars a year.
If a New Car Turns Out to Be a Lemon
Buy a new car from a Virginia dealer and find yourself with a persistent defect, and the Motor Vehicle Warranty Enforcement Act may apply. A vehicle qualifies as a lemon if you have taken it in three or more times for the same problem, or if it has been out of service for a cumulative 30 days within one year. If either threshold is met, the manufacturer must refund your purchase price or replace the vehicle.17Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Lemon Law You have 18 months from the date you first received the vehicle to file a claim. Keep every repair order and every receipt, and log the days the car is out of service; without documentation, proving the threshold is hard even on a legitimate claim.