Car Tax Calculator
Work out how much car tax you may pay for the current 2026/27 rate year. This page is designed for the everyday question: "how much is my car tax this year?" It focuses on annual renewal rates for existing cars, with a separate option for the first tax payment on a new car.
Check your annual car tax
Choose the route that matches your V5C. For most used cars registered from April 2017, start with annual renewal.
Use the date first registered from the V5C.
Needed only for first-year new-car tax. Annual renewal normally uses the standard rate.
Use list price before discounts, not the used purchase price.
Common renewal
GBP 200
Standard 2026/27 annual rate for most cars registered from 1 April 2017.
With supplement
GBP 640
Standard rate plus the 2026/27 expensive car supplement where it applies.
Older EVs
GBP 20
Zero-emission cars registered from 1 March 2001 to 31 March 2017.
2026/27 car tax rates at a glance
The quickest way to sense-check your result is to match the car to the right registration route. Most cars first registered from 1 April 2017 pay the standard annual rate after their first tax payment, but older cars stay in the older CO2 or engine-size tables.
If you are renewing tax on a used car, the first-year CO2 table is usually history. If you are buying a new unregistered car, the first tax payment can be much larger, especially for high-emission or non-RDE2 diesel models. The calculator keeps that new-car route available, but it now locks the registration route to the post-2017 system because a new car cannot also be first registered in 2016 or 1998.
| Car route | Typical 2026/27 result |
|---|---|
| Post-2017 annual renewal | GBP 200 standard rate |
| Post-2017 with supplement | GBP 640 annual payment |
| New car first payment | GBP 10 to GBP 5,690 by CO2 and diesel RDE2 status |
| 2001 to 2017 CO2 bands | GBP 20 to GBP 790 |
| Pre-2001 engine-size route | GBP 230 or GBP 375 |
A simpler route for car owners
If you already own the car, you normally do not need the full new-registration calculation. The first-year CO2 charge was paid when the car was first registered. What most owners need now is the annual renewal amount, whether paying in one go, monthly by Direct Debit, or for six months.
For cars first registered on or after 1 April 2017, GOV.UK uses a standard annual rate after the first payment. In 2026/27 that is GBP 200. The big extra check is the expensive car supplement: it can push the annual bill to GBP 640 for five years from the second time the car is taxed. That catches plenty of used cars, because the test uses original list price, not today's market value.
Older cars work differently. A 2014 diesel, petrol or hybrid still sits in the old CO2-band table, so a modest-emissions car may pay much less than a high-emissions one. A car registered before 1 March 2001 ignores CO2 and uses engine size. This page keeps those routes visible because the wrong registration-date choice is the quickest way to get the wrong car-tax answer.
| Your car | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Used 2020 petrol car | Post-2017 annual renewal, list price check |
| Brand new car | New-car first payment, CO2 and diesel RDE2 status |
| 2015 hatchback | 2001 to 2017 CO2 band |
| 1998 classic daily driver | Pre-2001 engine size, unless exempt |
| Electric car | Registration date plus EV supplement check |
How this car tax calculator works
Inputs used
- Whether you are checking annual renewal for an existing car or the first tax payment for a new car.
- First registration period: on or after 1 April 2017, 1 March 2001 to 31 March 2017, or before 1 March 2001.
- CO2 emissions for cars where the annual or first-year table uses emissions.
- Fuel type and RDE2 status for new-car first-year diesel checks.
- Original list price, EV timing and supplement-window status for post-2017 annual renewals.
- Payment method, because monthly and six-month payment routes differ from one annual payment.
Calculation method
- Use the 2026/27 GOV.UK VED tables for 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027.
- For annual renewals on post-2017 cars, start with the GBP 200 standard rate.
- Add the GBP 440 expensive car supplement when the list price and five-year timing conditions are met, except for zero-emission cars registered before 1 April 2025.
- For new-car first payments, use the CO2 first-year table and the higher diesel column where non-RDE2 diesel is selected.
- For 2001 to 2017 cars, use the CO2-band annual table. For pre-2001 cars, use the engine-size table.
- Convert the annual rate to the selected payment method using the official payment amounts.
Assumptions
- The calculator assumes your V5C registration date, CO2 emissions, fuel type, engine size and taxation class are correct.
- For post-2017 cars, list price means published price before first registration and before discounts, as GOV.UK explains.
- If you are unsure, use the official DVLA vehicle information service before relying on the estimate.
What this does not cover
- This page is for cars. For vans, motorcycles and broader VED classes, use the Road Tax Calculator or GOV.UK tables.
- It does not check whether the car is already taxed, SORN, exempt, disabled-class, historic-class, imported, radically altered, written off or recorded differently by DVLA. Check the official vehicle tax status service and exemption guidance.
- It does not calculate company car Benefit-in-Kind, ULEZ or Clean Air Zone charges, pay-per-mile scenarios, insurance, MOT, fuel, parking or tolls. Use the Company Car BiK Tax Calculator, ULEZ / CAZ Cost Estimator or Pay-Per-Mile Tax Estimator for those checks.
Worked example: used family car
Say you are checking a 2021 petrol estate car with an original list price of GBP 38,500. It was registered after 1 April 2017 and you are renewing the tax for another 12 months. Because it is not a brand new registration, you do not use the first-year CO2 table.
The 2026/27 annual renewal starts at GBP 200. The original list price is below the GBP 40,000 petrol and diesel supplement threshold, so the expensive car supplement is not added. Paying annually or by annual Direct Debit gives an estimated car tax bill of GBP 200.
Change just one fact and the result changes quickly. If the same car had a list price of GBP 42,000 and was still inside years 2 to 6 of tax, the bill would be GBP 640. If it were a 2015 car, you would ignore the post-2017 standard rate and use the older CO2 band instead.
Before you buy a used car
Car tax is not usually the biggest ownership cost, but it can still sting if you only discover it after buying. Before paying a deposit, check the registration date, CO2 figure and list price. For nearly new premium cars, the supplement can be the difference between a modest annual bill and one that feels like a nasty extra service-plan payment.
DVLA's vehicle information service is useful because it can show the current vehicle tax rate, first registration date, engine size, fuel type and emissions details. The separate vehicle tax status service can also show whether the car is taxed or SORN. That matters because vehicle tax does not transfer with the car when ownership changes.
If you are comparing a personal car with a company car, do not stop at VED. Company car tax is a different calculation based on list price, CO2, fuel type, electric range and your marginal tax rate. Use the Company Car BiK calculator for that before treating a low VED figure as the whole answer.
Common car tax mix-ups
Using CO2 for every post-2017 renewal
CO2 matters for the first tax payment. Later renewals usually use the standard rate and supplement rules.
Forgetting the supplement on used cars
The supplement can apply to a used car because it is based on original list price and the tax-year window.
Assuming hybrids still get a discount
GOV.UK says the GBP 10 annual discount for hybrids and AFVs has been removed.
Missing SORN or exemptions
If the car is off road, historic, disabled-class or otherwise exempt, the ordinary VED table may not be what you pay.
Car tax FAQs
Is car tax the same as road tax?
How do I find my car's CO2 emissions?
Do hybrids pay less car tax?
What if my car is pre-2017?
Do electric cars pay car tax now?
Official sources
Last verified: May 10 2026. Calculations are estimates based on the published rules and assumptions shown on this page.
- GOV.UK vehicle tax rates - 2026/27 VED rates for cars by registration date, CO2 emissions, standard rate and expensive car supplement
- GOV.UK electric, zero and low emission vehicle tax - EV car tax changes from 1 April 2025 and 2026/27 rates for electric and low emission cars
- GOV.UK get vehicle information from DVLA - official lookup for first registration date, engine size, fuel type, CO2 emissions, RDE level and current vehicle tax rate
- GOV.UK check if a vehicle is taxed - official service to check whether a car is taxed or SORN, and to check the current tax rate with the V5C reference
- GOV.UK vehicles exempt from vehicle tax - historic vehicles, disabled vehicle tax class and other exemptions