Car Tax (VED) Rates 2026-27
Every Vehicle Excise Duty rate for cars registered on or after 1 April 2017 — the CO2-banded first-year rate, the £200 standard rate, the expensive car supplement, and how electric cars are taxed — for 2026-27 and 2025-26.
First-year rates by CO2 band
For cars registered on or after 1 April 2017. Diesel cars that meet the Real Driving Emissions 2 (RDE2) standard, petrol cars, alternative-fuel cars and zero-emission cars share the lower rate; all other diesel cars pay the higher rate in every band above 0g/km.
| CO2 emissions | Petrol, RDE2 diesel, alt-fuel & zero-emission | Other diesel (non-RDE2) |
|---|---|---|
| 0g/km | £10 | £10 |
| 1 to 50g/km | £115 | £135 |
| 51 to 75g/km | £135 | £280 |
| 76 to 90g/km | £280 | £365 |
| 91 to 100g/km | £365 | £405 |
| 101 to 110g/km | £405 | £455 |
| 111 to 130g/km | £455 | £560 |
| 131 to 150g/km | £560 | £1,410 |
| 151 to 170g/km | £1,410 | £2,270 |
| 171 to 190g/km | £2,270 | £3,420 |
| 191 to 225g/km | £3,420 | £4,850 |
| 226 to 255g/km | £4,850 | £5,690 |
| Over 255g/km | £5,690 | £5,690 |
| CO2 emissions | Petrol, RDE2 diesel, alt-fuel & zero-emission | Other diesel (non-RDE2) |
|---|---|---|
| 0g/km | £10 | £10 |
| 1 to 50g/km | £110 | £130 |
| 51 to 75g/km | £130 | £270 |
| 76 to 90g/km | £270 | £350 |
| 91 to 100g/km | £350 | £390 |
| 101 to 110g/km | £390 | £440 |
| 111 to 130g/km | £440 | £540 |
| 131 to 150g/km | £540 | £1,360 |
| 151 to 170g/km | £1,360 | £2,190 |
| 171 to 190g/km | £2,190 | £3,300 |
| 191 to 225g/km | £3,300 | £4,680 |
| 226 to 255g/km | £4,680 | £5,490 |
| Over 255g/km | £5,490 | £5,490 |
This first-year rate is a one-off payment when the car is first registered, covering the first 12 months.
Standard rate & expensive car supplement
From the second time the car is taxed, every fuel type pays the same flat standard rate. Cars with a higher list price also pay an expensive car supplement on top, for 5 years.
| Tax year | Standard rate | Expensive car supplement | Total while supplement applies | Threshold — petrol/diesel | Threshold — electric |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | £200 | +£440 | £640 | £40,000+ | £50,000+ |
| 2025-26 | £195 | +£425 | £620 | £40,000+ | £40,000+ |
"List price" is the published price of the car before it's registered for the first time, before any discounts. The supplement applies for 5 years from the second time the car is taxed (broadly years 2–6), then stops — after that you pay only the standard rate. 2025-26 used one flat £40,000 threshold for every fuel type; 2026-27 introduced a higher, EV-specific £50,000 threshold.
How electric cars are taxed
Electric vehicles lost their VED exemption on 1 April 2025. An EV registered on or after that date now pays:
- The £10 zero-emission first-year rate — the same 0g/km band as any other zero-emission car
- The £200 standard rate from year 2 onwards — identical to petrol and diesel
- The £440 expensive car supplement for 5 years if the list price is over £50,000 — a higher threshold than the £40,000 that applies to petrol and diesel cars
The only remaining exemption: a zero-emission car registered before 1 April 2025 never pays the expensive car supplement, regardless of list price. EVs registered from that date have no special exemption from the supplement — only the higher £50,000 threshold.
How VED is banded
For any car first registered on or after 1 April 2017, VED works in two stages. In year 1, you pay a one-off first-year rate based on the car's official CO2 emissions in g/km — the higher the emissions, the higher the rate, with a separate (higher) column for diesel cars that don't meet the RDE2 standard for NOx emissions.
From year 2 onwards, every car — petrol, diesel, electric or alternative fuel — moves to the same flat standard rate, regardless of its CO2 figure. The only exception is the expensive car supplement described above, which is based on list price rather than emissions and only lasts for a limited number of years.
Cars registered before 1 April 2017 use an older, purely CO2-banded system with no expensive car supplement and no separate first-year rate — see the official pre-2017 rate table for those bands; they aren't reproduced here since no car registered today falls under that regime.
This page covers rates only. To actually tax your vehicle, check your MOT, or set up a Direct Debit, use the official gov.uk "Tax your vehicle" service.
Frequently asked questions
What are the car tax (VED) rates for 2026-27?
For cars registered on or after 1 April 2017: a CO2-based first-year rate (from £10 for zero-emission cars up to £5,690 for the highest-emission non-RDE2 diesels), then a flat standard rate of £200 a year from the second tax payment onwards. Cars with a list price above £40,000 (£50,000 for electric cars) also pay a £440 expensive car supplement for 5 years.
Do electric cars pay road tax?
Yes. Since 1 April 2025, electric vehicles lost their long-standing VED exemption. New EVs pay the £10 zero-emission first-year rate, then the same £200 standard rate as petrol and diesel cars from year 2. EVs are only exempt from the expensive car supplement if they are zero-emission AND were registered before 1 April 2025 — an EV registered on or after that date pays the supplement once its list price exceeds £50,000.
What is the expensive car supplement and who pays it?
An extra £440 a year, on top of the standard rate, for cars with a list price (the published price before any discount, at first registration) over £40,000 — or over £50,000 for electric cars. It applies for 5 years starting from the second time the car is taxed (so broadly years 2–6), then drops away and you pay only the standard rate.
Why is the electric car threshold for the expensive car supplement different from petrol and diesel?
From 2026-27, the supplement threshold for electric cars was set at £50,000, higher than the £40,000 threshold for petrol and diesel cars — recognising that EVs typically have a higher list price. In 2025-26 there was no separate EV threshold; every fuel type shared the same £40,000 figure.
How is the first-year VED rate worked out?
It depends on your car's official CO2 emissions figure (g/km) at first registration, and whether it's a diesel that meets the Real Driving Emissions Step 2 (RDE2) standard for nitrogen oxide. Petrol cars, RDE2-compliant diesels, alternative-fuel cars (hybrids, bioethanol, LPG) and zero-emission cars share one rate table; diesels that don't meet RDE2 pay a higher rate in every band above zero emissions.
Is there still a discount for hybrid or alternative-fuel cars?
No separate discount currently applies. Gov.uk groups alternative-fuel cars (hybrids, bioethanol, LPG) in the same rate column as petrol and zero-emission cars for both the first-year rate and the standard rate — they're taxed identically to a petrol car with the same CO2 figure, not at a reduced rate.