Road Tax (VED) Estimator
Estimate annual Vehicle Excise Duty for your car.
What is the Road Tax (VED) Estimator?
A road tax (Vehicle Excise Duty, or VED) estimator works out the annual tax due on a car, using different rules depending on whether it's in its first year or its second year onwards. It works by looking up the car's CO2 emissions figure against published first-year CO2 bands (higher emissions mean a higher first-year rate), or by applying the flat standard rate from the second year onwards, with an additional "expensive car supplement" for vehicles that had a list price over the relevant threshold when new. To check it yourself: find your car's official CO2 figure and match it against the current first-year band table on gov.uk, or use the flat standard rate (plus supplement if applicable) for cars beyond their first year — electric vehicles, motorcycles, vans and pre-2017 registrations follow separate rules.
How it works
Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) — commonly called road tax — is calculated differently depending on how old your car's registration is. Newer cars (registered under the current system) pay a CO2-emissions-based first-year rate, then move to a flat standard rate from the second year onwards, with an additional supplement for cars that had a high list price when new.
UK context
This is genuinely one of the more complex areas of UK motoring tax, because the rules have changed multiple times — cars registered before 2001, between 2001 and 2017, and from 2017 onwards are all taxed under meaningfully different systems, and electric vehicles have recently been brought into VED after previously being exempt. Because of this complexity and because rates are reviewed and updated, this calculator focuses on the current-era emissions-based structure most relevant to recently registered petrol and diesel cars.
Tips
- Check your car's specific V5C logbook or the gov.uk vehicle tax checker for your exact registration date and current rate, rather than relying solely on a general estimate.
- The "expensive car supplement" applies for several years after registration if the car's original list price was above a set threshold — this catches out some buyers of premium cars who don't expect it.
- Electric vehicle VED rules have changed recently — if you drive an EV, specifically check the current gov.uk guidance rather than assuming historical EV exemptions still apply.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my car's road tax change after the first year?
Most cars registered under the current system pay a CO2-based first-year rate, then move to a flat standard rate from year two onwards — this two-tier structure is a deliberate policy design, not an error.
Do electric vehicles pay road tax?
EV taxation rules have changed recently after a period of exemption — check current gov.uk guidance directly, since this is one of the more frequently updated areas of VED.
What is the 'expensive car supplement'?
An additional charge applied for several years to cars that had a list price above a set threshold when new, on top of the standard rate — it applies regardless of the car's current value, based on the original list price.
A quick note
VED rules differ by registration date and vehicle type (petrol/diesel/electric/motorcycle), and rates are reviewed periodically. This is an illustrative estimate for the current-era emissions-based system — always confirm your exact rate on gov.uk.