How Much Does a Car Really Cost in North Dakota?

North Dakota figures checked November 4, 2026

The answer up front

For a worked example, use a new $42,000 full-size pickup. Over five years in North Dakota, it runs $61,975, or about $1,033 a month. The loan payment alone is $827 a month. The six buckets:

• Value lost: $21,000 ($42,000 minus $21,000 resale)
• Insurance: $11,000 ($2,200 a year x 5 years)
• Fuel: $12,600 (12,000 / 19 x $3.99 x 5 years)
• Maintenance (upkeep): $5,000 ($1,000 x 5 years)
• Tax, fees and interest: $11,820 ($2,100 excise tax, $900 title and dealer fees allowance, $8,820 loan interest)
• Registration: $555 ($111 a year x 5 years; no emissions tests and no safety inspections for regular cars, so that line is $0)

North Dakota's pattern in one sentence: a flat tax on day one, registration priced by weight that stays in the low hundreds, no inspection bill at all, and gas below the national average.

Day one: a 5% excise tax, not a sales tax

North Dakota does not charge its general sales tax on cars. Instead, it charges a motor vehicle excise tax of 5% of the purchase price, minus any trade-in credit, paid when the car is titled and registered. The rate is set in state law (North Dakota Century Code 57-40.3) and confirmed on the state tax commissioner's page. On the $42,000 example with no trade-in, that is $2,100 ($42,000 x 5% = $2,100). A trade-in lowers the taxable price, so trading in an old truck lowers this tax too. If the car was a gift or bought for well under market value, the tax is figured on fair market value instead.

Registration: priced by weight, and low for a pickup

North Dakota registration is priced by weight and by how the vehicle is classed, not by what the car is worth, which is why a new truck here does not get a Minnesota-style yearly tax bill tied to its sticker price. Pickups with an open bed use the state's pickup fee schedule. For this example truck, registered at 7,100 pounds gross weight, the schedule for pickups first registered in 2022 or later is $111 a year, or $555 over five years. Because pickups are registered by gross weight, the bracket matters: a heavier registered weight, such as the 7,101- to 8,550-pound bracket at $142 a year, would add $155 over five years. The one-time charges at purchase are small: a $5 title fee and a $1.50 abandoned vehicle disposal fee, together $6.50. Both sit inside the $900 title and dealer fees allowance in the example, so they are not added again. If your dealer adds a documentation fee above that allowance, it lands on top.

Inspections: $0, and that is the rule, not a loophole

North Dakota requires no periodic safety inspection and no emissions test for regular cars, so inspections cost $0 in this five-year example. That matches the state's neighbors in the no-inspection group, including Montana, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Wyoming. The exception is narrow: salvaged, rebuilt, or modified vehicles can require an inspection before they are re-registered. A regular new truck never sees that bill.

Insurance: the wide range, stated honestly

Full-coverage insurance, insurance that covers damage to your own car, not just damage you cause to others, is where North Dakota sources disagree the most. Two recent 2026 figures for a 40-year-old driver with a clean record sit close together: $1,963 a year (rates filed with state regulators, August 2026) and $2,439 a year (a September 2026 rate study). The example uses $2,200 a year, the middle of that range ($2,201) rounded to the nearest $5, or $11,000 over five years. A driver shopping on a leaner policy could land well under $2,200. North Dakota also requires more than bare liability: uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage plus $30,000 per person in no-fault (personal injury protection) benefits. Your own quote will differ by driver, truck, and coverage.

Gas: the North Dakota state price, labeled as such

Gas here is a snapshot, not a five-year promise: the North Dakota STATE average was $3.99 a gallon on November 4, 2026 (AAA), versus $4.071 nationally (EIA national average, week ending August 31, 2026), about 8 cents under the national average. For a truck driving 12,000 miles a year at 19 mpg, that is 631.6 gallons a year, or $12,600 over five years at the snapshot price. The state average is used here. Gas prices move weekly, and a truck that tows or hauls will drink more than the 19-mpg example.

What North Dakota drives

At the state level, no reliable North Dakota city-only ranking was found, the Ford F-150 leads, and by a wide margin. In iSeeCars' 2025 study of 1- to 5-year-old used cars, the F-150 took a 5.8% share of North Dakota used sales, the highest share in the state; the 2024 study put it at 6.8%. The same study family also puts the F-150 first for new cars in North Dakota. Broader used-car guides name the GMC Sierra 1500 and Chevrolet Silverado next in line behind the F-150 in North Dakota. The worked example below is a generic $42,000 pickup, so the same example runs on every state page and the states compare fairly.

A full North Dakota example: a $42,000 pickup

Every figure below uses the same $42,000 pickup example as the other state pages, so the states compare fairly: 10% down ($4,200), 8% APR (the yearly interest rate on the loan), 60 months, $21,000 resale value after five years, $1,000 a year maintenance. The financed amount, price plus tax plus the $900 title and dealer fees allowance minus the down payment, is $42,000 + $2,100 + $900 − $4,200 = $40,800, which works out to $827 a month on the loan.

• Value lost: $21,000 ($42,000 minus $21,000 resale)
• Insurance: $11,000 ($2,200 a year x 5 years)
• Fuel: $12,600 (12,000 / 19 x $3.99 x 5 years)
• Maintenance: $5,000 ($1,000 x 5 years)
• Tax, fees and interest: $11,820 ($2,100 excise tax, $900 title and dealer fees allowance, $8,820 loan interest)
• Registration: $555 ($111 a year x 5 years; $0 inspections in this window)

That totals $61,975 over five years, or about $1,033 a month. North Dakota's pattern in one sentence: the day-one tax is a flat 5%, the yearly registration bill stays low because it is priced by weight rather than value, there is no inspection bill, and gas runs under the national average.

Formula

The five-year total is the sum of six buckets: value lost, insurance, fuel, maintenance, tax, fees and interest, and registration. Value lost is the $42,000 price minus the $21,000 resale value after five years, which is $21,000. Insurance is $2,200 a year times 5 years, which is $11,000. Fuel is 12,000 miles a year divided by 19 miles per gallon, times $3.99 a gallon, times 5 years, which is $12,600. Maintenance is $1,000 a year times 5 years, which is $5,000. Tax, fees and interest is $2,100 of excise tax, $900 in title and dealer fees, and $8,820 of loan interest, which is $11,820. Registration is $555 over five years: $111 a year times 5 years, with $0 inspections in this window.

Added together, $21,000 plus $11,000 plus $12,600 plus $5,000 plus $11,820 plus $555 equals $61,975, or about $1,033 a month. The financed amount is the $42,000 price plus $2,100 excise tax plus $900 in fees, minus the $4,200 down payment, which is $40,800. At 8% APR over 60 months, the payment on $40,800 is $827 a month, and the loan costs $8,820 in interest over five years.

Calculation transparency

Jurisdiction. North Dakota. Tax, titling, registration, and insurance rules are set by your state, so your exact numbers depend on where you buy and register the car. North Dakota charges a flat 5% motor vehicle excise tax on day one instead of its general sales tax, prices registration by weight rather than value, and requires no periodic safety inspection and no emissions test for regular cars.

Rules and time period. Five years, 12,000 miles a year, a new full-size pickup at $42,000, 10% down, 8% APR, 60 months. North Dakota excise tax 5% ($2,100, no trade-in), $900 in title and dealer fees, gas at the $3.99 North Dakota state AAA average from November 4, 2026, insurance at the $2,200 example value, $1,000 a year maintenance, $21,000 resale after five years, registration $111 a year at 7,100 pounds gross weight. Inspections are $0 in this window.

Scope and limitations. Educational estimate only. Not in this total: any dealer documentation fee above the $900 allowance, which lands on top; and any heavier registered weight, such as the 7,101- to 8,550-pound bracket at $142 a year, which would add $155 over five years. Salvaged, rebuilt, or modified vehicles can require an inspection before they are re-registered, which is not this example. 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: North Dakota Office of State Tax Commissioner excise-tax page and North Dakota Century Code 57-40.3, 5% motor vehicle excise tax; North Dakota Department of Transportation pickup fee schedule and dealer resources, $111 a year at 6,401 to 7,100 pounds, $5 title fee, $1.50 abandoned vehicle disposal fee; AAA North Dakota state gas $3.99 a gallon, November 4, 2026; full-coverage insurance $1,963 to $2,439 a year; 2026 insurance sources, rates filed August 2026 and a September 2026 rate study; iSeeCars 2025 used-car study.

Primary sources: North Dakota Department of Transportation; 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

Motor vehicle excise tax. The tax North Dakota charges instead of its general sales tax on cars, of 5% of the purchase price, minus any trade-in credit, paid when the car is titled and registered. On the $42,000 example with no trade-in, that is $2,100. The rate is set in state law, North Dakota Century Code 57-40.3.

Trade-in credit. Your old car, counted toward the price of the new one. A trade-in lowers the taxable price, so trading in an old truck lowers this tax too.

Fair market value. What the tax is figured on if the car was a gift or bought for well under market value, instead of the price paid.

Registration. The yearly fee for the license plate, priced by weight and by how the vehicle is classed, not by what the car is worth. For this example truck, registered at 7,100 pounds gross weight, that is $111 a year, or $555 over five years.

Gross weight. How heavy the truck is registered at. Because pickups are registered by gross weight, the bracket matters: a heavier registered weight, such as the 7,101- to 8,550-pound bracket at $142 a year, would add $155 over five years.

Title fee. The one-time fee to put the car in your name. The title fee is $5, plus a $1.50 abandoned vehicle disposal fee, together $6.50, and both sit inside the $900 title and dealer fees allowance in the example, not added again.

Safety inspection. The yearly check that a car is roadworthy. North Dakota requires no periodic safety inspection for regular cars, so inspections cost $0 in this five-year example.

Emissions test. A check that the car's exhaust is clean enough. North Dakota requires no emissions test for regular cars.

Full-coverage insurance. Insurance that covers damage to your own car, not just damage you cause to others. In North Dakota it runs $1,963 to $2,439 a year across recent 2026 sources for a 40-year-old driver with a clean record, and the example uses $2,200 a year, the middle of that range rounded to the nearest $5.

Maintenance. Upkeep, $1,000 a year, or $5,000 over five years.

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.

Depreciation. The value the car loses over time. On this page, the $42,000 price minus the $21,000 resale value after five years, which is $21,000.

Common questions

What is the cost of owning a car in North Dakota?

For the worked example on this page, a new $42,000 full-size pickup, the five-year cost in North Dakota is $61,975, or about $1,033 a month. That includes the value the truck loses, insurance, gas, upkeep, tax, fees, loan interest, and registration. Inspections are $0, because North Dakota requires none for regular cars.

How much is the excise tax on a car in North Dakota?

5% of the purchase price, minus any trade-in credit. North Dakota charges a motor vehicle excise tax instead of a general sales tax on cars. On a $42,000 pickup with no trade-in, that is $2,100. A trade-in lowers the taxable price, so trading in an old truck lowers this tax too.

How much is registration for a truck in North Dakota?

For this example truck, registered at 7,100 pounds gross weight, $111 a year on North Dakota's pickup fee schedule, or $555 over five years. Pickups are registered by weight, so a heavier registered weight costs more: the next bracket, 7,101 to 8,550 pounds, is $142 a year. The $5 title fee and $1.50 abandoned vehicle disposal fee are one-time charges, not yearly ones.

Does North Dakota require emissions testing or a safety inspection?

No. North Dakota requires no periodic safety inspection and no emissions test for regular cars, so inspections cost $0 in this five-year example. Salvaged, rebuilt, or modified vehicles are a separate case and can require an inspection.

How much is car insurance in North Dakota?

Full-coverage insurance in North Dakota runs $1,963 to $2,439 a year across recent 2026 sources for a 40-year-old driver with a clean record. This example uses $2,200 a year, the middle of that range rounded to the nearest $5, or $11,000 over five years. Your own quote will differ by driver, truck, and coverage.

Related: see where North Dakota lands in the cheapest and priciest states roundup.

Related: popular cars in North Dakota, run through the same five-year math: F-150, Silverado, and Sierra 1500.

Related: the pickup behind the example: what it costs to own a pickup truck and what car insurance costs.

See the same math for other cities

The same example pattern, run with each place's own costs: Texas, New York City, Los Angeles, Boston, San Francisco, St. Louis, Chicago, Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, Miami, San Antonio, Austin, Seattle, Denver, Phoenix, Philadelphia, New Jersey, Newark, Washington DC, and Detroit, Minnesota, Canada, Wyoming, Arkansas, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, and New Mexico, and South Dakota.

Figures from the North Dakota Office of State Tax Commissioner excise-tax page and North Dakota Century Code 57-40.3 (5% motor vehicle excise tax), the North Dakota Department of Transportation pickup fee schedule and dealer resources ($111 a year at 6,401–7,100 pounds; $5 title fee; $1.50 abandoned vehicle disposal fee), AAA North Dakota state gas average (November 4, 2026), 2026 insurance sources (rates filed August 2026 and a September 2026 rate study), and the iSeeCars 2025 used-car study. Insurance quotes, gas prices, dealer charges, and registered weight vary by driver, truck, and configuration, the structure above is the part that does not change.