Roundup figures checked November 4, 2026
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Your car, your loan, your insurance quote, and your gas price will move your number away from any state total on this page. The free calculator on this site takes your inputs and gives your five-year number.
The ranking, cheapest to priciest
Every state below runs the same $42,000 pickup example, so the differences are the state's own costs, not a different car. Totals are the worked examples on each linked state page. Monthly figures are the five-year total divided by 60 months, rounded, as each state page states them.
| Rank | State | Five-year total | About per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tennessee | $57,859 | $964 |
| 2 | South Carolina | $58,903 | $982 |
| 3 | New Hampshire | $59,230 | $987 |
| 4 | North Carolina | $59,323 | $989 |
| 5 | Alabama | $59,804 | $997 |
| 6 | South Dakota | $59,806 | $997 |
| 7 | Vermont | $60,579 | $1,010 |
| 8 | Oregon | $60,730 | $1,012 |
| 9 | Idaho | $61,016 | $1,017 |
| 10 | Mississippi | $61,313 | $1,022 |
| 11 | Ohio | $61,317 | $1,022 |
| 12 | North Dakota | $61,975 | $1,033 |
| 13 | New Mexico | $62,105 | $1,035 |
| 14 | Oklahoma | $62,512 | $1,042 |
| 15 | Montana | $62,534 | $1,042 |
| 16 | Virginia | $62,695 | $1,045 |
| 17 | Wisconsin | $63,033 | $1,051 |
| 18 | West Virginia | $63,049 | $1,051 |
| 19 | Alaska | $63,116 | $1,052 |
| 20 | Wyoming | $63,152 | $1,053 |
| 21 | Indiana | $63,191 | $1,053 |
| 22 | Arkansas | $63,241 | $1,054 |
| 23 | Iowa | $63,257 | $1,054 |
| 24 | Texas (Houston example) | $63,317 | $1,055 |
| 25 | Maine | $63,450 | $1,058 |
| 26 | Massachusetts | $63,968 | $1,066 |
| 27 | Illinois | $64,038 | $1,067 |
| 28 | Georgia | $64,264 | $1,071 |
| 29 | Kentucky | $64,631 | $1,077 |
| 30 | Nebraska | $65,607 | $1,093 |
| 31 | Missouri | $65,739 | $1,096 |
| 32 | Delaware | $65,831 | $1,097 |
| 33 | Pennsylvania | $66,457 | $1,108 |
| 34 | Hawaii | $66,562 | $1,109 |
| 35 | Minnesota | $66,858 | $1,114 |
| 36 | Maryland | $66,981 | $1,116 |
| 37 | Kansas | $67,145 | $1,119 |
| 38 | Utah | $67,558 | $1,126 |
| 39 | Rhode Island | $67,713 | $1,129 |
| 40 | New Jersey | $68,263 | $1,138 |
| 41 | New York | $68,522 | $1,142 |
| 42 | Arizona | $68,758 | $1,146 |
| 43 | Washington | $69,031 | $1,151 |
| 44 | Florida | $69,122 | $1,152 |
| 45 | Louisiana | $69,190 | $1,153 |
| 46 | Connecticut (Burlington example) | $69,559 | $1,159 |
| 47 | Colorado | $70,006 | $1,167 |
| 48 | Michigan | $70,993 | $1,183 |
| 49 | California | $78,378 | $1,306 |
| 50 | Nevada | $79,497 | $1,325 |
Texas runs the $42,000 pickup as a Houston example on its state page, and Connecticut runs it as a Burlington example. Both use the same $42,000 vehicle as the rest of the ranking, so both are ranked, with the example city named in the table.
Why Nevada costs $21,638 more than Tennessee
Three lines do most of the talking. Insurance: the Nevada example uses $4,010 a year for full coverage, inside a $3,131 to $4,889 range, while the Tennessee example uses $1,410 a year, inside a $1,233 to $1,588 range. Gas: Nevada's statewide average was $5.2197 a gallon (AAA, November 3, 2026) against Tennessee's $3.71 (AAA, November 2, 2026). Yearly government bills: Nevada charges a yearly tax on the car's value with registration, $3,252 over five years in Clark County on this example, while Tennessee charges no yearly tax on the car's value at all. The day one tax also differs: $3,517.50 in Clark County against $3,028 in Tennessee at the top local rate. None of that is a verdict on either state. It is the same truck priced through two different state rulebooks.
One truck, all 50 states
Every state page on this site now runs the same example: a new full-size pickup at $42,000, 10% down, 8% APR over 60 months, 12,000 miles a year at 19 mpg. That is what makes this ranking fair: the truck never changes, so the gaps between states come from taxes, yearly fees, insurance, and gas, not from a different car. The 23 states that used to run a different example were rebuilt onto this truck on November 4, 2026, with every number re-verified, so the ranking now covers all 50 states.
How the list is built
Every state page runs the same example: a new full-size pickup at $42,000, 10% down, 8% APR over 60 months, 12,000 miles a year at 19 mpg. That is what makes this ranking fair: the truck never changes, so the gaps between states come from taxes, yearly fees, insurance, and gas, not from a different car. The 23 states that used to run a different example were rebuilt onto this truck on November 4, 2026, with every number re-verified, so the ranking now covers all 50 states.
Totals are the worked examples on each linked state page. Monthly figures are the five-year total divided by 60 months, rounded, as each state page states them. Tennessee is cheapest at $57,859 over five years, about $964 a month, and Nevada is priciest at $79,497, about $1,325 a month, a gap of $21,638. Texas runs the $42,000 pickup as a Houston example on its state page, and Connecticut runs it as a Burlington example. Both use the same $42,000 vehicle as the rest of the ranking, so both are ranked, with the example city named in the table.
How to read this ranking
Each ranked total is a worked example, not a quote and not an average of what every driver in the state pays. Gas is a dated snapshot on each state page and moves weekly. Insurance appears as a range on each state page, and each total uses one example value inside that range. Your loan rate, your trade-in, your town's taxes, and your driving will move your number. The calculator on this site is where your own inputs replace the example inputs.
The calculator gives a different answer with your car, your loan, your trade-in, your insurance quote, and your gas price instead of the example inputs on the state pages. Those five inputs move the answer more than any other inputs on the page.
Calculation transparency
Scope. A ranking of all 50 states, cheapest to priciest, on one example: the same $42,000 pickup run through each state's own taxes, fees, insurance, and gas. Each ranked total is a worked example, not a quote and not an average of what every driver in the state pays.
Rules and time period. One truck, all 50 states: a new full-size pickup at $42,000, 10% down, 8% APR over 60 months, 12,000 miles a year at 19 mpg. Tennessee: 7% state tax plus at most $88 in capped taxes on day one, no yearly tax on the car's value, insurance $1,410 a year, gas $3.71 a gallon. Nevada: Clark County sales tax rate of 8.375%, a yearly tax on the car's value with registration, $3,252 over five years in Clark County, insurance $4,010 a year, gas $5.2197 a gallon. Gas is a dated snapshot on each state page and moves weekly.
Scope and limitations. Educational estimate only. Gas is a dated snapshot on each state page and moves weekly. Insurance appears as a range on each state page, and each total uses one example value inside that range. Your loan rate, your trade-in, your town's taxes, and your driving will move your number. None of that is a verdict on either state. It is the same truck priced through two different state rulebooks. Insurance quotes, gas prices, and local rates vary by driver and address. Get a real quote for the same car, coverage, and loan before you decide.
Source links checked November 6, 2026. Figures: Figures on this page come from the linked state pages, each running the same $42,000 pickup example. Tennessee $57,859, Nevada $79,497, gap $21,638. Nevada gas $5.2197 a gallon, AAA, November 3, 2026, against Tennessee $3.71, AAA, November 2, 2026. Insurance ranges and gas snapshots are as stated on each state page. No state page figure was rechecked for this page; only the source links were checked.
Primary sources: Tennessee true cost; Nevada true cost; AAA gas prices. How the numbers are calculated is written down on the methodology page, and every source is listed on the sources page.
Definitions
Yardstick example. The same $42,000 pickup run through every state: 10% down, 8% APR over 60 months, 12,000 miles a year at 19 mpg. The truck never changes, so the gaps come from each state's taxes, fees, insurance, and gas.
Sales tax. The tax on the purchase. Tennessee charges 7% state tax plus at most $88 in capped taxes on day one. Nevada uses the Clark County sales tax rate of 8.375% in this ranking.
Yearly value tax. A yearly tax on the car's value, charged with registration. Nevada charges one, $3,252 over five years in Clark County on this example. Tennessee charges no yearly tax on the car's value at all.
Day one tax. The tax paid on day one. It is $3,517.50 in Clark County against $3,028 in Tennessee at the top local rate.
APR. Annual percentage rate, the yearly interest rate on the loan. This example uses 8%. For context, Experian reported average rates of 6.35% on new cars and 11.19% on used cars in the second quarter of 2026.
Insurance range. The range of full-coverage prices on each state page. Each total uses one example value inside that range: $1,410 a year in Tennessee, inside a $1,233 to $1,588 range, and $4,010 a year in Nevada, inside a $3,131 to $4,889 range.
Gas snapshot. A dated gas price on each state page, which moves weekly. Nevada's statewide average was $5.2197 a gallon, AAA, November 3, 2026, against Tennessee's $3.71, AAA, November 2, 2026.
Common questions
What is the cheapest state to own a car?
In this ranking, Tennessee, at $57,859 over five years, about $964 a month, for the $42,000 pickup example. Tennessee charges 7% state tax plus at most $88 in capped taxes on day one, no yearly tax on the car's value after that, and the example uses $1,410 a year for insurance and $3.71 a gallon for gas. Your number will differ with your car, loan, insurance quote, and gas price.
What is the most expensive state to own a car?
In this ranking, Nevada, at $79,497 over five years, about $1,325 a month, for the same $42,000 pickup. The Nevada example uses the Clark County sales tax rate of 8.375%, a yearly tax on the car's value with registration, $4,010 a year for insurance, and $5.2197 a gallon for gas. A buyer outside Clark County pays lower registration and no emissions test, so a rural Nevada total runs lower than the Clark County example.
Why does the same car cost $21,638 more in Nevada than in Tennessee?
Three lines do most of it: insurance ($4,010 a year in the Nevada example against $1,410 in Tennessee), gas ($5.2197 a gallon against $3.71), and yearly government bills (Nevada's yearly value tax with registration, $3,252 over five years in Clark County, against no yearly value tax in Tennessee). The day one tax also differs ($3,517.50 against $3,028). The truck is the same. The state rulebook is not.
Do all 50 states use the same example?
Yes. Every state page runs the same example: a new full-size pickup at $42,000, 10% down, 8% APR over 60 months, 12,000 miles a year at 19 mpg. The 23 states that used to run a different example were rebuilt onto this truck on November 4, 2026, with every number re-verified. That is what makes the ranking fair: the truck never changes, so the gaps come from each state's taxes, fees, insurance, and gas.
How do I check what a car costs in my state?
Every state page linked in the ranking table runs the same example through that state's own taxes, fees, insurance, and gas. The free calculator on this site takes your own price, loan, trade-in, insurance quote, and gas price and gives your five-year number.
Related: the District is not ranked with the 50 states. See the same pickup example for Washington, D.C..
Related: the pickup behind the ranking: what it costs to own a pickup truck and what car insurance costs.
Every state page behind this ranking
The ranking table links every state page on this site, all 50 of them. Each state page runs the same $42,000 pickup example through that state's own taxes, fees, insurance, and gas.
Figures on this page come from the linked state pages, each running the same $42,000 pickup example. Gas prices are dated snapshots on each state page and move weekly. Insurance appears as a range on each state page, and each total uses one example value inside that range.