Car Tax Calculator: how much VED will I pay?
Work out car tax (VED) for 2026/27: first-year rate, standard rate, the £40,000 and £50,000 expensive car supplement, older cars and direct debit costs.
For tax starting from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027, a car first registered on or after 1 April 2017 pays £200 a year after its first payment, or £640 a year until it is six years old if its list price was over £40,000. For a zero-emission car the threshold is £50,000, and only if it was registered on or after 1 April 2025: one registered before then never pays the supplement. The first payment, made when the car is new, runs from £10 to £5,690 depending on CO2. Older cars pay by CO2 band or engine size. Enter the details from your V5C logbook below.
Enter your car's details and press the button.
Cars first registered on or after 1 April 2017
First payment. Paid when the car is first registered and covering 12 months, it depends on the official CO2 figure. Diesel cars that do not meet the RDE2 standard pay the higher column, which in effect moves them up a band. The law calls the test Euro 6d (VERA 1994 Sch 1 para 1GC; GOV.UK rates).
| CO2 | Petrol, RDE2 diesel, hybrid, electric | Other diesel |
|---|---|---|
| 0 g/km | £10 | £10 |
| 1 to 50 g/km | £115 | £135 |
| 51 to 75 g/km | £135 | £280 |
| 76 to 90 g/km | £280 | £365 |
| 91 to 100 g/km | £365 | £405 |
| 101 to 110 g/km | £405 | £455 |
| 111 to 130 g/km | £455 | £560 |
| 131 to 150 g/km | £560 | £1,410 |
| 151 to 170 g/km | £1,410 | £2,270 |
| 171 to 190 g/km | £2,270 | £3,420 |
| 191 to 225 g/km | £3,420 | £4,850 |
| 226 to 255 g/km | £4,850 | £5,690 |
| Over 255 g/km | £5,690 | £5,690 |
Every payment after that is the standard rate of £200 a year whatever the fuel, electric included (Sch 1 para 1GD). The old discount for hybrids and alternative fuels has gone, and electric cars have paid since 1 April 2025 (GOV.UK electric vehicles).
The expensive car supplement
A car whose price was over the threshold pays £640 a year instead of £200, an extra £440, under Sch 1 para 1GE:
- Threshold: over £40,000 for petrol, diesel and hybrids; over £50,000 for a car with 0 g/km CO2. The £50,000 figure applies to tax periods starting on or after 1 April 2026 (Finance Act 2026 s.97). Exactly the threshold does not count: the price must exceed it.
- Which electric cars: a zero-emission car pays it only if first registered on or after 1 April 2025. One registered before that date never pays it.
- How long: it never applies to the first payment, and applies to a later licence when the car was first registered less than six years before the licence takes effect. GOV.UK describes this as 5 years from the second time the car is taxed. A licence runs from the 1st of the month it starts in (VERA s.3(1)), so for tax starting in the month the car turns six the two descriptions can point different ways: the calculator then shows both figures rather than choosing.
- Price: the list price when first registered, before discounts, plus any non-standard accessories fitted then (para 1GF uses the company car tax definitions in ITEPA 2003). A car with no list price uses a notional price.
- What that price includes: the price the manufacturer, importer or distributor published for that car on the day immediately before its first registration, including delivery to the dealer and VAT (ITEPA 2003 s.123, applied by para 1GF(3)), but not vehicle tax itself (para 1GF(4)(b)). Optional extras attached when the car is first registered are added at their own list price (para 1GF(1)(a)(ii), (2)), so a car listed just under £40,000 can go over it on its options. Three consequences forum posters ask about: a dealer discount does not help, because GOV.UK says the list price is "the price before any discounts are applied"; a list price rise between ordering and delivery counts, because the date is the day before registration; and extras fitted after registration do not count. Equipment that enables a disabled person to use the car is not an accessory (ITEPA s.125(2)(c)), so it is not added. GOV.UK suggests checking the list price with your dealer.
- Exception: a taxi capable of zero emissions, when first registered, does not pay it (para 1GE(5)).
Older cars
Registered 1 March 2001 to 31 March 2017: a yearly rate by CO2 band, the same for every fuel. Over 225 g/km and registered before 23 March 2006 pays the band K rate of £445 (Sch 1 para 1B).
| Band | CO2 | 12 months |
|---|---|---|
| A | Up to 100 g/km | £20 |
| B | 101 to 110 g/km | £20 |
| C | 111 to 120 g/km | £35 |
| D | 121 to 130 g/km | £170 |
| E | 131 to 140 g/km | £200 |
| F | 141 to 150 g/km | £225 |
| G | 151 to 165 g/km | £275 |
| H | 166 to 175 g/km | £325 |
| I | 176 to 185 g/km | £360 |
| J | 186 to 200 g/km | £410 |
| K | 201 to 225 g/km | £445 |
| L | 226 to 255 g/km | £760 |
| M | Over 255 g/km | £790 |
Registered before 1 March 2001: £230 a year with an engine of 1,549cc or less (or an electric car), £375 above that (Sch 1 para 1).
Historic vehicles. A car built more than 40 years before 1 January of the year in which the tax year (from 1 April) starts is exempt (VERA Sch 2 para 1A). For tax from 1 April 2026, that means built before 1 January 1986; if you do not know when it was built, GOV.UK accepts first registration before 8 January 1986. You still have to tax it, at no cost, and apply at a Post Office; it is not exempt if used commercially or for hire or reward (GOV.UK historic vehicles). The calculator shows £0 only where the first registration is before the cutoff; an older car registered later, such as an import, can qualify too.
Not modelled: the first UK tax for a car previously registered abroad (the law applies the first-year rates to the first vehicle licence, and we have not found GOV.UK or DVLA guidance on how that treats a used import), a car registered from 1 March 2001 whose V5C shows no CO2 figure, motorhomes, vans and motorcycles. See GOV.UK vehicle tax rates.
Paying monthly or every six months costs more
GOV.UK says there is "a 5% surcharge if you pay monthly [or] every 6 months" by direct debit, and none if you pay yearly (GOV.UK Direct Debit). The law behind it is VERA 1994 s.4: 105% of the annual rate for 12 months paid in instalments, 55% for a 6-month licence, or 52.5% for 6 months by direct debit. So a six-month licence paid by card, twice, costs 10% more than paying yearly. A 6-month licence is only available when the annual rate is over £50 (s.3(2)). For the £200 standard rate that is £210 by monthly direct debit, or £110 (£105 by direct debit) for each 6 months, as GOV.UK's table shows.
Worked examples
New petrol car, 128 g/km, list price £32,000, registered 1 October 2026: first payment £455, then £200 a year at 2026/27 rates.
Electric car, list price £54,000, registered 10 June 2025, taxed from 1 November 2026: £640 a year, because it is over £50,000 and was registered after 31 March 2025. The supplement runs until the car turns six on 10 June 2031 (for tax starting in that month, see "How long" above). The same car registered on 1 May 2023 pays £200.
Diesel, 145 g/km, registered 2012: band F, £225 a year, or £236.25 by 12 monthly direct debits.
Who pays nothing or less
- Disabled people: exemption. For one vehicle, registered in the disabled person's or their nominated driver's name and used for their needs, if they get the higher rate mobility component of Disability Living Allowance, the enhanced rate mobility component of PIP or of Adult Disability Payment, Scottish Adult Disability Living Allowance, the higher rate mobility component of Child Disability Payment, War Pensioners' Mobility Supplement or Armed Forces Independence Payment. You claim it when you tax the vehicle; the first time, at a Post Office.
- Disabled people: 50% reduction. For one vehicle, if they get the standard rate mobility component of PIP or of Adult Disability Payment. Not available for the DLA lower rate mobility component (GOV.UK; VERA Sch 1 para 1ZA). The calculator does not apply either; halve the figure for the reduction.
- Claiming the 50% reduction. GOV.UK's route is an application by post: a V10 form, the log book (V5C), a DWP letter showing your PIP rate and the dates you get it (or a Social Security Scotland ADP decision letter), MOT evidence if the car needs one, and a cheque to "DVLA, Swansea" for 50% of the full rate, sent to DVLA, Swansea, SA99 1BF. If you have just bought the car, add a V62 and the green new keeper slip (GOV.UK). It is one vehicle at a time: the law does not allow it while another vehicle registered in your name has a reduced-rate licence in force or is exempt (para 1ZA(2)(b)).
- Disability and the expensive car supplement. An exempt vehicle pays no vehicle tax at all (VERA s.5(1)), so the supplement does not arise. The 50% reduction is "50 per cent of the rate which (but for this paragraph) would be applicable" (para 1ZA(1)); for a car that pays the supplement that rate is £640, so on our reading of the law it pays £320 rather than £100, for tax starting from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027. GOV.UK does not address this case, so confirm with DVLA. A Blue Badge is not one of the qualifying benefits for either relief (Sch 2 para 19(2); para 1ZA(2)).
- Historic vehicles, as above.
- Other exempt vehicles on GOV.UK's list include vehicles used by organisations providing transport for disabled people, mobility scooters and powered wheelchairs within the speed limits, mowing machines, steam vehicles and some agricultural vehicles. Electric cars are no longer on it.
An exempt vehicle must still be taxed, at no cost (GOV.UK). If you take a car off the road with a SORN, you get a refund for any full months of tax left (see below).
Buying, selling, scrapping and SORN
Buying a used car. "The tax is not transferred to you when you buy the vehicle", and you must tax it before you drive it or make a SORN (GOV.UK). The seller's licence stops being in force once DVLA is told of the sale (VERA s.19(3)(f) and (7)), so you need your own. You can tax online or at a Post Office with the green new keeper slip from the log book; with no log book or slip, you apply for a new log book (V62) and can tax at the same time (GOV.UK tax your vehicle). Your licence is new and runs from the 1st of the month you take it out (s.3(1)).
Selling, scrapping or writing off. Tell DVLA and the tax is cancelled; a direct debit is cancelled automatically, and a refund cheque for any full months left goes to the name and address on the log book, calculated from the date DVLA gets your information. Credit card fees, the 5% direct debit surcharge and the 10% surcharge on a single 6-month payment are not refunded. A stolen car needs a separate refund application (GOV.UK vehicle tax refund). The law pays one-twelfth of the annual rate for each complete month still to run (s.19(3A)), so the month of sale is never refunded, while the buyer's licence covers that whole month. Example: a car taxed for 12 months from 1 April 2026 at the £200 standard rate, sold on 15 September: October to March is 6 complete months, 6 × £200 ÷ 12 = £100.
- First licence: if you sell in the first year, the refund uses whichever is lower, the first payment or the rate for later payments (s.19(3B); GOV.UK says the same).
- Expensive cars: months within six years of first registration are refunded at the supplement rate and later months at the rate without it (s.19(3C)).
SORN. You must make a SORN if the car is not taxed or not insured, including for a short gap. Kept untaxed without one, it is automatically fined £80. A SORN starts at once, unless you apply in the month the tax runs out, when it starts on the 1st of the next month; it cannot be backdated and does not need renewing, and a SORN cannot be passed from the previous keeper. With a SORN the car can be driven on a public road only to or from a pre-booked MOT or other testing appointment, with a fine of up to £2,500 for any other use (GOV.UK SORN), and insurance is still needed to drive it there (Road Traffic Act 1988 s.143).
Failed or expired MOT. A failed MOT does not by itself cancel the tax or require a SORN. While the old MOT is still valid you can drive the car away if no "dangerous" fault was listed. Once it has run out you cannot drive or park on the road except to a pre-arranged MOT test or to somewhere to be repaired, and you cannot renew the tax until it has an MOT (GOV.UK getting an MOT). GOV.UK's advice if the tax is about to run out too is to make a SORN, book the test and tax the car once it passes.
Northern Ireland
The rates are the same everywhere in the UK. Schedule 1 of the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994 extends to England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland (legislation.gov.uk extent "E+W+S+N.I."), and DVLA runs vehicle tax for all four. Two procedural differences GOV.UK mentions: a vehicle registered in Northern Ireland must also have insurance in place for a direct debit to renew (GOV.UK), and an application for the historic exemption there needs an MOT certificate valid when the tax starts and an insurance certificate or cover note (GOV.UK).
What Budget 2026 announced
These are announcements from 28 October 2026, not law yet. Current law is the 2026/27 rates above.
- Rates rise with RPI from 1 April 2027, for cars, vans and motorcycles, to be legislated in Finance Bill 2026-27 (OOTLAR 1.78). The published 2027-28 tables give a standard rate of £210 (now £200), first-year rates such as £475 for 111 to 130 g/km (now £455) with 0 g/km staying at £10, and £240 / £390 for pre-2001 cars (OOTLAR Annex A). For the expensive car supplement the annex gives no table row; a sentence after the 2027-28 tables says such cars "will pay an additional rate of £460 per annum on top of the standard rate" (the supplement for tax starting from 1 April 2026 is £440). That sentence carries no year label of its own; HMRC corrected it on 5 November 2026.
- Pay-per-mile for electric cars (eVED), first announced at Budget 2025, is planned from 1 April 2028: 3p a mile for battery electric and hydrogen cars and 1.5p a mile for plug-in hybrids, uprated by CPI from 2029-30. You would give an odometer reading and estimate your mileage when you renew VED (HMRC eVED impact note; see our guide to the planned eVED pay-per-mile charge).
- The expensive car supplement threshold: we found no Budget 2026 measure changing it. The £50,000 threshold for zero-emission cars was announced at Budget 2025 and is already law in Finance Act 2026 s.97.
Related
- Company car tax calculator: benefit in kind if your employer provides the car.
- Electric company car tax calculator
- Electric car salary sacrifice calculator
- Mileage allowance guide and the mileage tax relief calculator, if you use your own car for work.
Frequently asked questions
How much is car tax for 2026/27?
For a car first registered on or after 1 April 2017, the standard rate is £200 a year for tax starting from 1 April 2026, or £640 if the expensive car supplement applies. The first payment, made when the car is new, depends on CO2. Older cars pay by CO2 band (1 March 2001 to 31 March 2017) or engine size (before 1 March 2001).
Do electric cars pay car tax now?
Yes, since 1 April 2025. An electric car first registered on or after 1 April 2017 pays £200 a year for tax starting from 1 April 2026, unless it was registered on or after 1 April 2025 with a list price over £50,000: then it pays £640 a year from its second payment until it is six years old. A car registered on or after 1 April 2025 paid £10 for its first payment. One registered from 1 March 2001 to 31 March 2017 pays £20.
When does the expensive car supplement apply to an electric car?
For tax starting on or after 1 April 2026, when its list price was over £50,000 and it was first registered on or after 1 April 2025. It never applies to the first payment, and it stops once the car is six years old. A zero-emission car registered before 1 April 2025 does not pay it at all. Petrol, diesel and hybrid cars pay it above £40,000.
How long do you pay the expensive car supplement?
GOV.UK says 5 years, from the second time the car is taxed. The law applies it to a licence when the car was first registered less than six years before the licence takes effect. Licences run from the 1st of the month, so tax starting in the month the car turns six can fall either side of that line: check with DVLA. After that the car pays the standard rate.
Is it cheaper to pay car tax yearly or monthly?
Yearly. Paying in one go costs the annual rate. Twelve monthly direct debits add 5%, and six-monthly payments cost 55% of the annual rate each time (52.5% by direct debit), so paying twice a year costs 10% more in total (5% by direct debit). Six-month payments are only available when the annual rate is over £50.
Does car tax transfer when I buy a used car?
No. GOV.UK says the tax is not transferred to you when you buy a vehicle, and you must tax it before you drive it or make a SORN. The seller's tax ends once DVLA is told of the sale (VERA s.19(3)(f), (7)). You can tax online or at a Post Office with the green new keeper slip from the log book (V5C). Your tax is a new licence running from the 1st of the month you take it out.
Do I get a car tax refund when I sell or scrap my car?
Yes, automatically, for each full month left. DVLA cancels the tax when you tell it you sold, scrapped or SORNed the car, cancels any direct debit, and sends a cheque to the log book name and address, counted from the date DVLA gets your information. The month you sell in is not refunded, and the buyer pays for that whole month. Example: taxed for 12 months from 1 April 2026 at £200, sold 15 September: October to March is 6 months, £100. Surcharges and card fees are not refunded.
Do options count towards the £40,000 expensive car supplement?
Yes. The price tested is the list price on the day before the car is first registered, including delivery to the dealer and VAT, plus the list price of any optional extras fitted when it is first registered. Dealer discounts do not reduce it, a price rise between ordering and registration counts, and extras added later do not. The price must exceed £40,000 (£50,000 for a zero-emission car): exactly £40,000 does not pay.
Can I drive a SORN car to an MOT, and do I need a SORN if my car fails its MOT?
GOV.UK says a car with a SORN can only be driven on a public road to or from a pre-booked MOT or other testing appointment; it still needs insurance. A SORN is needed when a car is not taxed or not insured, not because it failed an MOT. But once the MOT has run out you cannot drive or park it on the road, and the only exceptions are driving it to a pre-arranged MOT or to be repaired, and you cannot tax it again until it has a valid MOT.
How do I get the 50% car tax reduction for standard rate PIP mobility?
By post. Send DVLA a V10 form, the log book, a DWP letter showing your PIP rate and dates, MOT evidence if needed, and a cheque for half the full rate. It covers one vehicle at a time, registered to you or your nominated driver. The law halves the rate that would otherwise apply, so on our reading an expensive car pays half of £640, £320, for tax starting from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027. A Blue Badge on its own gives no reduction.
Is car tax different in Northern Ireland?
No: the rates are the same across the UK, set in the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994, which extends to Northern Ireland, and DVLA administers it. One practical difference GOV.UK notes: in Northern Ireland you must also have insurance in place for a direct debit to renew.
Is pay-per-mile tax for electric cars law yet?
Not yet. Electric Vehicle Excise Duty (eVED) is planned from 1 April 2028 at 3p a mile for battery electric and hydrogen cars and 1.5p a mile for plug-in hybrids, paid alongside VED. Budget 2026 confirmed it will be legislated in Finance Bill 2026-27, which had its first reading in the Commons on 3 November 2026.