Car tax for cars registered before April 2017: the CO2 bands and what you pay in 2026/27

The short answer

A car first registered between 1 March 2001 and 31 March 2017 pays vehicle excise duty according to its CO2 band, between £20 a year in bands A and B and £790 a year in band M for 2026/27, on the GOV.UK rate tables as they read on 30 October 2026. The band depends only on the official CO2 figure, in grams per kilometre, which is printed on the V5C log book and shown by the DVLA vehicle enquiry service for any registration. Fuel type does not change the amount on this system; a diesel and a petrol with the same CO2 figure pay the same.

Cars registered before 1 March 2001 are simpler still: for 2026/27, £230 a year if the engine is 1549cc or smaller and £375 if it is larger. Cars registered on or after 1 April 2017 are on the flat-rate system most of the headlines are about, a standard £200 a year for 2026/27 plus an extra £440 for five years on cars that listed above £40,000 new, or above £50,000 if electric.

The bands and the 2026/27 amounts

Single twelve-month payment for 2026/27 for a car registered 1 March 2001 to 31 March 2017. Petrol, diesel, alternative fuel and zero emission cars share the same table.

Two things to notice. The step between band C and band D is the big one: a car at 120g/km pays £35 and a car at 121g/km pays £170, which is why so many cars of the period were engineered to land just under the line. And band K carries a footnote on GOV.UK: cars with a CO2 figure over 225g/km that were registered before 23 March 2006 are taxed in band K at £445 rather than in L or M.

Paying monthly by direct debit costs a little more than a single payment. GOV.UK prints the totals: band E, for example, is £200 as a single payment and £210 as twelve monthly instalments; band M is £790 or £829.50. A six-month payment is available from band D upwards (band E is £110 for six months) and not for bands A to C.

How to find the band for a car you own or are viewing

1. Look at the V5C. The CO2 figure is printed in the vehicle details section of the log book. Match it to the table above.
2. Or enter the registration on GOV.UK. The DVLA vehicle enquiry service shows the CO2 figure, the date of first registration, the engine size and the current tax rate and expiry date for any car, with no log book needed. If a seller's description of the tax does not match what the service shows, the service is right.
3. Check the registration date, not the model year. A car built in early 2017 but first registered on 1 April 2017 or later is on the flat-rate system; one registered on 31 March 2017 is on the bands. The date of first registration on the enquiry service settles it.
4. Pre-2001 cars go by engine size. The CO2 bands do not apply; the only question is whether the engine is over 1549cc (£375 for 2026/27) or not (£230).

If you are buying: the tax does not come with the car

Vehicle tax does not transfer with the car. When you buy, you must tax it before you drive it away, using the green new keeper slip from the log book, or declare it off the road with a SORN. The seller tells the DVLA the car has gone and receives a refund for any full months left on their own tax. So the band matters to you from day one, and a car in band L or M adds £760 or £790 a year (2026/27 rates) to the running cost before fuel or insurance. Our guide to checking whether a car is taxed covers what happens if it is not.

What this does not mean

This article quotes the GOV.UK rate tables as they read on 30 October 2026 for the 2026/27 tax year. Rates are normally set each April, and the official page is the one to rely on if it differs from the table here. It is general information, not tax advice, and it does not cover vans, motorhomes, disabled exemptions or historic vehicle status, each of which has its own GOV.UK page. It contains no MOT statistics.

Sources and method

This article contains no MOT statistics. Every amount is quoted from the GOV.UK vehicle tax rate tables as they read on 30 October 2026 for the 2026/27 tax year, including the monthly and six-month figures, which are GOV.UK's printed totals and not calculated here. The MOT reliance notice below applies to the MOT history this site refers to elsewhere.

• GOV.UK: Vehicle tax rate tables, cars registered between 1 March 2001 and 31 March 2017
• GOV.UK: Vehicle tax rate tables, cars registered before 1 March 2001
• GOV.UK: Vehicle tax rate tables, cars registered on or after 1 April 2017
• GOV.UK: Get vehicle information from DVLA
• GOV.UK: Tax your vehicle
• GOV.UK: Buying or selling a vehicle

This article is general information drawn from published test records. It is not professional, mechanical or legal advice, and an MOT pass or a clean MOT history does not guarantee that a car is roadworthy today. If you are unsure about a car, have it inspected by a qualified mechanic. You can check any vehicle's MOT history free on the official GOV.UK MOT history service.