Check Your Dealer Quote, Line by Line
Cost examples updated November 6, 2026. By Driveonomics.
Bring the numbers from your dealer quote and type them in exactly as they appear on the bill. This tool checks whether the lines add up to the stated total, whether the doc fee is over your state's verified cap, whether the tax matches your state's figure, and whether the monthly payment matches the loan math. Every flag ends the same way: get the answer in writing on the bill.
Typed lines only. This version takes numbers you type in. There is no file upload, photo upload, or PDF reading on this page. On this site, the out-the-door total is the vehicle price plus sales tax plus title and registration plus the doc fee plus add-ons. Trade-in and down payment lower what you finance, not the out-the-door total. If your quote subtracts the trade-in before its total, the arithmetic check will say so.
Go ahead, play with it. Change any number and watch the total move.
Lines from your quote
Your line by line checklist
A flag is not an accusation. It means ask about that line and get the answer in writing on the bill. Quotes have mistakes, different layouts, and local tax rules that change a figure.
Where the numbers come from: vehicle price, Kelley Blue Book, September 2026, average new vehicle $50,562 · sales tax, Tax Foundation, midyear 2026, national average combined rate 7.53% · title and registration, set by your state: Texas $111, Florida $330, South Carolina $55 · doc fee, caps vary by state: California $85, New York $175, Pennsylvania $490 for 2026 · loan rate, Experian, Q2 2026, new-car average 6.35%, used 11.19% · loan term, Experian, Q2 2026, average used-car loan 67.9 months.
Calculation transparency
Jurisdiction. United States. Sales tax, titling, registration, and doc fee rules are set by your state, so the check depends on where you buy and register the car.
Rules and time period. The arithmetic check adds vehicle price, sales tax, title and registration, doc fee, and add-ons, and compares the sum with the stated out-the-door total. The doc fee check uses the verified state caps on our dealer fees page. The tax check uses your state's figure on a taxable price of vehicle price minus trade-in. The payment check uses the standard amortizing loan formula on the amount financed. Figures checked November 6, 2026.
Scope and limitations. Educational estimate only. Title and registration are not checked against a state figure, because they vary by weight, age, and county. Tax is not checked for California, New York, or Washington DC, because our state pages carry no checked tax figure for those places. No doc fee cap is invented for a state with no verified cap figure on file. A buyer's order is the document that binds.
Source links checked November 6, 2026. Figures: Tax Foundation State and Local Sales Tax Rates, Midyear 2026; Kelley Blue Book average transaction prices (September 2026); Experian State of the Automotive Finance Market (Q2 2026); our state pages and dealer fees page.
Primary sources: Tax Foundation, 2026 sales tax rates, midyear; Kelley Blue Book, September 2026 average transaction prices; Experian, average car payment and loan rates; Our methodology; Our sources; Our dealer fees page.
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How the quote check works
The tool runs five checks on the lines you typed. First, arithmetic: vehicle price plus sales tax plus title and registration plus doc fee plus add-ons, compared with the stated out-the-door total. Second, the doc fee against your state's verified cap, where one exists. Third, the sales tax against your state's figure, figured on the price minus the trade-in, which is the rule most states use. Fourth, the monthly payment against the loan math: the amount financed is the line total minus trade-in minus down payment, and the payment comes from the standard amortizing loan formula. Fifth, each add-on line against the guidance on our F&I products page.
Three things are not checked, on purpose. Title and registration is not checked against a state figure, because it varies by weight, age, and county in many states. Compare it with the figure on our state page for your state. Tax is not checked for California, New York, or Washington DC, because our state pages carry no checked tax figure for those places. And no doc fee cap is invented for a state with no verified cap figure on file. A line the tool cannot verify says so, with why, instead of guessing.
A worked example, using this tool's own math
With the starting inputs, a $30,000 car in Texas shows $1,875 in sales tax, $111 in title and registration, and a $150 doc fee. The lines add to $32,136, which matches the stated total, and the doc fee sits within Texas, which has no hard dollar cap. Financed in full at 8% over 60 months, the payment is $652 a month, which matches the stated payment. Every line checks out. That is the same Texas example as the out-the-door calculator page.
How to use
- Type the vehicle price from your quote. The national average is $50,562 for a new vehicle (Kelley Blue Book, September 2026).
- Enter your trade-in and down payment, if any. They lower what you finance, not the out-the-door total.
- Enter the sales tax, title and registration, and doc fee exactly as written on the bill. The tool checks the tax against your state's figure (the national average combined rate is 7.53%, Tax Foundation, midyear 2026) and the doc fee against your state's verified cap, where one exists. No national average doc fee exists.
- Enter the stated out-the-door total, the loan APR, and the term, plus the stated monthly payment. Experian's Q2 2026 averages are 6.35% for a new car and 11.19% for a used car.
- Read the checklist line by line. A flag means ask about that line and get the answer in writing on the bill.
Formula
Line total equals vehicle price plus sales tax plus title and registration plus doc fee plus every add-on. The arithmetic check compares the line total with the stated out-the-door total. A gap within a dollar counts as a match. A gap exactly equal to the trade-in means the quote subtracts the trade-in before its total, which is a different layout, not an extra charge.
Taxable price equals vehicle price minus trade-in, floored at zero. Sales tax is checked against your state's figure on that taxable price: a flat rate in most states, a flat $500 in South Carolina, 9.1% on the first $14,338 then 8.3% on the rest in Phoenix, and 7% plus 2.75% on the first $1,600 plus 2.75% on the $1,600.01 to $3,200 slice in Tennessee. The national average combined rate is 7.53% (Tax Foundation, midyear 2026).
Amount financed equals the line total minus trade-in minus down payment, floored at zero. Monthly payment equals amount financed times the monthly rate divided by one minus one plus the monthly rate to the power of negative months, with the monthly rate equal to APR divided by 12. If the APR is zero, the payment is the amount financed divided by the term.
The doc fee check compares the fee on your quote with your state's verified cap, where one exists. No national average doc fee exists, so the page does not publish one. The worked example uses the Texas figures: $30,000 plus $1,875 plus $111 plus $150 equals $32,136, and $32,136 financed at 8% over 60 months is $652 a month.
Definitions
Buyer's order. The dealer's written bill for the sale: every line, the total, and the payment terms. It is the document that binds.
Out-the-door price. The full amount you owe on day one: vehicle price plus sales tax plus title and registration plus doc fee plus add-ons.
Doc fee. Short for documentary fee: the dealer's charge for handling the sale paperwork. The dealer sets it, not the government, and caps vary by state.
Amount financed. The line total minus trade-in minus down payment, floored at zero. The loan principal the payment is calculated on.
Add-on. An extra line on the bill, such as an extended warranty, GAP coverage, or tire and wheel protection. Each one is optional unless it was agreed to.
Quote check questions, answered
How do I check a dealer quote?
Type the lines from your bill into this tool: vehicle price, trade-in, down payment, sales tax, title and registration, doc fee, each add-on, the stated out-the-door total, the APR, the term, and the stated monthly payment, plus your state. The tool checks the arithmetic, the doc fee against your state's verified cap, the tax against your state's figure, and the monthly payment against the loan math, then gives you a line by line checklist.
What if the lines on my quote do not add up?
The tool shows the exact dollar gap between the lines and the stated total. If the gap equals your trade-in exactly, your quote subtracts the trade-in before its total, which is a different layout, not an extra charge. Any other gap is a line to ask about, and the answer belongs in writing on the bill.
What is a doc fee cap?
Some states cap the dealer doc fee by law. The verified caps on this page are California $85 or $70, New York $175, Pennsylvania $490 electronic or $409 non-electronic for 2026, Illinois $377.63 for 2026, Maryland $800, Washington $200, and Oregon $250 with an integrator or $200 without. States with no verified cap figure on file get no invented number, just a note to ask what the fee is for, in writing.
Why can't the tool check my state's tax?
For California, New York, and Washington DC, our state pages carry no checked tax figure, so the tool leaves the tax check blank rather than guessing. The tax line still counts in the arithmetic check. Enter the rate from your quote or your state motor vehicle agency.
Does a flag mean the dealer did something wrong?
No. A flag means ask about that line. Quotes have mistakes, different layouts, and local tax rules that change the figure. The flag tells you which line to question and what to ask, and the answer belongs in writing on the bill.
Related: Check the payment line against the loan math. See how much your car payment will be.
Related: A quote with a small down payment can leave you upside down. See what that costs.
Related: Your trade-in value sits on the quote too. See whether to trade in or sell it yourself.
Educational estimates only, not financial advice. State figures come from our own state pages and the verified caps on our dealer fees page. Your dealer quote and your state motor vehicle agency are the final word. Actual costs vary.
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