A guide to car tax

For the latest vehicle tax rates and information on how different types of vehicle are taxed, you should always check the Government’s Vehicle tax rates guide ^{Footnote [1]}. Generally, when you first register the vehicle, you’ll pay tax based on the car’s CO2 emissions.

The rate of car tax you pay is based on how environmentally friendly the car is, what type of fuel it runs on, the engine size and even whether you have a disability. The rates also differ in the first year of registering the car. Diesel cars that don’t meet the Real Driving Emissions 2 (RDE2) standard for nitrogen oxide emissions are taxed at a higher rate.

You can tax your car by phone, at a post office or online using the Government's Tax your vehicle page ^{Footnote [1]}. If you don't drive your car but it's kept on a public road, you must still tax it. You’ll need a reference number from a recent reminder (V11) or warning letter from the DVLA, your vehicle log book (V5C) which must be in your name, and the green ‘new keeper’ slip if you’ve just bought it. 

You're required to tax your car even if you don't have to pay anything to tax it, for example, because you're vehicle is exempt ^{Footnote [1]}.

If your car is sold or transferred to another person, taken off the road (such as being kept in a garage, which is known as a Statutory Off Road Notification or SORN), written off by your insurance company, scrapped at a scrapyard, stolen, exported out of the UK, or registered as exempt from vehicle tax, you need to let the DVLA know.

When you do this, you'll automatically get a refund for any full months of remaining tax.

To let the DVLA know, you can use its Cancel your vehicle tax and get a refund page ^{Footnote [1]}.