How much road tax will i pay

These are based on official CO2 emissions. The amount of CO2 your car produces puts it into one of 13 bands, which are assigned letters A to M.

Cars in band A emit the least amount of CO2, and are currently exempt from paying any car tax throughout the life of the car. The rates below show the current rates, assuming you choose to make a single payment for the year. For cars registered from 1 April , this exemption no longer applies. These rates apply to cars first registered before April The rates also tend to increase year on year in line with RPI the retail price index , and have been updated to show the latest April tax-year rates.

Annual rate after first year assumes single month payment. You can choose to set up a direct debit to pay monthly, or pay a single payment every six months. But if you choose either of these options, you will end up paying more compared with a single payment for 12 months. Alternative-fuel cars are those that don't run purely on diesel or petrol, such as hybrids.

These car tax rates apply to cars registered from 1 March A rolling year car tax exemption for classic vehicles applies from 1 April It means any vehicle built 40 or more years ago will be exempt from car tax on an automatic rolling basis on 1 April each year. If you're deciding between a petrol or a diesel car, our petrol or diesel calculator will tell you which will cost you less. To show how the post-April car tax system compares with the previous one, we've compared rates on a selection of cars with CO2 levels ranging from low to high.

All cars are for example purposes only, and some have greener engines available. Under the current car system, the loss or gain compared to the previous car tax system. Table notes: Correct as of June We look at first and second year rates for cars registered before and after April Excluding zero-emission cars, on which you pay no tax at all, lower-emission cars tend to have relatively higher tax rates for the same car type under the new system from the outset.

Owners of higher-emission cars pay more in the short term, but might be better off in the longer term. Under the previous system, it would have been exempt from car tax thanks to its low emissions. The Skoda Kodiaq has a CO2 figure that's 5. The more polluting the car, the higher the saving compared with the older car tax system. For those buying a high-polluting car under the current system, you'll pay more on car tax compared with a low-polluting car.

But you'll still save money compared with the previous tax system — thousand of pounds if you're buying a very polluting car. Those buying a low-emission vehicle might pay less compared with those buying high-polluting cars, but owners are comparatively worse off if they buy a newer, cleaner low-emission car that was first registered after April No, they didn't — but the bands changed, so some car owners might have found themselves faced with a hefty increase.

That's because of changes to the way CO2 is measured. The result is that someone buying a new car first registered from April could have found themselves paying substantially more car tax in the first year compared with someone who bought exactly the same car just before April We explain the differences between both sets of official tests, plus how our own tests compare, in our guides to how we test mpg and emissions.

In a nutshell: WLTP tests are much more true to real-life driving conditions. Cars registered on or after 1 April You need to pay tax when the vehicle is first registered, this covers the vehicle for 12 months. You only have to pay this rate for 5 years from the second time the vehicle is taxed. Print entire guide. Brexit Check what you need to do. Is this page useful? Maybe Yes this page is useful No this page is not useful.

Cars registered before 1 March are taxed on engine size. There are two bands: engines up to and including cc and engines over cc. Some cars offer the first year free, but incur a charge thereafter.

Our sister site Honest John Classics has everything you need to know on taxing a classic car - including details of those that are road tax exempt. See the full details. The system for cars registered before April is based exclusively on engine size. It's simple to understand with two rates - one for those below 1.

There is the option of paying every six or 12 months. There is nothing in the way of saving money. The under 1.

Recently Asked Questions Jaguar restoration project Insurance cover for potential buyers Avoiding ULEZ charge when selling a car Battery failure on a recently purchased used car Can thieves easily locate a factory-fitted tracker? Is now the time to cash-in on used car market boom? The used car market was up For new cars, there are 13 CO2 tax bands which relate to different emissions levels and amounts of car tax payable.

Pre-March cars are divided into two bands, based on engine capacity in cubic centimetres cc. The dividing point between upper and lower is cc. If you're not sure of your car's engine capacity, you can check it using the Parkers car specs pages.

If you're entitled to a company car, then you'll need to pay company car tax to reflect the Benefit-in-Kind BIK you've received in place of salary. It's a very complex system based on the car's P11d value, your salary and the CO2 emissions of the car. The good news is we also have a very useful Company Car Tax section to tell you all you need to know.

Q: What is car tax and why is it so important? Q: Why do I have to pay car tax? A: Drivers are required by law to purchase car tax every year. The revenue this raises is paid directly into the central government fund, which is used for projects to improve the roads for everyone — these include new and upgraded roads and essential maintenance.