UK road tax (VED) bands explained 2026
How VED works for cars registered before and after April 2017, current rates, supplements for £40k cars, and how to budget for annual tax.
Vehicle Excise Duty (VED), which almost everyone calls road tax, is what you pay to keep a car on a public road in the UK. What you pay depends on when the car was first registered, and for newer cars on its CO2 emissions and its original list price. This page explains how each system works so you can work out roughly where a car sits before you buy it.
Rates change every April. The figures below were checked against gov.uk on 4 September 2026. Always confirm the current number on gov.uk/vehicle-tax-rate-tables before you budget on it.
Which VED system applies to your car
Three systems run in parallel, and which one applies is decided purely by the date the car was first registered. Cars registered from 1 April 2017 pay a flat standard rate. Cars registered between 1 March 2001 and 31 March 2017 pay by CO2 band. Cars registered before 1 March 2001 pay by engine size.
The V5C logbook gives you the date of first registration, and the free check on this site shows it too. That single date decides everything else on this page, so get it right before comparing two cars on tax.
VED for cars registered on or after 1 April 2017
Cars in this group pay a high one-off rate in the first year, based on CO2, then a flat standard rate every year after that. The standard rate is the number that matters when you are buying used, because the expensive first-year rate was paid by the original buyer and never comes round again.
As at 4 September 2026 the standard rate is £200 a year for petrol and diesel cars, or £210 if you spread it across twelve monthly Direct Debit payments. The first-year rate varies widely by emissions and is published in the gov.uk table linked above.
The expensive car supplement
If a car had a list price above £40,000 when new, it pays an extra supplement on top of the standard rate. As at 4 September 2026 that supplement is £440 a year, and it applies for five years starting from the second time the car is taxed. For electric cars the threshold is higher, at £50,000.
This catches people out on used cars. A five-year-old executive saloon can still be inside its supplement window, and the seller has no obligation to mention it. Check the original list price, not what the car is worth today. A car that cost £41,000 new and is worth £14,000 now still pays the supplement until its window closes.
VED for cars registered between March 2001 and March 2017
These cars sit in CO2 bands lettered A to M, set from the emissions figure recorded at registration. The band never changes for the life of the car, so a low-emission car from this era can be very cheap to tax while a large petrol from the same era runs to several hundred pounds a year.
The band letter is the thing to look up, not the engine size. Two cars with the same engine can sit in different bands depending on gearbox, wheel size and the test cycle used. The current amount for each band is on the gov.uk table.
VED for cars registered before March 2001
Older cars are taxed on engine size alone, with one rate for engines up to 1549cc and a higher one above it. There are no emissions bands, because the cars predate the scheme.
Cars built more than forty years ago move into the historic vehicle class and pay nothing, though they still have to be taxed each year. The owner completes the same process and is issued a licence at a nil rate.
Electric cars now pay VED too
Zero-emission cars lost their exemption on 1 April 2025. Electric cars now pay the standard rate like everything else, and newer expensive ones can pick up the supplement as well.
If you are comparing an EV against a petrol car on running costs, do not carry an old assumption that the EV is free to tax. It is not, and any guide or forum post written before April 2025 that says otherwise is out of date.
Six months costs more than half of twelve
Paying for six months, or paying monthly by Direct Debit, costs more than a single annual payment. On the post-2017 standard rate that is the difference between £200 in one go and £210 spread across twelve monthly payments.
The uplift is small in absolute terms but it is real, and it repeats every year. If cash flow allows, one annual payment is the cheaper option.
How to check what a specific car actually pays
Rather than working it out from a table, check the car itself. Enter the registration on Honest Car Check and the free profile shows the current tax status and the date it is next due, straight from DVLA. That tells you whether the car in front of you is taxed right now, which is what matters when you are standing on a driveway deciding whether to buy it.
Frequently asked questions
What decides which VED system my car is on?
The date of first registration, and nothing else. From 1 April 2017 it is a flat standard rate. From March 2001 to March 2017 it is a CO2 band. Before March 2001 it is engine size. The V5C shows the date, and so does the free check on this site.
How much is the standard rate of road tax?
As at 4 September 2026 the standard rate for cars registered from April 2017 is £200 a year, or £210 spread over twelve monthly Direct Debit payments. Rates change every April, so confirm the current figure on gov.uk before budgeting on it.
What is the expensive car supplement and will I pay it on a used car?
It is an extra charge on cars whose list price when new was above £40,000, or £50,000 for electric cars. It is £440 a year as at 4 September 2026 and runs for five years from the second time the car is taxed. It follows the car rather than the owner, so a used buyer can inherit it. Check the original list price, not today's value.
Do electric cars pay road tax now?
Yes. Zero-emission cars lost their exemption on 1 April 2025 and now pay the standard rate. Newer, more expensive electric cars can also pick up the expensive car supplement. Any advice written before April 2025 saying EVs are free is out of date.
Why does six months cost more than half of twelve months?
Because spreading the payment carries an uplift. On the post-2017 standard rate that is £210 across twelve monthly Direct Debit payments against £200 paid in one go. A single annual payment is always the cheaper route.
Does the CO2 band ever change during a car's life?
No. The band is set from the emissions figure recorded when the car was first registered and stays with the car permanently. That is why two cars with the same engine can sit in different bands, depending on gearbox, wheel size and the test cycle in force at the time.
Are classic cars exempt from road tax?
Cars built more than forty years ago fall into the historic vehicle class and pay nothing, but the owner still has to tax the car each year. The licence is issued at a nil rate rather than the obligation disappearing.
How do I find out what a specific car pays right now?
Enter its registration on Honest Car Check. The free profile shows the current tax status and the next due date from DVLA, which is more useful than a rate table when you are deciding whether to buy a particular car.