This Vehicle Excise Duty Calculator 2025/26 works out the UK car road tax (VED) you will pay using the official DVLA rates that apply from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026. Enter your car's registration period, CO2 emissions and list price to see the first-year (showroom) rate, the £195 standard rate from year two, and the £425 expensive car supplement if your car cost over £40,000. The tool covers petrol, diesel, hybrid and, for the first time, electric vehicles, which began paying VED on 1 April 2025.
Key VED Facts 2025/26
- Standard rate (year 2+): £195/year for most cars (was £190 in 2024/25)
- First year rates: £10–£5,490 depending on CO2 emissions
- Electric cars: £10 first year, then £195/year — no longer exempt from April 2025
- Expensive car supplement (list price >£40,000): +£425/year for years 2–6
Calculate Your Road Tax
How the Vehicle Excise Duty Calculator 2025/26 Works
Vehicle Excise Duty (VED), commonly called road tax, is an annual charge collected by the DVLA on behalf of HMRC for keeping or using a vehicle on a public road. How much you pay depends on three things: when the car was first registered, its official CO2 emissions, and its original manufacturer list price.
- Find your CO2 figure. Check your V5C log book or use the free vehicle enquiry service at GOV.UK to get the official emissions in g/km.
- Identify the registration period. Cars registered on or after 1 April 2017 use the current CO2 + standard-rate system; those registered 1 March 2001 – 31 March 2017 use the older CO2 band system; cars registered before 1 March 2001 are taxed on engine size.
- Read off the rate. The calculator returns the first-year (showroom) rate from the 2025/26 CO2 table, the £195 standard rate that applies from year two, and the £425 expensive car supplement where the list price was over £40,000.
Worked example: a £45,000 petrol car emitting 120g/km
Take a new petrol car registered in 2025 with CO2 of 120g/km and a list price of £45,000:
- First year: 120g/km falls in the 111–130g/km band, so the first-year rate is £440.
- Years 2 to 6: the £195 standard rate plus the £425 expensive car supplement (list price over £40,000) = £620 a year.
- Year 7 onwards: the supplement ends and the car returns to the £195 standard rate.
Over the first six years that car pays £440 + (£620 × 5) = £3,540 in road tax. A zero-emission electric car of the same £45,000 list price would pay £10 in year one, then £620 a year in years two to six (the supplement applied to EVs in 2025/26), then £195 from year seven.
2025/26 First-Year VED Rates by CO2
For cars registered on or after 1 April 2017, the first-year rate (often called the showroom tax) is set by the car's official CO2 figure. These are the rates used by the Vehicle Excise Duty Calculator 2025/26 for the year running 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026:
| CO2 Emissions (g/km) | First-Year Rate 2025/26 |
|---|---|
| 0 (zero emission) | £10 |
| 1–50 | £110 |
| 51–75 | £130 |
| 76–90 | £270 |
| 91–100 | £350 |
| 101–110 | £390 |
| 111–130 | £440 |
| 131–150 | £540 |
| 151–170 | £1,360 |
| 171–190 | £2,190 |
| 191–225 | £3,300 |
| 226–255 | £4,680 |
| Over 255 | £5,490 |
Standard rate from year two: £195/year (all fuel types). Expensive car supplement (list price >£40,000): +£425/year for five years, from the second to the sixth time the car is taxed. Diesel cars that do not meet the RDE2 emissions standard pay the first-year rate for the next CO2 band up. Source: GOV.UK vehicle tax rate tables.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does the Vehicle Excise Duty Calculator 2025/26 work?
The Vehicle Excise Duty Calculator 2025/26 asks for your car's registration period, official CO2 figure (g/km) and list price. For cars registered on or after 1 April 2017 it returns the CO2-based first-year rate, the £195 standard rate that applies from year two, and adds the £425 expensive car supplement automatically if the list price was over £40,000. It uses the DVLA VED rates that apply from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026.
How much is the standard road tax rate for 2025/26?
The standard rate of Vehicle Excise Duty for 2025/26 is £195 a year. It applies from the second time a car registered on or after 1 April 2017 is taxed, regardless of CO2 emissions or fuel type, including petrol, diesel, hybrid and electric cars. The standard rate was £190 in 2024/25 and rises to £200 from 1 April 2026.
What are the first-year VED rates for 2025/26?
For cars registered on or after 1 April 2017 the 2025/26 first-year (showroom) rate is based on CO2: £10 for zero-emission cars, £110 for 1–50g/km, £130 for 51–75g/km, £270 for 76–90g/km, £350 for 91–100g/km, £390 for 101–110g/km, £440 for 111–130g/km, £540 for 131–150g/km, £1,360 for 151–170g/km, £2,190 for 171–190g/km, £3,300 for 191–225g/km, £4,680 for 226–255g/km and £5,490 for cars over 255g/km. Non-RDE2 diesel cars pay the rate for the next band up.
Do electric vehicles pay road tax from April 2025?
Yes. From 1 April 2025 electric and other zero-emission cars are no longer exempt from VED. A brand-new EV registered on or after 1 April 2025 pays a £10 first-year rate, then the £195 standard rate from year two. EVs registered between 1 April 2017 and 31 March 2025 pay the £195 standard rate, and EVs registered between 1 March 2001 and 31 March 2017 pay £20 a year.
What is the Expensive Car Supplement in 2025/26?
Cars with a list price over £40,000 pay an extra £425 a year on top of the £195 standard rate, for five years from the second time the vehicle is taxed (years two to six). That makes the total £620 a year during that period. In 2025/26 the £40,000 threshold applies to all fuel types including electric cars; from 1 April 2026 the threshold for zero-emission cars rises to £50,000.
What are the VED rates for cars registered before March 2001?
Cars first registered before 1 March 2001 are taxed on engine size rather than CO2. For 2025/26, cars with an engine up to and including 1549cc pay £210 a year and cars over 1549cc pay £345 a year. Historic vehicles over 40 years old (registered before 1 January 1985 for the 2025/26 tax year) can apply for the historic vehicle tax class and pay £0.
How do I tax my vehicle, and what happens if I don't?
Tax your vehicle at gov.uk/vehicle-tax using your V5C log book, the V5C/2 green slip, or the V11 reminder, paying annually or by monthly or six-monthly direct debit. Driving an untaxed vehicle is illegal: DVLA uses ANPR cameras and can issue an £80 fixed penalty (£40 if paid within 28 days) or pursue a fine of up to £1,000, and the vehicle can be clamped or impounded. If your car is kept off the road you can declare a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN) and pay no VED.