Guides · Greater Peoria

Illinois title, tax and registration basics for used-car buyers

The asking price on a Greater Peoria windshield is not what you pay to drive away. Illinois wants a title, registration, and tax. The dealer may add a documentary fee. This page walks through the official pieces we can cite, so you can build an out-the-door picture without guessing a local tax total. It is not legal advice and it is not tax advice. CarsPeoria does not title cars, collect tax, or stand in a Secretary of State line for you.

Fees and rules checked against official Illinois sources on October 18, 2026. They change; confirm before you buy.

If you buy from an Illinois dealer

The dealer reports the sale on Form ST-556 (Sales Tax Transaction Return) and collects the tax. Illinois’ state rate on general merchandise, including titled vehicles, is 6.25%, and local taxes can make the total higher depending on location. IDOR’s Tax Rate Finder looks up a location’s rate. We are not going to invent a Peoria or Tazewell total here. Ask the desk what rate they are collecting, and use the finder if you want to double-check. Sources: IDOR retailers’ occupation tax, ST-556 instructions.

Trade-ins at a dealer: since January 1, 2022 the old $10,000 cap on trade-in credit for passenger vehicles was removed, so a qualified trade-in’s full value can reduce the taxable selling price. Source: IDOR FY 2022-03 bulletin (PDF).

Title applications use the Application for Vehicle Transaction(s), form VSD 190, plus the applicable tax form and the surrendered title signed over by the seller. Source: Illinois SOS vehicle FAQ.

For a standard passenger vehicle, the Secretary of State lists an original title fee of $165 and standard passenger registration of $151, totaling $316 for a newly acquired vehicle with random-number plates. Annual passenger renewal is $151. There is an additional $100 registration fee for electric vehicles. Sources: SOS passenger plate guide and SOS vehicle FAQ. A duplicate or corrected title is $50. Source: SOS basic fees.

New Illinois residents have 30 days after establishing residence to apply for an Illinois title and registration. Registrations expire at the end of the month. Source: SOS new residents — titles and plates.

Dealer documentary fee

Illinois law (815 ILCS 375/11.1) lets dealers charge a documentary fee up to a cap that is adjusted annually for inflation. The cap published for 2026 is $377.63, and the contract must include a notice that the fee is not an official fee and not required by law. Sources: 815 ILCS 375/11.1 and the Illinois Automobile Dealers Association. Ask to see the fee on the contract. You can still negotiate other parts of the deal; this page is not going to tell you what a particular Peoria desk will accept.

If you buy from a private party

CarsPeoria currently lists dealer inventory only, but buyers here still shop driveways and neighbor deals. The tax path is different. The buyer files Form RUT-50, due within 30 days of acquiring the vehicle. There is no trade-in deduction on a private-party deal. Purchases from a spouse, parent, sibling, or child are $15. Some local governments add a local private-party vehicle use tax; see form RUT-6 rather than guessing a town’s amount. Sources: RUT-50 instructions and the RUT-5 chart rut-5.pdf.

For 2026, if the price (or fair market value) is under $15,000, the tax depends on vehicle age:

If the price (or fair market value) is $15,000 or more, the tax depends on price. Higher brackets exist above the last row.

Buying from an unregistered out-of-state dealer uses Form RUT-25. Source: the same RUT-50 instructions.

An out-the-door worksheet (categories, not a fake total)

Write these down for the specific car, then fill in the numbers from the desk and the official sources above:

• Asking price (or the price you actually agreed to).
• Documentary fee, if any, up to the 2026 cap of $377.63, with the required contract notice.
• Tax — dealer ST-556 path (state 6.25% plus local, looked up, not guessed here) or private-party RUT-50 path (tables above).
• Title — $165 original for a standard passenger vehicle, or $50 if you are in a duplicate/corrected situation.
• Registration — $151 standard passenger, plus $100 if the vehicle is electric, as listed by the SOS.

That is the skeleton. Insurance, repairs the inspection found, and the first oil change are real money and they are not Illinois fees, so they stay off this list. If you are shopping the cheaper end of the directory, the same skeleton applies to under $10,000 and under $20,000 cards — a small windshield number can still grow at the desk. The under $15,000 guide is about the car; this page is about the paperwork around it.

What to check on the title

Match the VIN on the dash, the door sticker, the title, and the card you clicked. Look for brands such as salvage or rebuilt. Ask about a lien and a lien release; a title that is not clear is not a surprise you want after you have already arranged a loan. See financing a used car in Peoria if the lender will be on that title next.

Keep copies: the bill of sale, the out-the-door worksheet, the inspection, the history report, and photos of the odometer and all four corners on the day you pick the car up. If a scrape appears in the “we detailed it” interval, you want your own pictures. The Secretary of State and IDOR pages linked above are the live rules; if a number on this page and a number on theirs disagree, trust theirs and tell us so we can fix the guide.

Related guides

Other local notes worth reading next: used cars under $15,000, financing a used car in Peoria, buying used cars in Peoria, and dealers by town.