Road Tax Rates 2020 | Car Tax Calculator
New Cars from £150/year; Used Cars from £0/year
Save on Road Tax
People think of Road Tax (or Vehicle Excise Duty) as one tax - the disc that you used to put in your windscreen before the system went entirely electronic.
But the fact is Road Tax is far more complicated than that and - for cars alone - is made up of at least four different systems and bands: Classic Car Road Tax (cars more than 40 years old), cars registered before 2001, cars registered between 2001 and 2017 and those registered after April 2017.
Rates, bands and VED for cars registered from 1 April 2017 onwards
|
CO2 emissions (g/km) |
Petrol and diesel cars |
Alternative fuel cars |
| 0 | £0 | £0 |
| 1-50 | £150 | £140 |
| 51-75 | £150 | £140 |
| 76-90 | £150 | £140 |
| 91-100 | £150 | £140 |
| 101-110 | £150 | £140 |
| 111-130 | £150 | £140 |
| 131-150 | £150 | £140 |
| 151-170 | £150 | £140 |
| 171-190 | £150 | £140 |
| 191-225 | £150 | £140 |
| 226-255 | £150 | £140 |
| Over 255 | £150 | £140 |
*Alternative fuel includes PHEVs, hybrids, bioethanol and LPG
From 2017, all new cars are taxed against three new VED bands - zero, standard, premium - with taxation calculated on a combination of emissions and the list price of the vehicle. The changes will not impact existing cars on the road.
There is a flat standard rate of £150 for all new cars except those emitting zero CO2. Cars with a list price above £40,000 will pay an additional £325 per year - £475 in total for petrol or diesel - for five years in which the standard rate is paid (from the second year the vehicle is taxed). Cars that emit zero CO2 are not charged £320. From 2020-21 the Government will spend all of the revenue raised from VED on the road network only.
First tax payment when you register the vehicle
| CO2 emissions (g/km) | Petrol cars (TC48) and Euro 6 diesel cars (TC49) | All other diesel cars (TC49) | Alternative fuel cars (TC59) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | £0 | £0 | £0 |
| 1 - 50 | £10 | £25 | £0 |
| 51 - 75 | £25 | £110 | £15 |
| 76 - 90 | £110 | £135 | £100 |
| 91 - 100 | £135 | £155 | £125 |
| 101 - 110 | £155 | £175 | £145 |
| 111 - 130 | £175 | £215 | £165 |
| 131 - 150 | £215 | £540 | £205 |
| 151 - 170 | £540 | £870 | £530 |
| 171 - 190 | £870 | £1305 | £860 |
| 191 - 225 | £1305 | £1850 | £1295 |
| 226 - 255 | £1850 | £2175 | £1840 |
| Over 255 | £2175 | £2175 | £2165 |
This payment covers your vehicle for 12 months.
Rates for second tax payment onwards
| Fuel type | Single 12 month payment | Single 12 month payment by Direct Debit | Total of 12 monthly payments by Direct Debit | Single 6 month payment | Single 6 month payment by Direct Debit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Petrol or diesel | £150 | £145 | £152.25 | £79.75 | £76.13 |
| Electric | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 |
| Alternative | £135 | £135 | £141.75 | £74.25 | £70.88 |
Vehicles with a list price of more than £40,000
| Fuel type | Single 12 month payment | Single 12 month payment by Direct Debit | Total of 12 monthly payments by Direct Debit | Single 6 month payment | Single 6 month payment by Direct Debit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Petrol or diesel | £465 | £465 | £488.25 | £255.75 | £244.13 |
| Electric | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 |
| Alternative | £455 | £455 | £477.75 | £250.25 | £238.88 |
You have to pay an extra £320 a year if you have a car or motorhome with a ‘list price’ (the published price before any discounts) of more than £40,000. You only have to pay this rate for five years (from the second time the vehicle is taxed).
Rates, bands and VED information for cars registered between 2001 and 2017
If your car is registered between 2001 and 2017, you pay road tax (or vehicle excise duty) on how high your car's CO2 emissions are. This is a more complex system than the one that went before it and came after. During its lifespan, this road tax system was modified under several governments. You will need to know your car's CO2 emissions in order to calculate its road tax (or you can let us do it for you).
It did, however, create several opportunities for car owners to pay zero or very little road tax. As car manufacturers learned to game the system, more cars fell into lower bands and this ultimately led to its abolition.
From 2017 to 2018 there is no first year rate under the current graduated VED system because the new VED system is coming into effect.
* Includes cars emitting over 225g/km registered before 23 March 2006
Calculate my road tax for me
Or choose a make and model to show your road tax rates
Cars from 1 April 2017 are taxed at a flat rate, based on initial list price.
Cars from 1 March 2001-1 April 2017 are taxed according to how much CO2 they emit.
Cars registered before 1 March 2001 are taxed on engine size. There are two bands: engines up to and including 1549cc and engines over 1549cc.
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Abarth
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Alfa Romeo
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Aston Martin
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Audi
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Bentley
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BMW
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Cadillac
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Chevrolet
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Chrysler
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Citroen
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Dacia
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Daihatsu
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Dodge
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DS
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Ferrari
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Fiat
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Ford
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Honda
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Hummer
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Hyundai
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Infiniti
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Jaguar
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Jeep
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Kia
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Lamborghini
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Land Rover
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Lexus
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Lotus
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Maserati
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Maybach
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Mazda
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McLaren
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Mercedes-Benz
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MG
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MINI
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Mitsubishi
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Morgan
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Nissan
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Perodua
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Peugeot
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Porsche
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Proton
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Renault
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Rolls-Royce
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Saab
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SEAT
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Skoda
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Smart
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SsangYong
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Subaru
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Suzuki
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Tesla
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Toyota
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Vauxhall
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Volkswagen
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Volvo
The Sub-100g/km Club
Some cars offer the first year free, but incur a charge thereafter. But others, if the CO2 is low enough, allow owners to renew the VED free of charge year after year. The current threshold for that is 100g/km and a surprisingly high number of cars now qualify.
Top 50: Cars in Road Tax band A
Want to reduce the cost of your motoring? One way is to choose a car that’s in band A for Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) which means it emits less than 100g/km of CO2, and you’ll pay precisely nothing in annual car tax.
Top 50: Cars in Road Tax band B
Even if you can’t manage to be completely road-tax free, step up into VED Band B – for cars emitting 101-110 g/km of CO2 - and you’ll still only pay £25 per year.
That sounds pretty good to us, and even better news is the terrific choice of cars in that band, from the practical to the premium.
Top 50: Cars in Road Tax band C
Saving money on road tax doesn’t have to be the preserve of economy-focused small cars. Start looking at cars that fall within Band C for VED – where you’ll pay just £30 per year – and there’s a whole host of interesting and entertaining models to choose from.
And that’s what makes band C cars particularly interesting, because this is the level at which the balance begins to shift slightly from the worthy to the more sparkling, with more petrol-engined cars and names like BMW, Audi, Alfa Romeo and Mercedes-Benz in greater numbers.
Buying a classic car?
Our sister site Honest John Classics has everything you need to know on taxing a classic car - including details of those that are road tax exempt.
Rates for cars registered before 2001
The system for cars registered before April 2001 is based exclusively on engine size. It's simple to understand with two rates - one for those below 1.6 litres and one for above 1.6 litres. There is the option of paying every six or 12 months. There is nothing in the way of saving money. The under 1.6 litres/six month option is the cheapest rate of road tax.
| Engine size | 2019-2020 | Six month rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1549cc and below | £165 | £88 |
| Above 1549cc | £270 |
£145.75 |
