Classic Car Dealers in Maryland

Maryland has no sales tax on a car purchase. Instead the MVA collects a 6.5% titling (excise) tax when you title the car, and a used car must pass a Maryland safety inspection before it can be titled and registered. For old cars the third thing to settle is the plate: Maryland historic plates cost less than standard registration but come with use restrictions and a model year cutoff that is changing.

Titling the car

The Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) issues titles. Buying from a licensed dealer, the dealer normally sends in the title paperwork for you; by law it must submit the application documents within 30 days of delivering the car and must itself obtain the seller's title within 20 days of acquiring a car it holds for sale. Buying from a private seller, titling is your job. The seller must give you the original title, properly assigned to you, with any lien released. You then submit the title application (form VR-005, or the application section on a Maryland title), proof of the price, the odometer statement, a Maryland Safety Inspection Certificate, ID, proof of Maryland insurance and the tax and fees, in person at an MVA branch, by mail, or through a licensed tag and title service.

The title application should follow promptly after delivery. If the MVA has not received it within 30 days, it may add a service fee. Maryland law also bars anyone but a dealer from buying, and anyone from selling, a used vehicle that needs a title unless a title has been issued, so a bill of sale alone is not enough. If a seller has lost the title, only the registered owner can apply for a duplicate (form VR-018). The MVA does not describe a bonded title or other no-title route, so a classic that comes without a title is a problem to resolve before you pay.

Out-of-state cars

A Maryland resident who buys a car in another state has to title and register it in Maryland and pay the same excise tax. If the seller's state offers a transport tag you can use it; otherwise the MVA can issue a 30-day temporary registration to bring the car home. The out-of-state title must be assigned to you; a registration and bill of sale are accepted only when the state does not issue titles. A used car then needs the Maryland safety inspection once it is in the state. People who move to Maryland with their own car must title and register it within 60 days to keep credit for titling tax paid elsewhere.

Safety inspection

Every used car titled and registered in Maryland needs a Maryland Safety Inspection Certificate from a licensed inspection station, issued within 90 days of titling. Inspection fees are set by each station. If the car cannot be driven to a station, the MVA offers a one-time 30-day temporary registration for that purpose. State law exempts a car registered as historic from inspection statutes when its model year is 1985 or earlier, but the exemption depends on that registration, and dealers have been told to supply the certificate on historic sales, so ask the MVA what it will require for your car.

Historic plates

• Who qualifies: the car must be a model year 1999 or earlier, not substantially altered from the original design, and not a replica or reconstruction. Lawmakers voted in 2026 to return to a rolling 25-year age rule, reported to take effect in July 2027.
• Cost: $55.50 a year. A car made at least 60 years before the current model year can instead get a one-time $50 registration, which does not transfer to the next owner.
• Use: you certify the car will be kept for exhibitions, club activities, parades, tours and occasional transportation, and will not be used for daily transportation, to commute to work or school, for employment or for commercial purposes.
• Vintage plates: owners of historic cars can ask to display an original Maryland plate issued at least 25 years ago, with a sticker year matching the car's model year, after MVA verification.

Emissions

The Vehicle Emissions Inspection Program applies to cars registered in Anne Arundel, Baltimore City, Baltimore, Calvert, Carroll, Cecil, Charles, Frederick, Harford, Howard, Montgomery, Prince George's, Queen Anne's and Washington. The test costs $30 every two years. Exempt vehicles include cars of model year 1995 or older under 8,500 pounds gross weight, historic and antique vehicles, street rods, and diesel-only vehicles, so most classics are not tested.

Titling tax

• The rate is 6.5%. From a dealer it is charged on the agreed price including the dealer processing charge, with an allowance for a trade-in. Dealer discounts are not taxed.
• In a private sale it is 6.5% of the price shown on a notarized MVA Bill of Sale (form VR-181) signed by buyer and seller. For a vehicle seven years old or more the tax is based on the price paid or $640, whichever is greater. The MVA may ask for more documents to support the price, and may use a book value in some cases.
• Maryland does not charge a separate sales tax on vehicle purchases.

Dealers, private sellers and salvage titles

Selling used vehicles in Maryland requires an MVA dealer license. A dealer must give you an implied warranty, which can be waived only if the car is more than six model years old and has been driven more than 60,000 miles, and only by a signed MVA notice (form CS-019), so a classic is usually sold as is with that form. A dealer's processing charge is capped by law, and must be shown separately. A salvage vehicle cannot be registered or driven until it has been rebuilt and passed a Maryland State Police salvage inspection, and the salvage history stays on the title. Private sales carry no dealer warranty protection.

Sources: Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration (title and registration information, titling out-of-state vehicles, emissions inspection pages, salvaged vehicles, form CS-019), the Maryland Transportation Article (sections 13-112, 13-113 and 13-936) and the Department of Legislative Services notes on HB 4 and SB 566 of 2026. Rules and fees change; confirm with the MVA before you buy.