Buying a New Car in Nevada

Nevada's pristine desert contrasts with the sights, sounds and neon of its most famous city - Las Vegas. There is a lot of money flowing in and out of Nevada on any given day, and as a result the state boasts a healthy automotive industry that caters to everyone from high rollers on down to everyday commuters. When buying a new car in Nevada, it's better to be prepared than it is to be dazzled by the bright lights or hot sun reflecting off the sand. This guide discusses the fees and forms associated with registering and titling a vehicle in the Silver State, as well as which cities offer the best selection of new vehicle dealerships.

Las Vegas is larger than life, and certainly larger than any other city's offerings in Nevada when it comes to new car dealerships. 86 percent of the state is owned by the federal government, and that fact combined with the encroaching desert means that there aren't too many other towns out there with huge new car offerings. The capital, Carson City, Reno and Henderson are the only other towns with notable clusters of dealer lots.

Car dealers in Nevada will take care of filing the paperwork and submitting the fees associated with your registration once you have completed the deal. Basic registration costs are $33.00 for any vehicle under 6,000 lbs. On top of this, a Government Services Tax of $0.04 per $1.00 of the state's depreciated DMV value is also charged. Depreciated DMV value is equal to 35% of the car or truck's original MSRP. Those living in Clark or Churchill counties will additionally be charged a Supplemental Governmental Services tax of $0.01 per $1.00 of this depreciated value.

Other fees include a first time title fee of $28.25 and a $1.00 Prison Industry Fee for new license plates (or a $6.00 fee to transfer existing plates). Sales tax charged at the time of purchase in Nevada is 6.5 percent, although individual counties have the power to impose their own sales taxes, which can boost the sales tax up to fall between the range of 6.85 and 8.1 percent.