Private sales in BC
BC private-sale vehicle PST calculator
Estimate the PST on a vehicle you bought privately in BC. The calculator applies the province’s rule, not just a percentage: it compares your price with the average wholesale value, uses the right rate, and shows what an appraised value would change.
How it works
Start with the purchase price for a quick estimate. If you know the vehicle’s average wholesale value, add it: PST is generally calculated on the higher of the two. Then try an appraised value to see the arithmetic of the appraisal rule.
Everything runs in your browser. Nothing you type is sent, saved or shared. This is illustrative tax arithmetic, not a vehicle appraisal, benchmark lookup or verified refund calculation. In already-paid mode, the comparison does not verify actual PST paid or establish a government refund claim.
Calculator
Result
Enter a purchase price to see the PST.
An informational estimate of BC’s public arithmetic for private sales. It isn’t a tax ruling, an appraisal or a quote, and nothing you enter leaves this page.
Quick answers
- What rate applies?
- For a passenger vehicle bought privately: 12% below $125,000, 15% from $125,000 to below $150,000, and 20% from $150,000. Other vehicles pay 12%.
- Why might my PST be higher than 12% of my price?
- Because BC generally taxes the higher of your price and the vehicle’s average wholesale value, and near the thresholds that value also sets the rate.
- Does it tell me what my vehicle would appraise for?
- No. It only does the arithmetic for a value you choose. Underbook works out a supported value after reviewing the vehicle.
The three levels
Quick estimate. PST on the price you enter. On a private sale that’s a floor, not the answer: BC compares your price with the vehicle’s average wholesale value and generally taxes the higher of the two.
Compare values. If you know the average wholesale value, add it and the calculator applies that comparison. The page doesn’t look the value up for you.
Appraisal scenario. Enter an appraised value to see the rule’s arithmetic: when your price and the appraised value are both below the average, PST is calculated on the higher of those two. The calculator can’t say whether a value is supportable, and it doesn’t predict what Underbook would appraise your vehicle for.
How the rate is chosen
For a passenger vehicle, the same value that PST is calculated on also sets the rate: 12% below $125,000, 15% from $125,000 to below $150,000, and 20% from $150,000. The rate applies to the whole value, so crossing a threshold changes the tax on every dollar. Worked examples are in High-value vehicle PST in BC. Vehicles that aren’t passenger vehicles, such as trucks and vans larger than ¾-ton, pay 12% at a private sale whatever the value.
If you’re not sure which applies, choose “Not sure”. Below $125,000 the rate is 12% either way; above it, the calculator asks you to choose rather than guess.
Before registration, or after you’ve paid
Before registration, a qualifying appraisal given to your Autoplan broker can change the value PST is calculated on. If you’ve already registered and paid, the Ministry of Finance recalculates the tax on the higher of your price and the appraised value and decides any refund; it must receive your complete application within 30 days of registration. See Vehicle PST refund after purchase.
What the calculator can’t tell you
An estimate, not a ruling
- The taxable value in every situation, or whether an exemption applies.
- Your vehicle’s average wholesale value, or any Canadian Black Book figure.
- What an appraisal would conclude, or whether a value is supportable.
- Whether ICBC or the Ministry will accept a FIN 320, or whether a refund is owed.
- Your actual savings. Underbook determines supported benefit after reviewing the information and evidence.
What it doesn’t cover
It’s built for a vehicle bought privately in BC. Purchases from a dealer are taxed at different rates, vehicles bought or brought in from outside BC follow other rules, gifts are taxed on fair market value (and some are exempt), and modified vehicles or vehicles with no average wholesale value are treated differently. Bulletin PST 308, listed in the sources, covers those cases.
Your information stays with you
The calculator runs in your browser. The VIN is only checked for format and its model-year character; it isn’t looked up, and nothing you enter is sent, stored or added to the page address. No account or email is needed. If you continue to a request, you’ll enter your VIN there.
No appraisal, tax or refund outcome is guaranteed.
Want the real answer for your vehicle?
Start with your VIN and purchase price. Underbook reviews it before asking for anything.