Everything to know about how to tax your car

30 January 2026

Car tax, also known as road tax or Vehicle Excise Duty (VED), is a tax you must pay on any vehicles you own and drive or keep on a public road.

It may not always be straightforward to know how and when to pay road tax, so here are the answers to some common questions.

All UK-registered vehicles are subject to VED, also known as car tax or road tax. But how much tax you pay varies greatly with your car’s model, emissions and registration date; some vehicles qualify for exemptions, but owners must apply.

EASY AS HACK

The simplest way to ensure you remember to pay road tax is to set up a Direct Debit online or at a Post Office. It will renew automatically at the end of each period.

what is car tax?

Car tax is a legal charge that most drivers must pay to use or drive a vehicle on public roads in the UK. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) collects the VED. It has nothing to do with fuel duty, road tolls, or any congestion charge.

However, if your vehicle is genuinely off the road, you can apply to DVLA for a Statutory Off-Road Notice (SORN) instead of taxing it.^[2]

what documents you need before taxing a car

You’ll need one of these DVLA documents, printed in your name, before taxing your car:

V5C registration document or logbook
V11 vehicle tax reminder document or final warning letter from DVLA
The green V5C/2 ‘new keeper’ slip, if you’ve just bought the vehicle.

If you have lost your reminder letter, you can still tax your car using the V5C or ‘new keeper’ slip.

By law, you cannot drive a car in the UK without a valid MOT and motor insurance covering the tax period. At a Post Office, you’ll also need to provide the following evidence:

An MOT test certificate – a screenshot is accepted
Insurance cover note or certificate of insurance (if you live in Northern Ireland)^[3]

DVLA’s online and phone services do not require proof of insurance, and they check your vehicle’s MOT automatically.

how to tax a car

You can tax your car using various methods mentioned below:

taxing your car online

Since the government scrapped the paper tax disc in 2014, the easiest way to tax your car is online at GOV.UK. In 2024-25, 84% of the transactions DVLA handled were digital.^[4]

Go to Tax your vehicle to start the process.

Enter your vehicle registration number, make and model
Fill in the reference numbers:
- V5C (11 digits)
- V11 (16 digits)
- The new keeper slip (12 digits)

DVLA will automatically check your vehicle, tax details and its MOT to confirm whether your car is eligible for online tax payment before displaying the amount and when it’s due.

Once verified, the system proceeds to payment options. You can pay your car tax every 6 or 12 months or in monthly instalments. However, you’ll pay a 5% surcharge if you choose to pay monthly or every 6 months.

Choose the tax duration
Select the payment method – credit or debit card for lump sums, or bank details for Direct Debit
Confirm the tax start date and the amount
Your tax will start immediately

If you cannot pay your car tax online, your vehicle’s details may not be up to date with the DVLA, or your MOT may not be valid.

taxing your car by phone

To tax your car over the phone, call the DVLA on its vehicle tax number, 0300 123 4321. It’s automated so that you can use it 24 hours a day.

Make sure you have your V5C, V11, or new keeper slip to hand with the reference numbers.

taxing your car at the post office

Not all post office branches offer a ‘tax your car’ service. If you find one that deals with vehicle tax, take your V5C logbook or V11 reminder letter, the MOT certificate (if required), and provide your insurance details.

how much does road tax cost?

The amount of road tax you pay depends on your car’s model and when it was first registered. For cars registered before 1 March 2001, the vehicle tax rate depends on engine size.

Since 1 April 2025, electric vehicles (EVs) and low-emission vehicles are no longer exempt from road tax. The duty you must pay is £10 in the first year and £195 in the second.

From the same date, new petrol and diesel cars with higher CO2 emissions (76g/km CO2 or more) will pay significantly more in their first year. Higher emitters face the most significant bills, rising from £2,745 to £5,490 for cars emitting 255g/km.^[5]

A luxury car supplement of £425 a year for 5 years now applies if your car’s list price exceeds £40,000.^[6]From April 2026, the threshold for this supplement rises to £50,000 for electric cars but remains unchanged for others.^[7]

Find out about new driving laws.

The easiest way to find out how much you need to pay is by using the government’s online calculator.

when do i need to pay car tax

You need to tax your car every year or whenever you buy a new or used vehicle.

You can either tax your car annually, every 6 months or in monthly instalments.^[8] If your tax is due to expire, you will receive a reminder letter from the DVLA in the post. You should receive this about 3 weeks before your car tax expires.

how do i find out if a vehicle is already taxed?

You can find out if a vehicle has up-to-date vehicle tax or has been registered as off the road (SORN) by using the online government service and entering the vehicle’s registration number.

When checking whether a vehicle is taxed, bear in mind that it may take up to 5 working days for the records to update.

Learn how to unSORN your car.

what happens when i sell my car?

When you sell your car, any remaining taxed months won’t be transferred to the new owner. However, you can claim a refund for any remaining full months. This refund should be issued automatically when you return the relevant documents to the DVLA after the sale.

If you are buying a new car, make sure it is taxed before you get behind the wheel.

how is road tax monitored?

Drivers are no longer required to display a paper disc in the windscreen to prove their vehicle is taxed.

In the past, the police could check this disc. But now the police use Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras, coupled with the DVLA database, to check whether a vehicle is taxed. You could be fined up to £1,000 if caught driving an untaxed vehicle.

Taxing your car is simpler than it seems and essential to driving with peace of mind.

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FAQs

are classic cars exempt from car tax?

Classic cars are exempt from car tax if they were built before 1 January 1980. If you don’t know the build date, but it was registered before 8 January 1980, then it’s also tax-free.

As with the other exemptions, you must still apply for a vehicle tax exemption with the DVLA.

how do i change my car's tax class to or from disabled?

To change your car’s tax class to or from disabled, first find out if you’re eligible and how to claim. Drivers with a disability may not have to pay vehicle tax.

If you’re disabled and taxing your car for the first time, then you may need to change its tax class. You may also need to do this if you’ve bought a car that a disabled person previously used. To do this, you can apply at a Post Office.

what is a car's registration date?

The registration date for your car is the date it was first allocated to an owner in the UK. It doesn’t change if the car moves between owners.

You can find the date on your car’s V5C registration document. Or you can simply go to the DVLA’s ‘get vehicle information’ service and enter your registration.

why can't i pay my car tax online?

If you can’t pay your car tax online, check that your vehicle’s details are up to date with the DVLA, your MOT and insurance are valid, or your vehicle is exempt from road tax. You may find it challenging to pay VED online without these.