UK road tax rates 2026-27

These are the official UK Vehicle Excise Duty rates for the 2026-27 tax year, running from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027. Every figure on this page is taken directly from the gov.uk vehicle tax rate tables and last verified on 15 May 2026.

First-year rates: cars registered on or after 1 April 2017

The first-year rate is paid once, on the car's first licence at registration. From year 2 onwards the car moves to the standard rate. The first column applies to petrol cars, diesel cars meeting the RDE2 standard, alternative-fuel cars and zero-emission cars. The second column applies to diesel cars that do not meet RDE2, which in practice means diesel cars first registered between 1 April 2018 and December 2020 unless the manufacturer confirms RDE2 compliance.

First-year rates are paid as part of the on-the-road price when a new car is first registered. Most buyers never see them as a separate line item, although they form part of what the dealer pays DVLA when registering the car. From the second tax payment the car moves to the standard rate shown in the next section.

Standard rate: cars registered on or after 1 April 2017, year 2 onwards

Every car registered on or after 1 April 2017 pays the same flat rate from its second licence onwards, regardless of fuel type, CO₂ emissions or model. The 2026-27 figure is £200 a year. Paying monthly by direct debit costs £210 across twelve instalments, a 5% surcharge.

Expensive car supplement

An additional £440 a year applies in years 2 to 6 inclusive on cars with a list price at first registration over £40,000 for petrol, diesel and hybrid cars. The threshold for fully electric and other zero-emission cars is £50,000, but only for cars registered on or after 1 April 2025. Pre-April 2025 electric cars never pay this supplement. The detailed rules are in the gov.uk EV guidance.

List price is what the manufacturer published as the recommended retail price, including any options fitted before first registration, but excluding the first registration fee and the first year's tax. Dealer discounts do not reduce this figure. A car bought for £39,500 after a £1,000 discount off a £40,500 list price still triggers the supplement.

Cars registered between 1 March 2001 and 31 March 2017

Cars in this period pay a single flat annual rate set by CO₂ emissions band. There is no first-year-only rate. The figure shown is what you pay every year. Source: the gov.uk page for cars registered between 1 March 2001 and 31 March 2017.

Band K includes cars emitting over 225 g/km that were first registered before 23 March 2006, which is when band M was created for the highest emitters.

Cars registered before 1 March 2001

Cars first registered before 1 March 2001 are taxed on engine size, not CO₂. There are exactly two rates.

The 1,549cc cutoff was chosen in 2001 to roughly separate small family cars from larger saloons of the period. Many cars in this group are also approaching the historic exemption, which will reclassify them to £0 once they cross the 40-year build-date cutoff.

Historic vehicle exemption

Vehicles built before 1 January 1986 pay £0 in the 2026-27 tax year. The cutoff rolls forward by one year every April. Owners must still apply for the historic tax class annually using their V5C. Source: gov.uk/historic-vehicles.

Direct debit surcharge

Paying by monthly direct debit adds a 5% surcharge over the equivalent annual lump-sum payment. A car with the £200 standard rate pays £210 across twelve monthly instalments instead. Six-monthly payments take the half-year cost and add a small surcharge of their own.

All figures published by DVLA in the April 2026 edition of V149, the official rates document. If gov.uk publishes an update that contradicts a figure on this page, gov.uk wins and this page will be updated to match.