Car tax bands and rates 2026/27
Every Vehicle Excise Duty (road tax) band and rate for cars, as GOV.UK publishes them for 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027: the first-year rates by CO2, the standard rate and expensive car supplement for cars registered since April 2017, bands A to M for 2001 to 2017 cars, and the engine size rates for older cars.
Find the band for a car
Enter the registration and the Free Report shows the rate that applies, worked out from the first registration date, fuel, CO2 and engine size on the DVLA record, beside the car's tax status and MOT history.
No reg to hand? The road tax calculator takes the registration date, fuel, CO2 and list price by hand.
What are the car tax bands for 2026/27?
It depends on when the car was first registered. Cars registered on or after 1 April 2017 pay a first-year rate set by CO2 (£10 to £5,690), then a flat £200 a year, plus a £440 supplement for 5 years if the list price was over £40,000. Cars registered from 1 March 2001 to 31 March 2017 pay by CO2 band A to M, from £20 to £790 a year. Cars registered before 1 March 2001 pay £230 or £375 by engine size. These are the GOV.UK rates for 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027.
Which table applies to a car
Road tax is set by the date the car was first registered, then by its CO2, fuel, engine size or list price.
- Registered on or after 1 April 2017: a first-year rate by CO2, then the flat standard rate, plus the supplement for 5 years if the list price was over £40,000 (£50,000 for electric cars registered from 1 April 2025).
- Registered 1 March 2001 to 31 March 2017: a CO2 band from A to M, the same for every fuel type since 1 April 2025.
- Registered before 1 March 2001: one of two engine size rates, split at 1549cc.
The first registration date and CO2 figure are on the V5C logbook and in the DVLA record. The list price is not held by DVLA, so the road tax calculator asks you for it and shows both amounts if you are not sure. The tables below are rendered from the same figures the calculator uses, so the two can never disagree.
Cars registered on or after 1 April 2017
The first tax payment is set by CO2 and covers 12 months. After that, every car pays one flat rate. Rates below apply from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027.
| Second payment onwards | 12 months | 12 monthly Direct Debits (total) | 6 months | 6 months by Direct Debit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard rate (all fuel types) | £200 | £210 | £110 | £105 |
| With the £440 supplement | £640 | £672 | £352 | £336 |
The supplement is for petrol, diesel and hybrid cars with a list price over £40,000, and for electric cars registered from 1 April 2025 with a list price over £50,000. It is paid for 5 years, starting with the second tax payment.
First tax payment by CO2
| CO2 emissions | Petrol, hybrid, electric, RDE2 diesel | Other diesel |
|---|---|---|
| 0g/km | £10 | £10 |
| 1 to 50g/km | £115 | £135 |
| 51 to 75g/km | £135 | £280 |
| 76 to 90g/km | £280 | £365 |
| 91 to 100g/km | £365 | £405 |
| 101 to 110g/km | £405 | £455 |
| 111 to 130g/km | £455 | £560 |
| 131 to 150g/km | £560 | £1,410 |
| 151 to 170g/km | £1,410 | £2,270 |
| 171 to 190g/km | £2,270 | £3,420 |
| 191 to 225g/km | £3,420 | £4,850 |
| 226 to 255g/km | £4,850 | £5,690 |
| Over 255g/km | £5,690 | £5,690 |
Cars registered 1 March 2001 to 31 March 2017
These cars pay by CO2 band, for every fuel type. Since 1 April 2025 electric cars and hybrids pay the same band rates as petrol and diesel cars. Band K also includes cars over 225g/km registered before 23 March 2006.
| Band and CO2 | 12 months | 12 monthly Direct Debits (total) | 6 months | 6 months by Direct Debit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A: Up to 100g/km | £20 | £21 | Not offered | Not offered |
| B: 101 to 110g/km | £20 | £21 | Not offered | Not offered |
| C: 111 to 120g/km | £35 | £36.75 | Not offered | Not offered |
| D: 121 to 130g/km | £170 | £178.50 | £93.50 | £89.25 |
| E: 131 to 140g/km | £200 | £210 | £110 | £105 |
| F: 141 to 150g/km | £225 | £236.25 | £123.75 | £118.13 |
| G: 151 to 165g/km | £275 | £288.75 | £151.25 | £144.38 |
| H: 166 to 175g/km | £325 | £341.25 | £178.75 | £170.63 |
| I: 176 to 185g/km | £360 | £378 | £198 | £189 |
| J: 186 to 200g/km | £410 | £430.50 | £225.50 | £215.25 |
| K: 201 to 225g/km | £445 | £467.25 | £244.75 | £233.63 |
| L: 226 to 255g/km | £760 | £798 | £418 | £399 |
| M: Over 255g/km | £790 | £829.50 | £434.50 | £414.75 |
Cars registered before 1 March 2001
These cars pay by engine size.
| Engine size | 12 months | 12 monthly Direct Debits (total) | 6 months | 6 months by Direct Debit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not over 1549cc | £230 | £241.50 | £126.50 | £120.75 |
| Over 1549cc | £375 | £393.75 | £206.25 | £196.88 |
Vehicles built before 1 January 1986 can stop paying vehicle tax from 1 April 2026, but you have to apply to DVLA for the exemption first.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about car tax bands on Carhealth
It depends on when the car was first registered. Cars registered on or after 1 April 2017 pay a first-year rate set by CO2 (£10 to £5,690), then a flat £200 a year, plus a £440 supplement for 5 years if the list price was over £40,000. Cars registered from 1 March 2001 to 31 March 2017 pay by CO2 band A to M, from £20 to £790 a year. Cars registered before 1 March 2001 pay £230 or £375 by engine size. These are the GOV.UK rates for 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027.
Enter the registration above. The free check reads the first registration date, fuel type, CO2 and engine size from the DVLA record and shows the rate that applies, beside the car's tax status and MOT history. The V5C logbook also shows the CO2 figure and the first registration date, so you can read the band off the tables on this page.
An extra £440 a year on top of the standard rate, making £640 a year. It applies to cars registered on or after 1 April 2017 with a list price over £40,000 when new, or over £50,000 for electric cars registered from 1 April 2025. It is paid for 5 years, starting with the second tax payment. Electric cars registered before 1 April 2025 do not pay it.
Since 1 April 2025, yes. An electric car registered on or after 1 April 2025 pays the £10 first-year rate for 0g/km, then the £200 standard rate. An electric car registered from 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2025 pays £200 a year. One registered from 1 March 2001 to 31 March 2017 is in band A at £20 a year.
A single 12 month payment costs the least. On the standard rate that is £200; twelve monthly Direct Debits come to £210 and two 6 month payments to £220. Bands A to C have no 6 month option.
Vehicles built before 1 January 1986 can stop paying from 1 April 2026, but the keeper has to apply to DVLA for the exemption, and GOV.UK says an exempt vehicle must still be taxed even though nothing is paid. Since 1 April 2025 there is no zero rate for electric cars or for band A petrol and diesel cars.
GOV.UK had not published rates for the following tax year when we last compared this page with it. The rates here apply from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027, and we update the table, and the road tax calculator with it, when GOV.UK publishes new ones.
Sources
- GOV.UK: Vehicle tax rate tablesEvery rate on this page, from the same table the road tax calculator uses. They apply from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027. Compared with GOV.UK on 8 October 2026 and again on 11 November 2026, when the first-year, standard, band A to M and pre-2001 figures all still matched.
- GOV.UK: Vehicle tax for electric, zero and low emission vehiclesElectric car rates, the £50,000 supplement threshold for electric cars registered from 1 April 2025 and the end of the hybrid discount. Checked 8 October 2026.
- GOV.UK: Historic vehiclesThe exemption for vehicles built before 1 January 1986. Checked 8 October 2026.
Check the car before you tax it
The tax band tells you what the car costs to keep on the road. A Carhealth report tells you what you are buying: outstanding finance, write-offs, stolen status, mileage and MOT history, where records exist. Instant results.
Check a carRelated guides
Plain-English reading on this check, from the Carhealth blog.