Florida dealer fees: what an advertised car price must include

In Florida, the price a dealer advertises has to include every fee or charge you'll be asked to pay — freight or destination, dealer preparation, undercoating or rustproofing. The only things a dealer may leave out of the ad are state and local taxes, tags, registration fees and title fees. That's Fla. Stat. 501.976(16). So when you compare dealer fees in Florida, the question isn't whether a fee exists; it's whether it was already in the advertised price.

The advertising rule, in the statute's words

Section 501.976 lists the acts the state treats as unfair or deceptive for a motor vehicle dealer. Subsection (16) makes it one of them to advertise a price that fails this test:

“The advertised price must include all fees or charges that the customer must pay, including freight or destination charge, dealer preparation charge, and charges for undercoating or rustproofing. State and local taxes, tags, registration fees, and title fees, unless otherwise required by local law or standard, need not be disclosed in the advertisement.”

Read plainly: a dealer preparation charge is named in the statute, so it belongs inside the advertised number. Taxes, tag, registration and title may sit outside it.

The predelivery service line

What buyers call a doc fee or dealer fee appears on Florida paperwork as a predelivery service charge. Two rules attach to it.

First, under 501.976(18), any document that itemizes a predelivery service charge must print this sentence: “This charge represents costs and profit to the dealer for items such as inspecting, cleaning, and adjusting vehicles, and preparing documents related to the sale.” If you see the line without the sentence, the document isn't following the statute.

Second, under 501.976(17), a dealer may not charge you for predelivery service that the manufacturer requires the dealer to perform and reimburses the dealer for.

This guide doesn't quote an amount for the charge. Ask the dealer for it in writing before you agree on a price, and check that it was inside the price you were shown.

Which fees are taxed

Florida sales tax is 6% of the sales price, and the Department of Revenue counts dealer preparation, settlement and closing fees as part of that price (GT-800030). State title, licensing and registration fees that are itemized separately are not taxed.

On top of the 6%, your county's discretionary sales surtax applies to the first $5,000 of the price. For a motor vehicle it follows your residence address on the registration, not the dealer's county. Miami-Dade's surtax is 1%, which works out to at most $50 on a car, whatever the price.

If a trade-in is part of the same transaction, a registered dealer deducts the trade-in allowance from the taxable price before the 6% is applied.

State title and plate fees, line by line

These are the lines the statute lets a dealer leave out of the ad. From FLHSMV's fee schedule, checked Oct 18 2026, for a buyer registering the car in Florida:

• Title transfer: $75.25 when the car already has a Florida title; $85.25 when it arrives on an out-of-state title.
• Lien recording: $2, if the car is financed.
• Initial registration fee: $225, charged when you have no Florida plate in your name to transfer onto the car.
• New plate: $28. Transferring a plate you already have: $4.50.

If you live in another state and will register the car there, these Florida lines don't apply to you. Florida may instead collect its sales tax at your home state's rate when that rate is below 6%, if you give the dealer a notarized Form DR-123 at the time of sale and register the car at home within 45 days (DOR TIP 26A01-01). That's a guide of its own.

How Xuma shows prices

At Xuma, the advertised price excludes only tax and tag. The out-the-door number depends on where you'll register the car, whether you have a plate to transfer, whether there's a lien to record and whether you're trading a car in — so ask us for your number before you decide. Browse cars for sale, and if you need help arranging financing, tell us what you need on the financing page.

Rules change; check the official source or ask a tax adviser before you rely on a number here.