Checked October 2026. This is general information, not legal or financial advice. Rules differ by province and change, so use the links to each official page.

The car you want is sometimes two provinces away. After scrolling listing after listing, finding it feels like a win. Then comes a second job nobody warned you about: tax, inspection and registration rules that belong to your province, not the seller's.

The short answer

Which sales tax applies depends on where the car is delivered or registered and whether the seller is a dealer, and several provinces collect their own tax at registration. Several also want their own safety inspection before they issue plates. Some protections stop at the border: Ontario says its compensation fund does not cover purchases from outside the province. Below we cover only the provinces whose official pages we could read today. For any other, including Quebec, ask its registry.

Whose sales tax do you pay?

GST and HST

The Canada Revenue Agency's GI-119 info sheet (December 2019) says a dealer's sale is generally made in the province where the vehicle is delivered. A vehicle shipped to a destination in a province named in the contract counts as delivered there. A special rule can move the sale to the province of registration, but only if the vehicle is registered there (not temporarily) within 7 days of delivery in a different HST province, and the dealer keeps evidence.

The sheet also says the provincial part of the HST generally has to be self-assessed when a vehicle is brought into an HST province from a non-HST province, or from another HST province with a lower provincial rate. It is paid to that province's registration authority when you register.

Provincial tax, province by province

• Ontario. Ontario.ca says you may need to pay the 8% provincial part of the HST if the vehicle is brought or delivered into Ontario after purchase from a GST/HST registrant in an HST province or from outside Canada. It also says you may need to pay 13% RST on a private purchase in another province. Its RST page says RST does not apply to purchases from GST/HST registrants. The two pages word the HST case differently, so confirm yours with ServiceOntario or the CRA.

• British Columbia. Bulletin PST 308 says a B.C. resident who buys from a dealership outside B.C. and brings, sends or takes delivery of the car in B.C. pays PST on the depreciated purchase price, unless an exemption applies. Its example: a $60,000 car from an Alberta dealer, worth $40,000 on entry, pays 10% on $40,000. For a private sale, PST is on the greater of depreciated value and average wholesale value, collected by ICBC at registration.

• Saskatchewan. Bulletin PST-78 (August 2026) says licence issuers collect PST at registration when the seller did not, including when the vehicle came from an unlicensed motor dealer or other business outside Saskatchewan. A private purchase from another province gets the $5,000 exemption only if both the price and the Red Book value are $5,000 or less.

• Manitoba. Bulletin RST 054 says a car from an out-of-province dealer is taxed on the price plus charges such as shipping, excluding GST and the other jurisdiction's taxes. Manitoba Public Insurance or an Autopac agent collects on private purchases at registration.

• Quebec. We could not open the SAAQ or Revenu Quebec pages today (one showed a verification screen, the other an error), so we say nothing about Quebec tax or inspection here. Confirm both with the SAAQ and Revenu Quebec.

• Other provinces. We did not confirm tax rules for the Atlantic provinces. Ask the provincial registry.

We found no official line on whether tax charged by the selling province is credited against yours, so ask both sides before you pay anything twice. The Out-the-door price calculator shows the total with your own province's tax, and what gets added to an online car price covers the rest of the extras.

What inspection or certificate does your province want?

Exemptions matter. Alberta's sheet exempts a new vehicle from another province bought within 90 days from a factory-authorized dealer with the bill of sale in your name, and says salvage, rebuilt and right-hand drive vehicles cannot be exempt. Manitoba accepts certificates only from government-approved programs in BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Quebec, and not Alberta's Mechanic Fitness Assessment. Check the exemption before you assume you can skip a step, and check who pays if the car fails. Ontario says its certificate is not a warranty or guarantee of the vehicle's condition.

What paperwork do you bring, and how do you check liens?

• British Columbia: ICBC lists the previous registration (or a New Vehicle Information Statement), the original bill of sale and a passed inspection report.

• Alberta: proof of ownership or previous registration, Alberta insurance, an Alberta address and identification, within 3 months of bringing the vehicle in.

• New Brunswick: the current registration or titling document, a bill of sale and proof of insurance.

Ownership checks need extra care when the car comes from another province. Ontario.ca says a used vehicle information package (UVIP) carries Ontario history and lien information, and is not required "if the vehicle was previously bought/sold outside of Ontario", one of several listed cases. For a car from elsewhere, you may need to check its history another way. Ontario.ca's buyer advice is to check the VIN for liens, ask about ownership history, check for flood damage and hire a mechanic. SGI adds a Cross-Canada VIN search to see whether the car was deemed ineligible for registration, and a free Saskatchewan VIN search for past registration and collisions.

Chasing papers across two provinces is slow. It is the kind of legwork Uobo does by text. The Car purchase contract checklist lists what to have in writing before you sign.

How do insurance, plates and timing work?

Some provinces want cover in place before the car moves.

• British Columbia: ICBC says to buy a temporary insurance binder from an Autoplan broker and an in-transit permit from the province where you buy, and that many provinces will not issue that permit without proof of insurance.

• Manitoba: MPI says a Temporary Registration Permit is needed to bring the vehicle in. It is limited to 30 days every 12 months, or one seven-day permit if the car needs a new Certificate of Inspection.

• Saskatchewan: SGI says a Temporary Insurance Card or registration permit can be bought from a licence issuer.

• Alberta: the vehicle must be in the province when you buy the plate, and you buy Alberta insurance first.

Deadlines stack: Ontario's certificate lasts 36 days, Alberta wants repairs in 10 days and the certificate at a registry in 14, and Nova Scotia wants inspection within 30 days of entry. Build the dates into your plan before you agree on a delivery day.

What protections might you lose?

This is the part many shoppers miss. Ontario.ca says its compensation fund protects deposits or payments up to $45,000 if a registered dealer fails to deliver, and then says: "If you buy privately or from outside the province, you will not be able to make a claim for the compensation fund." That page also describes itself as covering purchases from an Ontario registered dealer.

For Alberta and British Columbia we could not confirm the position. AMVIC describes its fund as covering a transaction with an AMVIC-licensed business. The Vehicle Sales Authority says BC's fund is paid for by licensed BC motor dealers. Neither page says what happens when the seller is in another province, so ask the regulator in both provinces before you send a deposit. We could not confirm Saskatchewan, Manitoba or Quebec on this point.

Return and cancellation rules also differ by province; see Can you return a car you bought online in Canada?. If a payment is part of the plan, read how to pay safely when buying a car online.

Is a cheaper car in another province worth it?

Maybe, but compare the full cost. The Used car prices by province tool shows typical asking prices in Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia and Alberta, so you can see whether the gap is large. Then add tax, inspection, transport, insurance and time.

Buying a car is exciting and a lot to carry. In a 2022 Ipsos poll for Clutch, a company that sells cars online, 84% of car purchasers said they wish shopping for or buying a car were easier. Buying across a provincial line adds steps, so ask each office to confirm in writing.

Try these free tools

• Used car prices by province: see where your model is typically listed for less.

• Out-the-door price calculator: add tax and fees to a price.

• Car purchase contract checklist: review price, fees and promises before you sign.

Want someone to check the details with the seller? Text Uobo, a personal car agent that does the research, checks and dealer legwork by text, and is free for shoppers. Start here.