New England buyers
Hermes Auto Sales is at 420 Broadway, Taunton, MA 02780, in Bristol County where Routes 24, 44, 138 and 140 meet I-495. Providence is about 19 miles away, and buyers come from across Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine and the Cape and Islands. You buy the car here; it is registered and inspected in your own state. This page sets out how that works, state by state.
The short version
Yes. Buyers from Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine can all buy from us. You buy the car at 420 Broadway, Taunton, MA 02780, and it is registered, titled and inspected in your home state afterwards.
We do. When a lender is involved, the dealership handles the out-of-state registration and title so the lien is recorded correctly in your state. Out-of-state registration is more work than a Massachusetts one, so the registration-related charge on a financed out-of-state deal is higher than on an in-state deal. Ask your salesperson for the exact amount before you buy.
Not necessarily. Where your state allows it, you can take the bill of sale and a copy of the title to your own state's DMV and get a temporary tag or registration there yourself. Ask your salesperson for details.
Yes. We can arrange shipping anywhere in the United States, and delivery to Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. Availability and price depend on the car and the destination, so speak to one of our team members for a quote.
No. Once the car is registered in your state, your state's inspection rules apply. Rhode Island expressly refuses out-of-state stickers and wants its own within 5 days of registration, and Vermont within 15. The state sections below set out each one.
The protection you can rely on is the Massachusetts used-vehicle warranty, M.G.L. c.90 §7N¼, because the sale happens in Massachusetts against a Massachusetts dealer.
Registration
We handle the registration and title in your home state. The lender needs its lien recorded on your state's title, and that has to go through the dealership. Registering in another state takes more work than a Massachusetts registration, so the registration-related charge on a financed out-of-state deal is higher than on an in-state one. Ask your salesperson for the exact amount before you buy; it is on the paperwork, not a surprise at signing.
You have another option. Where your state allows it, take the bill of sale and a copy of the title to your own state's DMV and get a temporary tag or registration there, then finish the registration yourself. The rules differ by state, and the state sections below note what each one says. Ask your salesperson for details.
Either way, the price you are quoted includes our flat $635 documentation fee. The only other charge from us is the registration-related charge on a financed out-of-state deal, described above. The full fee list is published, and financing works the same wherever you live.
Sales tax
Massachusetts, when you take the car in Massachusetts. The test is not where you live but where the car changes hands. The regulation on motor vehicle sales tax, 830 CMR 64H.25.1, works through this exact case: an out-of-state resident buys from a Massachusetts dealer and drives home, and owes Massachusetts tax because title to and possession of the vehicle were transferred to him in Massachusetts
. There is no exemption for nonresidents, including buyers from New Hampshire, which has no sales tax of its own.
Your home state then credits what you paid. Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont and Maine all give credit for sales tax paid to another state and charge only the difference if their own tax is higher. The state sections below cite each rule.
The exception is delivery. Massachusetts does not tax a sale where the dealer is obliged under the sale agreement to deliver the car to you outside Massachusetts, or to a carrier that takes it to you (M.G.L. c.64H §6(b)). Your own state's tax applies instead. If you are having a car shipped, ask us how that applies to your purchase.
We do not print them here. Rates change, and the published sources do not always agree: the Massachusetts regulation still quotes a pre-2009 rate inside its own worked examples. We will confirm the exact figures with you in writing before you buy, so the number you plan around is the number you pay.
Getting it home
Massachusetts law lets a dealer issue a short-term registration to a nonresident who is driving the car home to register it there, once you show proof of out-of-state residence and insurance. Some states also let a dealer buy one of their temporary plates for you, or issue one at your own DMV; each state section says what we found. Call before you come and we will tell you exactly how your car is getting home.
If you would rather not make the trip, we can arrange shipping anywhere in the United States, and delivery to Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. Availability and price depend on the car and where it is going, so speak to one of our team members for a quote.
State by state
Rules as published by each state's DMV and revenue department, checked in October 2026. They change; your DMV has the final word, and we are happy to go through your state with you on the phone.
Providence is about 19 miles up Route 44, East Providence about 16, and Pawtucket about 19. Rhode Island is our closest neighboring state, so here is the whole process, in order.
You choose the car, we run the paperwork, and title and possession transfer to you here. Massachusetts sales tax is collected on the sale.
Rhode Island lets a dealership buy a Rhode Island temporary plate for a Rhode Island resident. Call before you come and we will tell you exactly how your car is getting home.
A VIN inspection, required of every used vehicle entering Rhode Island from out of state since 1 January 2024, whatever the model year.
Registration and title, on the TR-1 and the title paperwork, plus the use-tax form Rhode Island requires when the vehicle came from an out-of-state dealer.
Rhode Island use tax is due by the 20th of the month after the month the car is first used in Rhode Island, registered or not. Rhode Island credits the Massachusetts tax you already paid, so this is a settling-up, not a second full bill.
A Rhode Island safety inspection. Your Massachusetts sticker does not count. A failure gives you 30 days for one free retest.
Rhode Island does not charge you all over again. R.I. Gen. Laws § 44-18-30A exempts a buyer who has paid a sales or use tax equal to or greater than the amount imposed by this chapter in another taxing jurisdiction
; where the Massachusetts tax is smaller, Rhode Island charges only the difference. Rhode Island also taxes a dealer sale on the price less your trade-in, while a private sale of a vehicle seven years old or newer is taxed on the greater of the price or the NADA Clean Retail value, so paying under book does not lower the tax.
Since 1 January 2024, every used vehicle entering Rhode Island from another state needs a VIN inspection by a local municipal police department, all model years. It is not the safety inspection and it is not done at the DMV. Call your own police department for their hours.
Rhode Island requires a Rhode Island inspection within 5 days of registration and does not honour an out-of-state sticker. If the car fails, you have 30 days to return for one free retest.
Form TR-1
Rhode Island's registration application.
Title paperwork
The title documents transferring the vehicle into your name, plus the title fee. Published figures for that fee differ between the DMV's own pages, so confirm the current amount with the DMV.
The Rhode Island use tax form
Required when the vehicle was bought from an out-of-state dealer, with the purchase paperwork showing the Massachusetts tax you paid.
Insurance in your name
The most common cause of delay in any registration we handle is waiting on insurance details. Have your agent ready before the day.
A technology surcharge of $3.50
A small fixed charge the DMV adds.
Rhode Island lets a dealership outside the state buy a Rhode Island temporary plate for a Rhode Island resident, run a suspension and block check before the paperwork goes in, and submit the registration to the dealer room at the Cranston DMV, where the usual turnaround is 7 to 14 business days. Rhode Island repealed its motor vehicle excise tax in 2022, so there is no yearly town bill on the car.
Buying in Massachusetts from a Massachusetts dealer, the protection you can rely on is the Massachusetts used-vehicle warranty, M.G.L. c.90 §7N¼. Read side by side, it is the stronger of the two statutes on every axis.
| Massachusetts — M.G.L. c.90 §7N¼ | Rhode Island — R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-5.4-2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Low-mileage tier | Under 40,000 miles — 90 days or 3,750 miles | 36,000 miles or under — 60 days or 3,000 miles |
| Middle tier | 40,000–79,999 miles — 60 days or 2,500 miles | 36,000–100,000 miles — 30 days or 1,000 miles |
| Upper limit of coverage | 124,999 miles | 100,000 miles |
| What is covered | Any defect that impairs the vehicle's safety or use | An enumerated parts list — engine, transmission, drive axle, brakes, radiator, steering, alternator, starter, ignition |
| Refund trigger | The same defect surviving three repair attempts, or more than ten cumulative business days out of service | Not specified in the section |
Whether either statute reaches across the state line is unresolved, and we will not settle it on a web page. The plain case is not in doubt: a Massachusetts dealer, a sale made in Massachusetts, and the Massachusetts statute applying to it, which is set out tier by tier here.
From eastern Connecticut, I-395 north to I-295 or Route 44; from Hartford, I-84 to I-90 and I-495 south, which brings you down to Route 138 and the lot.
I-93 or I-95 south to I-495, then I-495 south to Route 138 South into Taunton.
I-89 to I-93 south, then I-495 south to Route 138 South into Taunton.
I-95 south through New Hampshire to I-495, then I-495 south to Route 138 South into Taunton.
I-495 runs south from Taunton to Route 25 and the Bourne Bridge, so the upper Cape is a straightforward drive.
Call before you set off and we will go through the car, the paperwork for your state and the full out-the-door number.
420 Broadway, Taunton, MA 02780 · City Dealer License #18
Mon – Fri 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM · Saturday 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM · Sunday By appointment
