How Much Is My Car Tax? Full UK Road Tax Rates and Costs Guide 2026

How Much Is Car Tax in the UK? (2026 Rates)

If you are asking "how much is my car tax", the answer depends almost entirely on when your car was first registered. For the majority of cars on UK roads — those registered on or after 1 April 2017 — the standard rate is £200 per year for a single 12-month payment. That figure applies equally to petrol, diesel, electric and hybrid cars. Since the 2025 changes brought electric vehicles into the system, the flat rate is now genuinely flat across fuel types. For more guides like this, see our Car Tax section.

This guide breaks down the car tax cost UK drivers actually pay in 2026, using the official vehicle excise duty (VED) rates published by GOV.UK. Whether you want to check car tax cost by registration date, CO2 band or engine size, the sections below cover each scenario. Vehicle excise duty — still widely called road tax or road fund licence — is administered by the DVLA, and the rates quoted here match the current GOV.UK tables.

For the £200 standard rate, you have several payment options:

• Single 12-month payment: £200
• Single 6-month payment: £110
• 12 monthly Direct Debit payments: £210 total (£17.50 per month)
• 6-month Direct Debit: £105

Paying monthly costs slightly more overall than a single annual payment, which reflects the administration of the Direct Debit scheme. The road tax price UK drivers see at renewal is the same regardless of fuel type for post-2017 cars — a petrol hatchback and a plug-in hybrid registered in the same year pay the same standard rate.

Car Tax Rates by Registration Date

VED rates are split into three distinct eras. Knowing which era your car falls into is the quickest way to work out your car tax amount by reg.

Cars registered on or after 1 April 2017

These pay the flat standard rate of £200 per year from the second tax payment onwards. The first payment, made when the car is first registered, is based on CO2 emissions and is usually included in the manufacturer's on-the-road price. Key first-year rates include £10 for 0g/km pure electric cars, £115 for 1–50g/km petrol or RDE2-compliant diesel, £455 for 111–130g/km petrol or RDE2 diesel, and £5,690 for anything over 255g/km.

Cars registered between 1 March 2001 and 31 March 2017

These are taxed on CO2 bands, and the band structure is what most people mean by "car tax bands 2026". The rates below are the annual standard rates for petrol and diesel cars. Some bands have separate rates for alternative fuel vehicles, and the full table is published at gov.uk/vehicle-tax-rate-tables.

Bands B, C, E, F, H, I, K and L sit between these figures. If you need the exact rate for your car, the GOV.UK rate tables are the authoritative source, and you can also use the DVLA's online tool as a car tax checker by entering your registration number.

Cars registered before 1 March 2001

These are taxed by engine size rather than emissions. Under 1,549cc costs £210 per year; over 1,549cc costs £345 per year. There is no CO2 banding for this group.

The £40,000 Expensive Car Supplement Explained

Cars with a high list price pay more. If your car's original list price — before any discounts — was over £40,000 for a petrol or diesel car, or over £50,000 for an electric car, you pay an extra £440 per year on top of the standard rate. That brings the total to £640 per year.

The expensive car supplement applies for five years, starting from the second time the vehicle is taxed. In practice, that means the supplement runs from the first renewal after registration through the following four renewals. After that, the car drops back to the standard rate.

List price means the manufacturer's published price when the car was new, before any dealer discount, deposit contribution or finance incentive. It is not the price you paid. This catches out plenty of buyers who negotiated a discount below £40,000 but still fall into the supplement because the list price was above the threshold.

If you are weighing up a used purchase near the threshold, it is worth checking the original list price before you commit. A free car check can help confirm vehicle details, and the DVLA's vehicle enquiry service will show the current tax status. Our own road tax calculator works out the exact rate for any CO2 figure or fuel type, with a lookup-by-registration option.

Do Electric Cars Pay Road Tax in 2026?

Yes. From 1 April 2025, electric vehicles are no longer exempt from VED. They pay the same £200 standard rate as petrol and diesel cars registered after April 2017. This is the single biggest change to electric car VED 2026 and it applies to all EVs registered on or after that date.

The rules for the expensive car supplement depend on when the EV was registered:

• EVs registered before 1 April 2025: no expensive car supplement, even if the list price exceeded £50,000.
• EVs registered on or after 1 April 2025: the £440 supplement applies if the list price was over £50,000, bringing the total to £640 per year.

So the answer to "do electric cars pay road tax" is now a straightforward yes, but the supplement treatment differs by registration date. If you run an electric car through a company, the benefit-in-kind rules are separate from VED — see our guide to electric company car tax for that side of things.

How to Pay Your Car Tax

There are three ways to pay car tax in the UK:

• Online: gov.uk/vehicle-tax — the quickest option, and you can pay by debit or credit card.
• By phone: 0300 123 4321.
• At a Post Office: useful if you prefer to pay in person.

You can tax for 6 or 12 months, or set up a monthly Direct Debit. If you are unsure of your current status, you can check if your car is taxed using the DVLA's online service before you renew.

You cannot drive a car on a public road without valid vehicle tax unless it is SORN'd and kept off the road. The DVLA uses ANPR cameras to detect untaxed vehicles, and the penalty is a fine of up to £1,000. Driving without tax can also lead to your vehicle being clamped or impounded. For a fuller picture of the consequences, read our article on driving without car tax.

If you sell your car, the tax does not transfer to the buyer. You should notify DVLA when you sell your car so that any full remaining months are refunded and you are not held liable for the buyer's use.

Which Cars Are Exempt from Car Tax?

Some vehicles pay nothing, but they must still be taxed at £0 — exemption from the charge is not exemption from the process. The main car tax exemption UK 2026 categories are:

• Historic vehicles: cars built before 1 January 1976 qualify under the rolling 40-year rule. The threshold moves forward each year, so vehicles become eligible on 1 April following their 40th anniversary of construction. Historic vehicle road tax is £0, but you must apply for the historic tax class.
• Disabled tax class vehicles: vehicles registered in the disabled tax class pay nothing.
• Vehicles used by disabled people receiving certain benefits: this covers people receiving PIP enhanced mobility, DLA higher rate mobility, ADP enhanced mobility or AFIP. Our guide to disabled car tax exemption explains the evidence required.

If your car is off the road and not being used, you should declare it SORN rather than let the tax lapse. Our SORN guide covers how that works and what you can and cannot do with a SORN'd vehicle.

How to Check Your Exact Car Tax Amount

Knowing the standard rates is useful, but the quickest way to find out exactly how much your car tax will be is to use the GOV.UK vehicle tax calculator at gov.uk/vehicle-tax. You just need your registration number — the tool pulls the vehicle's registration date, fuel type and CO2 band automatically and shows the exact amount due.

If you are buying a used car, a free car check confirms the registration date and engine details before you commit. You can also check if a car is taxed instantly using its number plate. Once you know your rate, it is worth checking when your car tax is due so you do not miss a renewal — driving without valid tax carries a fine of up to £1,000.