How much is car tax in 2026/27?

A car first registered on or after 1 April 2017 pays a flat £200 a year from its second licence, whatever its CO2 figure or its fuel. Cars registered between March 2001 and March 2017 pay by lettered CO2 band, and cars registered before March 2001 pay by engine size.

Do electric cars pay car tax now?

Yes. Since 1 April 2025 an electric car pays a £10 first year rate and then the same standard rate as everything else. An electric car listed above £50,000 also pays the expensive car supplement, which is a higher threshold than the £40,000 applied to petrol and diesel.

Why is my first year of tax so much more than the year after?

The first year rate is set by CO2 and is paid once, at first registration. It runs from £10 to several thousand pounds. From the second licence onwards every car in that system pays the same flat rate, so the gap closes after twelve months.

Is it cheaper to pay for twelve months at once?

Yes. A six month licence is priced at 55 per cent of the annual rate, so two of them cost 10 per cent more than one. Paying monthly or six monthly by Direct Debit adds a 5 per cent surcharge. A single annual Direct Debit payment carries no surcharge at all.

Car tax

UK car tax, worked out

Enter the registration date, the emissions and the list price. The bill is worked from the rates in force.

What will this car cost to tax?

Every figure comes from the GOV.UK rate tables in force from 1 April 2026. Change any input and the answer moves with it.

First registeredThe date on the V5C, not the model year. It decides which of the three tax systems applies.CO2 emissionsg/kmSection V.7 of the V5C. Leave at zero for a fully electric car.FuelEngine sizeccOnly used for cars first registered before 1 March 2001, which are taxed on capacity alone.List price when new£The published price before any discount. It decides whether the expensive car supplement applies.

£200

Twelve months, 2026/27

Tax yearRates in force from 01/04/2026.: 2026/27
Regime: First year rate, then the flat standard rate
Twelve months: £200
Six monthsPriced at 55 per cent of the annual rate, so two of them cost 10 per cent more than one year.: £110
Monthly by Direct DebitMonthly and six monthly Direct Debit both carry a 5 per cent surcharge. A single annual payment does not.: £18

How this was worked out

Assumptions

Registered on or after 1 April 2017, so the yearly cost is the flat standard rate of £200. In this regime the CO2 figure only sets the one off first year rate, never what the car costs from then on.
The standard rate is the same for petrol, diesel, hybrid and electric cars in this tax year, so the fuel type does not change it.
Twelve months up front is £200 and is the cheapest way to pay. A six month licence is £110, so two of them cost more across a year. Twelve monthly Direct Debit instalments come to £210, because paying by instalments adds 5%.
Worked out against the 2026/27 rates, in force from 1 April 2026.

Caveats

Vehicle tax rates change most years, usually on 1 April, so this is what the car costs now rather than what it will cost for the rest of its life.
These are car rates. If DVLA holds the vehicle in another tax class, a light goods van or a motorhome for instance, it pays something different.
The monthly figure is the published yearly total split twelve ways, so a single instalment can differ from it by a penny.
Rates for 2026/27 and 2025/26 are held on this site. Anything registered earlier is taxed at today's rates, because the historic first year tables are not republished.

What does this guide cover? Car tax turns on one thing above all others: the date the car was first registered. Registered from April 2017 it pays a first year rate set by CO2, then a flat £200 a year. Registered between 2001 and 2017 it pays by lettered band. Registered before 2001, by engine size alone.

£200

Standard rate, 2026/27

DVLA, V149: rates of vehicle tax from 1 April 2026 (as of 1 April 2026)

£440

Expensive car supplement, a year

DVLA, V149: rates of vehicle tax from 1 April 2026 (as of 1 April 2026)

£5,690

Highest first year rate

DVLA, V149: rates of vehicle tax from 1 April 2026 (as of 1 April 2026)

Rates in force from 1 April 2026.

Which system applies to your car

The three vehicle excise duty systems, decided by first registration date
First registered	How it is charged	Yearly cost
On or after 1 April 2017	First year rate set by CO2, then a flat standard rate	£200
1 March 2001 to 31 March 2017	Lettered CO2 bands A to M	£20 to £790
Before 1 March 2001	Engine size, two bands, no CO2 element	£230 or £375

Common questions

How much is car tax in 2026/27?: A car first registered on or after 1 April 2017 pays a flat £200 a year from its second licence, whatever its CO2 figure or its fuel. Cars registered between March 2001 and March 2017 pay by lettered CO2 band, and cars registered before March 2001 pay by engine size.
Do electric cars pay car tax now?: Yes. Since 1 April 2025 an electric car pays a £10 first year rate and then the same standard rate as everything else. An electric car listed above £50,000 also pays the expensive car supplement, which is a higher threshold than the £40,000 applied to petrol and diesel.
Why is my first year of tax so much more than the year after?: The first year rate is set by CO2 and is paid once, at first registration. It runs from £10 to several thousand pounds. From the second licence onwards every car in that system pays the same flat rate, so the gap closes after twelve months.
Is it cheaper to pay for twelve months at once?: Yes. A six month licence is priced at 55 per cent of the annual rate, so two of them cost 10 per cent more than one. Paying monthly or six monthly by Direct Debit adds a 5 per cent surcharge. A single annual Direct Debit payment carries no surcharge at all.

Sources

Every figure on this page is the rate in force from 1 April 2026.