How much is
my car tax?
Type the reg to see what the car’s tax costs now: in one payment, for 6 months or by monthly Direct Debit, at the rates from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027. Worked out from its first registration date, CO2, fuel and engine size on DVLA’s record.
Checked 6 November 2026 against GOV.UK’s rate tables
How car tax is worked out
It depends on when the car was first registered:
- Before 1 March 2001: on engine size.
- 1 March 2001 to 31 March 2017: on CO2 emissions, in bands A to M. Petrol, diesel, alternative fuel and zero emission cars share one table.
- From 1 April 2017: a first payment based on CO2 when the car is new, then the same standard rate every year after, plus an extra £440 a year for 5 years if it cost over £40,000 new (£50,000 for an electric car first registered from 1 April 2025).
The V5C logbook shows the date the car was first registered and its CO2 figure. These are the rates from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027.
Cars first registered from 1 April 2017
From the second time the car is taxed, petrol, diesel, hybrid, alternative fuel and electric cars all pay the same standard rate.
| How you pay | Standard rate | With the expensive car rate |
|---|---|---|
| Single 12 month payment | £200 | £640 |
| Single 12 month payment by Direct Debit | £200 | £640 |
| Total of 12 monthly payments by Direct Debit | £210 | £672 |
| Single 6 month payment | £110 | £352 |
| Single 6 month payment by Direct Debit | £105 | £336 |
Cars that cost over £40,000 new
A car with a list price over £40,000 pays an extra £440 a year for 5 years, from the second time it’s taxed. For an electric car first registered from 1 April 2025 the limit is £50,000, and electric cars first registered before 1 April 2025 don’t pay it. The list price is the published price of the car before it was first registered, before any discounts.
The list price isn’t on DVLA’s record, so the checker asks you. DVLA’s record can show the date the extra rate ends for a car that pays it, and when it’s there, the checker uses it.
The first tax payment, for a new car
A used car has already paid this, when it was first registered.
| CO2 | Petrol, RDE2 diesel, alternative fuel and zero emission | Other diesel cars |
|---|---|---|
| 0g/km | £10 | £10 |
| 1 to 50g/km | £115 | £135 |
| 51 to 75g/km | £135 | £280 |
| 76 to 90g/km | £280 | £365 |
| 91 to 100g/km | £365 | £405 |
| 101 to 110g/km | £405 | £455 |
| 111 to 130g/km | £455 | £560 |
| 131 to 150g/km | £560 | £1,410 |
| 151 to 170g/km | £1,410 | £2,270 |
| 171 to 190g/km | £2,270 | £3,420 |
| 191 to 225g/km | £3,420 | £4,850 |
| 226 to 255g/km | £4,850 | £5,690 |
| Over 255g/km | £5,690 | £5,690 |
Electric cars
Electric cars have paid vehicle tax since 1 April 2025. One first registered from 1 April 2025 pays £10 for its first year, then the standard rate of £200. One first registered from 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2025 pays £200 a year, and one from 1 March 2001 to 31 March 2017 pays £20. Hybrids no longer get a £10 discount: they pay the same as petrol and diesel cars.
Cars first registered from 1 March 2001 to 31 March 2017
| Band and CO2 | Single 12 month payment | Single 12 month payment by Direct Debit | Total of 12 monthly payments by Direct Debit | Single 6 month payment | Single 6 month payment by Direct Debit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A: Up to 100g/km | £20 | £20 | £21 | N/A | N/A |
| B: 101 to 110g/km | £20 | £20 | £21 | N/A | N/A |
| C: 111 to 120g/km | £35 | £35 | £36.75 | N/A | N/A |
| D: 121 to 130g/km | £170 | £170 | £178.50 | £93.50 | £89.25 |
| E: 131 to 140g/km | £200 | £200 | £210 | £110 | £105 |
| F: 141 to 150g/km | £225 | £225 | £236.25 | £123.75 | £118.13 |
| G: 151 to 165g/km | £275 | £275 | £288.75 | £151.25 | £144.38 |
| H: 166 to 175g/km | £325 | £325 | £341.25 | £178.75 | £170.63 |
| I: 176 to 185g/km | £360 | £360 | £378 | £198 | £189 |
| J: 186 to 200g/km | £410 | £410 | £430.50 | £225.50 | £215.25 |
| K*: 201 to 225g/km | £445 | £445 | £467.25 | £244.75 | £233.63 |
| L: 226 to 255g/km | £760 | £760 | £798 | £418 | £399 |
| M: Over 255g/km | £790 | £790 | £829.50 | £434.50 | £414.75 |
*Band K includes cars over 225 g/km first registered before 23 March 2006.
Cars first registered before 1 March 2001
| Engine size | Single 12 month payment | Single 12 month payment by Direct Debit | Total of 12 monthly payments by Direct Debit | Single 6 month payment | Single 6 month payment by Direct Debit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not over 1,549cc | £230 | £230 | £241.50 | £126.50 | £120.75 |
| Over 1,549cc | £375 | £375 | £393.75 | £206.25 | £196.88 |
Historic vehicles
From 1 April 2026, a vehicle built before 1 January 1986 can apply to stop paying vehicle tax. You still have to tax it, at no cost, and it can’t be used commercially, for example as a taxi. If the build date isn’t known, a vehicle first registered before 8 January 1986 can still apply.
What’s changing
- From 1 April 2027: the government announced in Budget 2026 (28 October 2026) that car tax rates will go up in line with RPI inflation.
- From 1 April 2028: electric and plug-in hybrid cars will also pay a charge per mile, 3p a mile for electric cars and 1.5p for plug-in hybrids, announced in the same Budget.
These are the rates for cars. Vans, motorbikes, motor caravans and cars in another tax class, such as disabled, pay differently: GOV.UK’s rate tables cover them. The Used Car Buyers isn’t part of DVLA, DVSA or GOV.UK. Pay your tax on GOV.UK.
Questions people ask
How much is car tax a year?
It depends on when the car was first registered. A car first registered from 1 April 2017 pays the standard rate of £200 a year, or £640 for 5 years if it cost over £40,000 new. Cars from 1 March 2001 to 31 March 2017 pay by CO2 band, from £20 to £790 a year, and cars first registered before 1 March 2001 pay £230 or £375, by engine size.
Is it cheaper to pay car tax monthly?
No. Paying by monthly Direct Debit costs more in total: at the standard rate it’s £210 over 12 payments, against £200 in one payment.
Do electric cars pay car tax?
Yes, since 1 April 2025. An electric car first registered from 1 April 2025 pays £10 for its first year, then the standard rate of £200. One first registered from 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2025 pays £200, and one from 1 March 2001 to 31 March 2017 pays £20.
What is the expensive car rate?
An extra £440 a year, for 5 years from the second time the car is taxed, if its list price was over £40,000 (or over £50,000 for an electric car first registered from 1 April 2025). The list price is the published price before the car was first registered, before any discounts. It isn’t on DVLA’s record, so the checker asks you.
Where do I find my car’s CO2 figure?
On the V5C logbook. When you type the reg, the checker reads it from DVLA’s record.
Do classic cars pay car tax?
From 1 April 2026, a vehicle built before 1 January 1986 can apply to stop paying vehicle tax. You still have to tax it, at no cost, and it can’t be used commercially.
Will car tax go up?
The government announced in Budget 2026 that car tax rates will go up in line with RPI inflation from 1 April 2027, and that from 1 April 2028 electric and plug-in hybrid cars will also pay per mile: 3p a mile for electric cars and 1.5p for plug-in hybrids.
Sources
- GOV.UK: vehicle tax rates, cars registered on or after 1 April 2017
- GOV.UK: vehicle tax rates, cars registered between 1 March 2001 and 31 March 2017
- GOV.UK: vehicle tax rates, cars registered before 1 March 2001
- GOV.UK: vehicle tax for electric and low emission vehicles
- GOV.UK: historic vehicle tax exemption
- HM Treasury: Budget 2026 overview of tax legislation and rates (28 October 2026)
- DVLA: Vehicle Enquiry Service (the additional rate of tax end date on the record)
Every rate here is as GOV.UK prints it, checked on 6 November 2026.
The car look-up contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
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