Car tax check

Check whether a car, van or motorbike is taxed, or when your vehicle tax is due, with our free online car tax checker

*It can take up to 5 working days for the records to update.

How to check if a car is taxed

Enter a vehicle number plate and find out if it currently has road tax and when it’s next due. You can check the tax status of any car, motorbike or van using our free car tax check.


Once you’ve entered your vehicle’s reg, you can also scroll down to view its MOT history and get information on its mileage at each MOT and details relating to any test failures, as well as up-to-date vehicle recall information.

Why check if my car is taxed?

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It’s illegal to drive a vehicle on public roads in the UK without road tax, unless it’s exempt. It’s therefore essential your car has valid tax. 
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Now there’s no tax disc it’s easy to forget when your annual road tax is due; use our car tax checker to find out how long you have left until renewal.
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You can also check a vehicle’s tax history, so you can check what is left on a used car you’re considering buying.
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If you’re not using your vehicle on public roads, you don’t need to pay road tax. However, you must declare it off the road with a Statutory Off Road Notification and will receive a car tax refund.

Car tax FAQs

Having road tax is a legal requirement for all vehicles using public roads, unless your car has a tax exemption. It’s therefore essential that UK drivers have a clear understanding of road tax. Our road tax FAQs answer the most common questions car owners have about tax, including what it is, how much it costs, and how long it is valid for.
You can do it online on the gov.uk website or at a post office. You’ll need the V5C document or the reminder letter posted out to the vehicle’s registered keeper, which will have a reference number. 
At present, electric vehicles are exempt from paying road tax, including the additional fee for cars over £40,000 in years two-six, but that will change in April 2025 in a move set to raise in excess of £500m for the Treasury, rising to £1.6bn in the 2027/28 tax year.
The registered keeper of the vehicle is responsible for paying the car tax. The registered keeper is the person whose name is on the Vehicle Registration Certificate, also known as the V5C logbook.

It’s important to note that the registered keeper is not necessarily the owner of the vehicle. For example, if you’re using a car owned by a family member but the logbook is in your name, you’re the registered keeper and thus responsible for the vehicle tax. We have a guide which breaks down the difference between the registered keeper vs owner of a car.

If you sell the vehicle, the new owner becomes responsible for paying the vehicle tax from the time they take ownership. When you sell or transfer your vehicle, you should cancel your car tax by notifying the DVLA so that you won’t be charged for tax after you no longer own the vehicle. You’ll automatically get a refund for any full months of tax left.

In the UK, if you’re the new keeper of a vehicle and don’t have the V5C logbook yet, you can still tax the vehicle using the green ‘new keeper’s details’ slip (V5C/2) from the logbook that was given to you when you bought the vehicle. Here’s how you can do it:

  1. Go to the official UK government website for vehicle tax.
  2. Enter the 12-digit reference number from the new keeper’s slip.
  3. Follow the prompts to pay your vehicle tax.

If you don’t have the new keeper’s details slip, you’ll need to apply for a new V5C logbook from the DVLA before you can tax your vehicle. This can be done by filling out a V62 form, which you can download from the official DVLA website. Please note that there is a fee for this and it can take up to 6 weeks to receive the new logbook.

Remember, it’s illegal to drive your vehicle on public roads if it’s not taxed. You can keep a vehicle untaxed if you declare it off the road by making a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN).

The cost of vehicle tax, also known as road tax or Vehicle Excise Duty (VED), in the UK varies depending on several factors. These include:

 

  1. The CO2 emissions of the vehicle: Cars with lower emissions are generally taxed less than those with higher emissions.
  2. The type of fuel the vehicle uses: Diesel cars that don’t meet the latest emissions standards usually have to pay a higher rate.
  3. The original list price of the vehicle: Cars with a list price of more than £40,000 when new pay an additional rate on top of the standard rate for the first five years.

 

To find out exactly how much your vehicle tax is, you can visit the gov.uk website and use their tax rate tool. You’ll need to enter your vehicle’s registration number to get the specific amount. Please note that rates change from year to year, so it’s a good idea to check regularly.

The cost of Vehicle Excise Duty varies, with cars charged at different rates to light goods vehicles, motorhomes and motorbikes. Heavy Goods Vehicles have a new road user levy from August 2023. Cars are the only vehicles with an additional penalty depending on their original purchase cost, and a first-year rate dependent on the CO2 emissions they produce. 
VED is paid annually, with the renewal letter sent to the registered keeper of the vehicle setting out the expiry date. The tax expires at the end of that day, and there are no exemptions. To drive a car on the road it must have the VED paid.
Until April 2025, electric vehicles will be exempt from paying road tax as part of the package of measures to encourage drivers into buying EVs. But as numbers have increased, the Government has decided it can’t afford to keep doing that, so from April 2025 EVs will be taxed like any other car – first year based on CO2 emissions, which will put them in the lowest band (£10 for 2023/24) and then the standard rate, with an expensive car penalty for any electric car costing over £40,000. For 2023/24, those numbers are £170, with an additional £390 for more expensive cars. 

Read our guide on which cars are exempt from road tax for more information.

No, but they do pay a lower rate – saving £10 per year versus petrol or diesel models for the year from April 2023.
The government portal makes it easy to do online. You just need your reminder letter or the car’s registration document, known as the V5C. 
In the UK, if you’re the new keeper of a vehicle and don’t have the V5C logbook yet, you can still tax the vehicle using the green ‘new keeper’s details’ slip (V5C/2) from the logbook that was given to you when you bought the vehicle. Here’s how you can do it:

 

  • Enter the 12-digit reference number from the new keeper’s slip
  • Follow the prompts to pay your vehicle tax

 

If you don’t have the new keeper’s details slip, you’ll need to apply for a new V5C logbook from the DVLA before you can tax your vehicle. This can be done by filling out a V62 form, which you can download from the official gov.uk website. Please note that there is a £25 fee to get a new V5C logbook and it can take up to 6 weeks to arrive.

Remember, it’s illegal to drive your vehicle on public roads if it’s not taxed. You can keep a vehicle untaxed if you declare it off the road by making a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN).

You can tax your vehicle without a vehicle tax reminder letter (V11), email or text message using a:

    • V5C registration certificate (logbook) in your name if you’re the registered keeper of the vehicle
    • V62 application for a V5C registration certificate if you’re the registered keeper of the vehicle

 

  • Green ‘new keeper’ slip if you’ve just bought the car (and do not have a V5C in your name yet)

If your vehicle isn’t being used on public roads, you won’t have to pay vehicle tax. However, you must declare it off the road with a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN). Don’t forget, it must be parked off-road if it has been declared as SORN.
12 months from the date of renewal. You can pay for road tax annually or in six month instalments.
No. It’s illegal to drive a vehicle on public roads in the UK without valid vehicle tax. If you’re caught, you could be fined, clamped, or have your vehicle impounded. If you’re not using your vehicle and it’s kept off the road, you must declare it with a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN).
When you sell a car, the tax is not transferred to the new owner. The seller will need to apply for a refund for any full remaining months of tax, and the new owner must tax the vehicle themselves before they can use it. Read our guides on how to tax a car and how to cancel car tax for more information.
Yes, vehicles registered before 1 March 2001 are taxed based on engine size, while vehicles registered on or after this date are taxed based on fuel type and CO2 emissions. Vehicles first registered on or after 1 April 2017 are taxed based on CO2 emissions for the first year, and then a standard rate based on fuel type and a possible additional rate for cars with a list price over £40,000 until after their sixth birthday.
No, there’s no grace period for vehicle tax in the UK. The tax expires at midnight on the date shown on your reminder letter, and the new tax must be in place immediately to keep the vehicle legal to drive on the road. Your car tax renewal date will be the same every year.
No, you cannot tax a vehicle without valid insurance. In the UK, you must have at least third party car insurance to legally drive.

Check out our helpful car tax guides

Complete guide to car tax
Which cars are exempt from road tax?
Best cars with low road tax
How to cancel car tax
Company car tax explained
How to SORN a car
What is an HPI check?
MOT checker

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