Enter the vehicle registration in the search box above. The free Check‑Buy‑Drive lookup inspects official DVLA records — registration date, fuel type, CO₂ emissions, and engine size — and immediately displays current 6-month and 12-month road tax rates, current tax status, and the exact expiry date. It works for vehicles you own as well as cars you are considering buying.

It depends on when your vehicle was first registered. Cars registered from 1 April 2017 pay a flat standard rate (£195 a year for 2025/26), plus an additional £425 a year expensive-car supplement in years two through six if the original brand-new list price was over £40,000. Cars registered between March 2001 and March 2017 pay according to CO₂ emissions bands (ranging from £20 to £735 a year). Pre-2001 cars pay based on engine capacity (£210 or £345/year). Enter your registration plate in our free search above to view the exact 6- and 12-month rates for your specific car.

Road tax is strictly non-transferable. When selling a vehicle, the DVLA automatically cancels the tax and refunds any remaining full months to the registered keeper. When buying, you must tax the car yourself before driving on public roads using the V5C logbook reference or V5C/2 new keeper slip. Checking the tax rate before buying is essential because an advertised 'taxed' status does not apply to you as a new keeper.

Type your registration number into the search bar above — our free check shows current road tax status and the exact expiration date. Unlike MOTs, there is no grace period for vehicle tax: driving an untaxed car on public highways risks an automated £80 fine, wheel clamping, and court prosecution. If your vehicle is off the road in a garage or private driveway, you can declare SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification).

The UK uses three distinct road tax regimes based on registration date: (1) Registered from April 2017 onwards: a CO₂-based first-year showroom rate paid once, followed by a flat standard rate every subsequent year (plus £40k luxury supplement if applicable); (2) Registered March 2001 – March 2017: thirteen lettered bands (A–M) based entirely on official tailpipe CO₂ emissions; (3) Registered before March 2001: two simple bands based on engine size (up to 1549cc or above 1549cc).

If a car's original manufacturer list price (including factory options and VAT, before any dealer discount) exceeded £40,000 when new, an additional £425 annual supplement is charged on top of the standard rate from years two through six (totaling £620 per year). This surcharge attaches to the vehicle, not the keeper: buying a three-year-old car that had a £40k+ original list price means you inherit the surcharge for the remaining eligible years.

The tax due date is the date when a vehicle's current road tax expires and renewal payment is due to remain road-legal. The ART end date (Automated Rate of Tax) is a longer-term milestone indicating when a temporary tax rate or surcharge ends. Most commonly, it marks the end of the five-year expensive-car supplement (£425/year for cars with an original list price over £40,000), after which the annual tax drops back down to the baseline standard rate.

Yes — as of 1 April 2025, zero-emission electric vehicles are subject to Vehicle Excise Duty (VED). Electric cars now pay the flat standard annual rate (£195/year) like petrol and diesel vehicles, and new EVs pay an initial first-year rate. Furthermore, electric cars with an original list price exceeding £40,000 must pay the £425 expensive-car supplement in years two through six. Older EVs registered between 2001 and 2017 moved to the £20 annual band.

Yes. You can pay by Direct Debit in monthly or 6-monthly instalments, though both carry a 5% surcharge compared to paying for a full 12 months in advance. Paying the full 12-month amount upfront is the most cost-effective option. Setting up Direct Debit provides automatic renewal so you never risk missing a renewal date.

The primary exemptions include: historic vehicles built over 40 years ago (on a rolling 40-year basis), vehicles used by disabled drivers receiving qualified mobility allowances, and specific emergency or agricultural vehicles. Even if your vehicle qualifies for £0 tax, you must still process an annual renewal with the DVLA to keep the tax status valid.

Diesel vehicles first registered from 1 April 2018 that do not meet Real Driving Emissions Step 2 (RDE2) standards were moved up one tax band for their first-year showroom tax. This only impacts the initial first-year rate; from year two onward, they pay the standard flat rate. Check‑Buy‑Drive checks the vehicle's exact DVLA record so you see the precise figures.