Oregon new motor vehicle dealer bonds.
$400.
Also known as the Oregon auto dealer bond or car dealer bond.
Oregon DMV requires every motor vehicle dealer to file a $50,000 bond before it issues a dealer certificate, under ORS 822.030. This is our carrier’s form for dealers in new vehicles. Ours is $400, the same for every dealer. A quick soft credit check may apply — never a hard inquiry, no impact on your score — and the bond is issued when you pay.
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How much does an Oregon new motor vehicle dealer bond cost?
$400 at the $50,000 amount, the same for every applicant.
Three steps to licensed.
Your dealer certificate is waiting on this bond. Here's the entire process — no broker phone tag:
Apply once, online
Business details, owner information, effective date. That is the application — the only extra step is a one-time consent to a soft credit pull.
Approved
Most are approved as soon as you apply. One soft credit pull, never a hard inquiry, and it never affects your score. If it needs a second look, one to two business days at most.
E-sign & file with DMV
Pay online and receive the executed bond ready to file with your DMV dealer certificate application. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever DMV insists.
What it is and who needs it.
What the bond actually guarantees
Oregon DMV licenses motor vehicle dealers through its Business Licensing Unit, and conditions the certificate on a $50,000 surety bond under ORS 822.030. The bond is a consumer-and-public-protection guarantee: it stands behind your compliance with the Oregon Vehicle Code and protects buyers harmed by fraud or a violation of dealer law.
Our carrier writes this $50,000 bond on two forms: this one for dealers in new vehicles, and one for dealers in used vehicles. The amount, the statute and the $400 price are the same; choose the form that matches the vehicles you sell. It's a three-party arrangement: you (the principal), the surety carrier standing behind you, and the State of Oregon together with harmed buyers (the protected parties).
It is not insurance for you — if the surety pays a claim, you repay the surety. An irrevocable letter of credit for the same $50,000 is also accepted, but a bond costs only the yearly premium rather than tying up cash.
You need this bond if you're
Claims, renewal, filing, and what sets the price.
If a claim is made
A claim comes from the party the bond protects, the obligee named on the form, when the duty the bond guarantees is not met.
The surety investigates and pays a valid claim, up to the $50,000 bond amount. You then repay the surety: a surety bond is a guarantee of your performance, not insurance for you.
Renewal and term
The premium covers a one-year term from the effective date you choose; a longer term is the same price per year, chosen at checkout.
Renew before the expiry date to keep the bond in force: the license, permit or contract it backs expects continuous coverage.
How to file it
E-sign & file with DMV. Pay online and receive the executed bond ready to file with your DMV dealer certificate application. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever DMV insists.
What sets the price
The premium is fixed at $400 at the $50,000 amount for every applicant: the carrier’s rate book prices this bond by the form, not by your credit or your business profile.
One soft credit pull, never a hard inquiry, and it never affects your score.
Where a check runs, it decides approval; the rate is the same for everyone approved.
One application, issued instantly.
These are the actual underwriting fields, including a one-time consent to a soft credit pull. Submit once and your bond is issued when you pay.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other Oregon motor vehicle dealer bonds.
Not sure this is the one your license calls for? These are the other motor vehicle dealer bonds we write in Oregon. Each has its own statute and bond amount.
Other Oregon bonds.
Been told you need a different amount?
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
DMV is waiting on one document.
$400, short application, bond issued when you pay. Free until issued.