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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 a flat rate regardless of emissions — £200 for petrol, diesel and electric, £200 for hybrids and other alternative fuels. The two figures matched on 1 April 2025, when the £10 hybrid discount was abolished.

Annual vehicle tax

£200/ year

Registered on or after 1 April 2017

First-year rate on a car like this£455

Charged once, at first registration. This is the 2026/27 figure — what a new car with this CO2 would pay today, not what your car's first owner actually paid. As a used buyer you never see it either way.

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 March 2001 and March 2017 emitting 110 g/km or less sits in Band A or B and pays just £20 a year. An identical car registered after 1 April 2017 pays £200, for exactly the same emissions.

Band rates are set each April, so this is not a promise for life — Band A itself used to be £0.

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is car tax in the UK in 2026?
It depends entirely on when the car was first registered. Cars registered from April 2017 pay a flat standard rate of £200 a year whatever their emissions and whatever the fuel — hybrids and other alternative fuels pay the same £200 since the £10 discount was abolished on 1 April 2025. Cars registered between March 2001 and March 2017 pay a graduated CO2 band rate from £20 to £790 a year. Cars registered before March 2001 pay £230 a year up to 1549cc, or £375 above that.
Why do two cars with the same emissions pay different car tax?
Because the UK runs three VED systems side by side, split by first registration date. A 2015 car emitting 120 g/km sits in Band C and pays £35 a year. An otherwise identical car registered in 2018 pays the flat £200 standard rate. The registration date, not the emissions, is what decides the bill.
What is the Expensive Car Supplement?
Cars with a list price over £40,000 when new (£50,000 for electric cars) pay an extra £440 a year on top of the standard rate. It applies in years 2 to 6 of the car’s life, so £2,200 in total. The critical detail for used buyers is that it is based on the price when the car was NEW, not what you pay for it — a three-year-old car you buy for £28,000 can still owe the supplement if it listed at £55,000. One exception matters a lot on the used market: zero-emission cars first registered before 1 April 2025 are exempt from the supplement entirely, at any list price.
Do electric cars pay road tax in the UK?
Yes. Electric cars lost their VED exemption on 1 April 2025. They now pay £10 in the first year and then the same £200 standard rate as petrol and diesel cars. Electric cars also became subject to the Expensive Car Supplement, with a higher £50,000 threshold than the £40,000 that applies to petrol and diesel — but only if they were first registered on or after 1 April 2025. An electric car registered before that date pays the £200 standard rate and nothing more, however expensive it was new.
Which cars are cheapest to tax in the UK?
Cars first registered between March 2001 and March 2017 with CO2 emissions of 110 g/km or less. They sit in Band A or B and pay just £20 a year, permanently. That covers a lot of ordinary used hatchbacks and small diesels. Note that Band A used to be £0 — that exemption has been removed, so nothing is free to tax any more.
Where do I find my car’s CO2 figure?
It is printed on the V5C registration certificate (the logbook), and you can also look it up free on the DVLA vehicle enquiry service using the registration number. For cars registered before March 2001 you do not need CO2 at all — only the engine size in cc.