Car tax check: what your vehicle pays in 2025 to 2026 and why
Vehicle Excise Duty depends on when the car was first registered, its CO₂ emissions, its fuel and what it cost new. Enter a registration for the rate that applies to your car, read from its DVSA record, or use the tables below. Whether the tax has been paid is a DVLA matter, and the official checker is linked after each result.
Standard rate: cars registered from 1 April 2017
After the first year, almost every car registered since April 2017 pays the same flat rate of £195 a year. The hybrid discount ended in April 2025 and electric cars started paying the standard rate at the same time. Cars with a list price over £40,000 when new pay an additional £425 a year from the second to the sixth year, the "expensive car supplement", making £620 a year during that window.
| Car registered from April 2017 | Annual rate |
|---|---|
| Petrol, diesel, hybrid or electric | £195 |
| Same, with a list price over £40,000, years 2 to 6 | £620 |
First-year rate: paid once, by CO₂
The first year's tax is built into the on-the-road price and set by the car's CO₂ figure. It ranges from £10 for a zero-emission car to £5,490 for the highest emitters. Diesels that do not meet the RDE2 standard pay one band higher.
| CO₂ (g/km) | Petrol and RDE2 diesel | Other diesel |
|---|---|---|
| 0 g/km | £10 | £10 |
| 1 to 50 | £110 | £130 |
| 51 to 75 | £130 | £270 |
| 76 to 90 | £270 | £350 |
| 91 to 100 | £350 | £390 |
| 101 to 110 | £390 | £440 |
| 111 to 130 | £440 | £540 |
| 131 to 150 | £540 | £1,360 |
| 151 to 170 | £1,360 | £2,190 |
| 171 to 190 | £2,190 | £3,300 |
| 191 to 225 | £3,300 | £4,680 |
| 226 to 255 | £4,680 | £5,490 |
| Over 255 | £5,490 | £5,490 |
Cars registered 1 March 2001 to 31 March 2017: bands A to M
Older cars are taxed by CO₂ band for life. The figure is on the V5C and in the model's original specification. Band A, once free, has paid £20 since April 2025. The gap between a small hatchback in band C and a large SUV in band M is more than £725 a year, which is worth knowing before you buy a used car; the reliability pages tell you the other half of the running-cost story.
| Band | CO₂ (g/km) | Annual rate |
|---|---|---|
| A | Up to 100 | £20 |
| B | 101 to 110 | £20 |
| C | 111 to 120 | £35 |
| D | 121 to 130 | £165 |
| E | 131 to 140 | £195 |
| F | 141 to 150 | £215 |
| G | 151 to 165 | £265 |
| H | 166 to 175 | £315 |
| I | 176 to 185 | £345 |
| J | 186 to 200 | £395 |
| K | 201 to 225 | £430 |
| L | 226 to 255 | £735 |
| M | Over 255 | £760 |
Cars registered before 1 March 2001: by engine size
| Engine | Annual rate |
|---|---|
| Not over 1549 cc | £210 |
| Over 1549 cc | £345 |
Cars over 40 years old can be registered as historic vehicles and pay nothing, rolling forward each April. They are also exempt from the MOT unless substantially modified.
Paying, SORN, refunds and penalties
Annually, six-monthly or by monthly Direct Debit. Monthly and six-monthly options cost 5% more over the year. Tax does not transfer with the car: a buyer must tax it before driving away.
A vehicle kept off the road must be declared SORN. There is no fee, and tax is refunded for any full months remaining. A SORN vehicle cannot be kept on a public road, even parked.
Sell, scrap, export or SORN the car and DVLA refunds any full months left automatically once the keeper change is recorded.
An untaxed vehicle on the road attracts an £80 penalty, halved if paid within 28 days, and can be clamped or removed. Cameras and the DVLA database enforce it; there is no paper disc to check.
Exemptions
Vehicles used by a disabled person, mobility scooters, historic vehicles over 40 years old, mowing machines and steam vehicles pay no tax but must still be registered and, where no exemption applies, must still have an MOT. Electric cars lost their exemption in April 2025. Tax and MOT are separate systems: a car can be taxed and have no MOT, which is why the MOT history check and this page exist side by side.
Questions people ask
How do I check if my car is taxed?
Live tax status is held by DVLA and shown on the GOV.UK vehicle enquiry service, which needs only the registration. This page tells you how much the tax is and why; the GOV.UK check tells you whether it has been paid.
How much is car tax for a car registered after April 2017?
£195 a year after the first year, whatever the fuel. Cars with a list price over £40,000 when new pay an extra £425 a year in years two to six, so £620 in total during that period.
Why is my neighbour's identical car cheaper to tax?
Registration date. The same model registered in March 2017 sits in the CO₂ bands; registered in April 2017 it pays the flat standard rate. For a low-emission car that can be a difference of over £150 a year in either direction.
Do electric cars pay car tax?
Yes, since April 2025. Electric cars registered from April 2017 pay the standard rate, and new ones pay the lowest first-year rate. Those with a list price over the supplement threshold also pay the expensive car supplement.
How do I find my car's CO₂ figure?
It is on the V5C logbook under "CO2 (g/km)". For cars registered from April 2017 it affects only the first-year rate already paid; for 2001 to 2017 cars it sets the band for life.
Rates from the GOV.UK vehicle tax rate tables for 2025 to 2026. Tables are maintained by hand and updated each April. If a figure here disagrees with GOV.UK, GOV.UK is right and we would like to know.