Ontario
Buy a $30,000 vehicle from a dealer in Prince Edward Island and tax adds $4,500, so the deal is $34,500 before licensing and registration. Buy the same car privately and Prince Edward Island charges 15% when you register it, which is $4,500 on that price. Drive the same purchase across the border into Nova Scotia and the tax is $4,200, which is $300 less.
Prince Edward Island is one of 11 jurisdictions this calculator holds a sourced tax rule for. Every figure on this page comes from a government page you can open, dated, and the arithmetic is done in front of you rather than behind a "results" button.
Tax at a dealer
15%
5% Federal GST plus 10% Prince Edward Island portion of the HST
Tax on a private sale
15%
collected when you register the vehicle
Tax on a $30,000 car
$4,500
bought from a dealer
A dealer sale carries 15% HST: 5% federal and 10% Prince Edward Island.
The guide is dated, which is why this carries medium confidence rather than high. The 15% is corroborated by section 15 of the Retail Sales Tax Act, current to 29 May 2026, which sets the private-transfer rate at the same 15%.
PEI Department of Finance, Revenue Tax Guide RTG 191 · dated 2016-10-01
A private transfer carries 15% retail sales tax, paid to the Department of Finance rather than to the seller.
Retail Sales Tax Act (PEI), section 15(1) · dated 2026-05-29
For a vehicle the taxable value is the greater of the declared purchase price and the lesser of two things: the average wholesale value in the Canadian Red Book, and a written appraisal.
Retail Sales Tax Act (PEI), section 1(r) · dated 2026-05-29
Where the seller takes a vehicle in trade, the taxable value is only the amount by which the vehicle you are buying exceeds the one you are trading.
Retail Sales Tax Act (PEI), section 16(2) · dated 2026-05-29
A transfer between family members is taxed on the price actually stated, with no reference to book value at all, even where that price is zero.
PEI Department of Finance, Revenue Tax Guide RTG 198 · dated 2013-02-01
| Jurisdiction | At a dealer | Tax on the example | Bought privately |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prince Edward Island | 15% | $4,500 | 15% at registration |
| Nova Scotia | 14% | $4,200 | rate not published |
| New Brunswick | 15% | $4,500 | 15% at registration |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 15% | $4,500 | 15% at registration |
The calculator prices a vehicle over its whole life, not just the loan: insurance, fuel, maintenance and licensing on top of the payment. Today it does that with Ontario figures.
Open the calculatorA dealer sale carries 15% HST: 5% federal and 10% Prince Edward Island. On a $30,000 vehicle that is $4,500, for $34,500 all in before licensing.
A private transfer carries 15% retail sales tax, paid to the Department of Finance rather than to the seller. For a vehicle the taxable value is the greater of the declared purchase price and the lesser of two things: the average wholesale value in the Canadian Red Book, and a written appraisal.
Where the seller takes a vehicle in trade, the taxable value is only the amount by which the vehicle you are buying exceeds the one you are trading.
Every market figure the calculator itself uses is listed with its source on the assumptions page.