Road tax on a used car: what you pay and when

1. 1

   Check the car and its paperwork

   GOV.UK’s steps start before you pay. Check the car’s details against DVLA’s records, and look at its MOT history and any recall. Make sure the V5C (the registration document) is not for a stolen vehicle^[5]. Our guide to how to check MOT history covers the MOT.

2. 2

   Register the car

   Make sure the sale is registered with DVLA. With a V5C, the seller usually does this online and gives you the green “new keeper” slip^[4]. Without one, you apply yourself (see the box below)^[5].

3. 3

   Insure it

   You need insurance before you use the car on the road^[5].

4. 4

   Check the MOT

   Tax and MOT are linked. If the car needs an MOT, you can’t renew its tax once the MOT has run out^[8]. MOT results can take up to 2 days to show after a pass. So you may not be able to tax straight away^[6].

5. 5

   Tax it

   Tax it online, by phone or at a Post Office. You need the V5C in your name, the green “new keeper” slip, or a reference number from a DVLA reminder letter. If the car is exempt from tax, you must still tax it, at no cost^[6].

It depends on when the car was first registered. There are three systems, and the date is on the V5C. The rates below are the ones GOV.UK showed on 10 October 2026, for a single 12-month payment. They change each April, so check before you tax.

For cars registered from April 2017, the first payment depends on CO2 and is made when the car is first registered. After that, the standard rate applies. It is the same for petrol, diesel, hybrid and electric cars.

For cars registered from 1 March 2001 to 31 March 2017, the rate follows the car’s CO2 in grams per kilometre (g/km). CO2 is the carbon dioxide the car gives off. The figure is on the V5C. Two cars of the same age can pay very different amounts, so read the figure rather than guess.

Yes, since 1 April 2025. The change covers new and existing electric cars^[2].

The £10 discount for hybrids and other alternative fuel cars has gone. Hybrids registered from April 2017 pay £200. Earlier ones pay by CO2 band^[2]. Our guide to electric and hybrid cars and the MOT covers how they are tested.

Cars first registered from 1 April 2017 pay an extra £440 a year if they cost over £40,000 new. That is on top of the £200 standard rate, making £640 a year (as of 10 October 2026)^[1]. For electric cars, the price limit is £50,000 (as of 1 April 2026)^[2]. The supplement only applies to those registered on or after 1 April 2025^[2].

The supplement runs for five years, starting with the second tax payment. So it isn’t only for new cars. A nearly new used car can still carry it^[1].

Ask the seller what the car cost new. A dealer can also tell you its original list price. Work out the tax before you agree a price, because £200 a year can turn into £640.

While a SORN is in force, the car can’t be used on the road until it is taxed again. The keeper gets a refund for any full months of tax left^[9]. So if you are looking at a car under a SORN, tax it before you drive it.

A car that has been off the road can also have a gap in its MOT history. Our guide to gaps in an MOT history covers the other reasons.

This is general information, not legal advice. DVLA’s policy sets out the amounts, and a court decides any fine.

The simplest way to avoid all of this is to tax the car, or put it under a SORN, before it moves. Driving without an MOT is a separate offence: see driving without an MOT.

To check a car’s tax, use GOV.UK’s free tax check. It shows whether the car is taxed or under a SORN, from its number plate. It can take up to two working days to update after a tax or SORN application is approved^[10].

If you drive in a city with a charging zone, that is a separate cost. See ULEZ and clean air zones. If you are being pushed to decide quickly, it’s fine to take your time.