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UK Car Tax Calculator

Work out the annual vehicle tax (VED) on any UK car. The year it was first registered matters more than anything else — it decides which of the three tax systems applies, and the gap between them can be hundreds of pounds.

2026/27 rates
Rates from GOV.UK

Your car

Not the year you bought it — the year it first hit the road.

On the V5C logbook, or on the DVLA vehicle enquiry service.

The price when it was new, including options — not what you are paying now. Above £40,000 this adds £440 a year in years 2–6.

Why the registration year decides everything

The UK runs three different car tax systems at the same time. Two cars with identical emissions can pay wildly different amounts purely because of when they were registered.

Before 1 March 2001

Engine size only

Two flat rates — £230 up to 1549cc, £375 above it. CO2 is irrelevant.

1 March 2001 – 31 March 2017

Graduated CO2 bands A–M

The same amount every year, from £20 to £790. Low-emission cars in this window are the cheapest cars to tax in Britain.

From 1 April 2017
Your car

First-year rate, then a flat standard rate

CO2 only sets the one-off first-year charge. After that everything pays £200 (£190 for hybrids), regardless of emissions.

Annual vehicle tax

£200/ year

Registered on or after 1 April 2017

First-year rate when new£455

Paid once by the original buyer. As a used buyer you never see this.

Cars registered from April 2017 pay a one-off first-year rate based on CO2, then a flat standard rate every year after. As a used buyer you pay the standard rate — the first-year rate was settled by the original buyer.

Cheapest cars to tax

A car registered between 2001 and 2017 emitting 100 g/km or less pays just £20 a year — and always will. The same car registered a year later would pay £200.

Annual bands — registered 2001 to 2017

Paid every year, unchanged.

BandCO2 (g/km)Per year
A0–100£20
B101–110£20
C111–120£35
D121–130£170
E131–140£200
F141–150£225
G151–165£275
H166–175£325
I176–185£360
J186–200£410
K201–225£445
L226–255£760
MOver 255£790

First-year rates — registered from 2017

Charged once, on first registration. Non-RDE2 diesels pay one band higher.

CO2 (g/km)Petrol / RDE2Other diesel
0£10£10
1–50£115£135
51–75£135£280
76–90£280£365
91–100£365£405
101–110£405£455
111–130£455£560
131–150£560£1,410
151–170£1,410£2,270
171–190£2,270£3,420
191–225£3,420£4,850
226–255£4,850£5,690
Over 255£5,690£5,690

For guidance only. Rates are the 2026/27 figures published by the DVLA and were checked against GOV.UK on 28 July 2026. Always confirm the exact amount for a specific vehicle on the DVLA vehicle enquiry service before you buy.