Road Tax Calculator by Reg
Enter a reg or the car's details and get the 2026/27 road tax: 12 months, 6 months or monthly by Direct Debit. Free, with every rate taken from GOV.UK.
How much is road tax in 2026/27?
Most cars registered from 1 April 2017 pay £200 a year, or £210 by 12 monthly Direct Debits. A list price over £40,000 adds £440 a year for 5 years. Older cars pay £20 to £790 by CO2 band, or £230 or £375 by engine size if registered before March 2001.
Work out your road tax
How the calculator works
Road tax is officially Vehicle Excise Duty (VED). The rate depends on when the car was first registered, then on its CO2 emissions, fuel type, engine size and, for cars registered since 1 April 2017, its list price when new.
- Registered on or after 1 April 2017: a flat standard rate, plus the supplement if the list price was high enough.
- Registered 1 March 2001 to 31 March 2017: a CO2 band from A to M.
- Registered before 1 March 2001: an engine size rate, split at 1549cc.
If you enter a reg, we read the first registration date, fuel type, CO2 and engine size from DVLA records and fill the form in. Those details are only as good as the DVLA record, so check them against the V5C logbook. The list price is never in DVLA records, so we ask you and show both results if you are not sure.
The figures here are the GOV.UK rates for 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027. The result is the price for the next tax payment. A car in its first 12 months has already had its first payment, which is set by CO2 and shown separately.
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.
Before you buy a used car
Road tax is only one running cost. A full history check shows finance owed, write-off history, stolen status, mileage and MOT history, so you know what you are paying for. Try our fuel cost calculator to see what the car costs to run, or tax a vehicle on GOV.UK when you are ready to pay.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about road tax on Carhealth
A car registered on or after 1 April 2017 pays a flat £200 a year after its first payment, or £210 in total if you pay by 12 monthly Direct Debits. Six months costs £110, or £105 by Direct Debit. Cars registered from 1 March 2001 to 31 March 2017 pay £20 to £790 depending on CO2 band. Cars registered before 1 March 2001 pay £230 or £375 depending on engine size. These are the GOV.UK rates for 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027.
Yes, since 1 April 2025. An electric car registered on or after 1 April 2025 pays £10 for the first year, then £200 a year. 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 pays £20 a year.
It is an extra £440 a year on top of the standard rate, which makes £640 a year in total. It applies to cars registered on or after 1 April 2017 with a list price over £40,000 when new. For electric cars registered from 1 April 2025 the threshold is £50,000. Electric cars registered before 1 April 2025 do not pay it. You pay it for 5 years, starting with the second tax payment.
The list price is the published price of the car before it was first registered, before any discounts. Factory options count towards it. A dealer or the manufacturer can tell you the list price for a particular car. DVLA does not hold it, so this calculator asks you. If you are not sure, choose Not sure and it shows both amounts.
Paying once for 12 months is the cheapest way. For a car on the standard rate that is £200. Twelve monthly Direct Debits come to £210 in total, which is £17.50 a month. Two 6 month payments cost £220, or £210 if both are by Direct Debit.
A car registered from 1 March 2001 to 31 March 2017 pays by CO2 emissions, in bands A to M. A car registered before 1 March 2001 pays by engine size: one rate for 1549cc or under and a higher rate above that. The calculator picks the right set of rates from the registration date.
Yes. GOV.UK says you must tax your vehicle even if you do not have to pay anything because it is exempt. A vehicle built before 1 January 1986 can stop paying vehicle tax from 1 April 2026, but you have to apply to DVLA for the exemption.
GOV.UK had not published rates for 2027/28 when we last checked, on 8 October 2026. We update this calculator when it does. Use the sources section to see the date each rate was checked.
Yes. You can check a vehicle's tax status on GOV.UK, and Carhealth's free check shows the tax status and due date from DVLA records. A full history check, from £9.99, also covers finance, write-offs, stolen status and mileage.
Sources
- GOV.UK: Vehicle tax rate tablesEvery rate on this page. They apply from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027. We compared them with GOV.UK on 8 October 2026. GOV.UK had not published rates for 2027/28 at that date.
- GOV.UK: Vehicle tax for electric, zero and low emission vehiclesElectric car rates, the £50,000 supplement threshold 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
Road tax tells you the cost of keeping a car. A Carhealth report tells you what you are buying: outstanding finance, write-offs, stolen status, mileage and MOT history. Results in about 60 seconds.
Check a car from £9.99