Free DVLA-powered tool
Check your car tax, ULEZ compliance, and MOT status instantly. Our free tool uses official DVLA data to show your vehicle's tax status, rate, and ULEZ zone eligibility. No sign-up required.
Check tax and MOT in one search
Official DVLA data
ULEZ and Clean Air Zone compliance
Everything you need to know about your vehicle's tax, ULEZ compliance, and MOT status in one place.
Whether your vehicle is currently taxed, untaxed, or SORN.
Whether your vehicle meets emissions standards for London ULEZ and UK Clean Air Zones.
Current MOT status and expiry date at a glance.
Your vehicle's VED band and estimated yearly road tax.
Your vehicle's carbon emissions rating and environmental impact.
Make, colour, fuel type, engine capacity, and registration history.
Three simple steps. No sign-up, no payment, no email required.
Type your vehicle's number plate into the search box to check vehicle tax instantly. No sign-up needed.
See your vehicle's tax status, ULEZ compliance, tax band, and MOT status in seconds.
Tax your vehicle on GOV.UK, check your full MOT history, or compare car insurance.
London's Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) charges non-compliant vehicles £12.50 per day to drive within the zone. Similar Clean Air Zones operate in Birmingham (£8/day), Bath, Bristol, Bradford, and several Scottish cities. The aim is to reduce air pollution by encouraging drivers to switch to cleaner vehicles.
Petrol vehicles generally need to meet Euro 4 emissions standards (generally registered from January 2006). Diesel vehicles need to meet Euro 6 (generally registered from September 2015). Electric and hydrogen vehicles are exempt from charges. Historic vehicles - 40 or more years old and registered in the 'Historic' tax class - are typically exempt too.
Our checker uses your vehicle's Euro emissions standard from DVLA records. When DVLA data isn't available, we estimate compliance based on your vehicle's registration date and fuel type - the same approach used by TfL. For a definitive answer, you can also use the TfL vehicle checker.
Compliance rules can change and individual zone authorities may apply additional criteria. Always check with the relevant zone authority for a definitive confirmation before driving. If you're concerned about emissions charges, comparing car insurance for a newer, compliant vehicle could save you money in the long run.
Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) - commonly called road tax, car tax, or vehicle tax - is the annual tax you pay to keep or drive your vehicle on UK roads. The amount depends mainly on when your vehicle was first registered, its CO₂ emissions, and its fuel type. Our free road tax check pulls VED data directly from DVLA records, so you can check road tax, tax band, and estimated annual cost above in seconds. Need a step-by-step walkthrough? Our guide on how to pay car tax online covers everything from payment methods to Direct Debit setup.
There are three different VED systems based on your vehicle's first registration date:
Vehicles registered after 1 April 2017 with a list price of over £40,000 pay an additional £440 per year for years 2 to 6 of ownership, on top of the standard rate. This is sometimes called the "expensive car" or "premium" supplement. After five years, you go back to the standard rate.
From April 2025, electric vehicles pay the standard VED rate of £200 per year. They were previously exempt. New EVs over £50,000 also pay the premium supplement. For the official rate tables, see GOV.UK's vehicle tax rate tables.
Car tax (officially called Vehicle Excise Duty or VED) costs most drivers £200 a year. But the exact amount depends on when your car was first registered, what fuel it uses, and how much CO₂ it produces. Here is what you will pay.
From the second year of ownership onwards, most cars pay a flat rate of £200 a year regardless of size or emissions. This applies to every petrol, diesel, hybrid, and electric car registered after April 2017.
| What You Drive | What You Pay Per Year |
|---|---|
| Most cars (petrol, diesel, hybrid) | £200 |
| Electric and zero-emission cars | £200 |
| Cars that cost over £40,000 new (petrol, diesel, hybrid) | £640 (£200 + £440 extra) |
| Electric cars that cost over £50,000 new | £640 (£200 + £440 extra) |
The £440 extra is called the "expensive car supplement". If your car had a list price over £40,000 when it was brand new (or over £50,000 for electric cars), you pay this on top of the standard rate for five years. After that, you drop back to £200. The list price is what the manufacturer charged, not what you paid, so a discount from the dealer does not change it.
When you buy a brand new car, the first year of tax is based on how much CO₂ it produces. Cleaner cars pay less. After the first year, you move to the standard £200 rate above. These rates are for petrol cars and most modern diesels. Older diesels that do not meet the latest emissions standards (called RDE2, which most diesels registered after September 2017 do meet) pay a higher first-year rate.
| CO₂ Emissions | First-Year Tax |
|---|---|
| 0 | £10 |
| 1-50 | £115 |
| 51-75 | £135 |
| 76-90 | £280 |
| 91-100 | £365 |
| 101-110 | £405 |
| 111-130 | £455 |
| 131-150 | £560 |
| 151-170 | £1,410 |
| 171-190 | £2,270 |
| 191-225 | £3,420 |
| 226-255 | £4,850 |
| Over 255 | £5,690 |
After the first year, all of these cars move to the standard rate of £200 per year (or £640 if the car cost over £40,000 new). Enter your reg in the tool at the top of this page to see exactly what your car costs.
If your car was registered between March 2001 and March 2017, you pay a yearly rate based on its CO₂ emissions. Rates range from £20 a year for the cleanest cars (Band A) to £790 for the highest polluters (Band M). These cars stay on this system permanently and never move to the £200 flat rate. Enter your reg above to see your exact band and cost.
Cars registered before March 2001 are taxed based on engine size instead of emissions. Engines up to 1,549cc pay £230 a year. Larger engines pay £375 a year.
All rates are for the 2026/27 tax year (April 2026 to March 2027). Source: GOV.UK VED rate tables.
Check your vehicle's details above, then get free car insurance quotes from 130+ UK insurers.
Compare Car InsuranceYes - if you drive or keep your vehicle on a public road in the UK, it must be taxed. The only exception is if you've declared the vehicle SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification), in which case you don't need to tax it but you also can't drive or park it on a public road. Buying a used car? Use our free tool above to check vehicle tax and check if a car is taxed before you drive it home.
Driving an untaxed vehicle can result in a fine of up to £1,000, vehicle clamping, or in the most serious cases having the vehicle impounded and crushed. The DVLA uses Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras to detect untaxed vehicles, so detection rates are very high. Unlike the MOT, there is no grace period - tax must be in place the moment your previous tax expires.
If you're not using your vehicle on public roads - for example, it's stored on private land or in a garage during restoration - you can declare it SORN through the DVLA. You can do this online at GOV.UK and you'll receive a refund for any full months of unused tax.
Driving without valid tax can also give insurers grounds to reject a claim, even if your insurance policy is still active. Most policies require the vehicle to be road-legal, and that includes having current tax. If you need new cover, compare car insurance via Brumble to find competitive quotes.
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