2026 UK Car Tax Calculator

The vehicle excise duty (VED) otherwise known as car tax, is changing again from April 2026. If you’re buying a new car (or just trying to budget for running your existing one) it's become harder and harder in recent years to guess what your next bill will look like from the DVLA tables alone.

To make this easier, we've built a new Car Tax Calculator that compares 2025 vs 2026 VED VED for your specific vehicle. You simply enter your car’s details, and the calculator instantly shows:

1. Your 2026 VED based on the latest rules
2. Your 2025 VED under the current system
3. How both sets of rules apply to older, newer, and even very old (pre‑2001) cars.

Here's what's going on underneath the hood(!) so you know why the number on the screen changes when you tweak list price, CO₂, fuel type, registration date or direct debit. Oh, and if you're looking for a broader overview of how VED works, you can also see more guides on car tax and our previous comparison of 2025 vs 2024 car tax.

How The 2025 vs 2026 Car Tax Calculator Works

Calculate VED using the same key inputs HMRC and DVLA care about:

• Car list price: used to decide whether the "expensive car" supplement applies.
• Registration date: determines which banding system you fall under.
• CO₂ emissions (g/km): still crucial for first‑year and legacy rates.
• Fuel type: petrol, diesel, alternative (hybrid/other) or fully electric.
• Direct Debit: adds the standard DVLA surcharge when you choose this payment method.
• First‑time licensing: crucial if the car is brand new, as first‑year VED is separate from standard rates.
• Engine size (cc): for older cars registered before March 2001.

The calculator runs your inputs through the 2025 rules first, then applies the updated 2026 rules and shows both figures side‑by‑side. That means you can:

• See how a new car bought after April 2026 will be taxed in its first and later years.
• Compare what happens if you buy before or after a particular cut‑off date.
• Check the effect of ticking or unticking Direct Debit for your payment.
• Understand how long expensive car supplements bite for higher‑value vehicles.

First‑Year VED: 2025 vs 2026

For cars registered on or after 1 April 2025, first‑year VED is based on CO₂ only, regardless of fuel type. The calculator uses this emissions‑based scale for 2025 and applies a slightly higher set of bands in 2026.

Key points the calculator reflects:

• Zero‑emission cars still pay a token first‑year rate (e.g. £10) in both 2025 and 2026.
• As CO₂ rises, first‑year rates climb sharply – particularly above 150 g/km.
• 2026 bands are generally higher than 2025, so the same new petrol or diesel car will usually cost more in VED if registered under the 2026 regime.

Standard Rates For Newer Cars (Registered From 1 April 2017)

Once you’re past the first year, cars registered on or after 1 April 2017 move onto an annual standard rate plus, where relevant, an expensive car supplement.

The calculator automatically looks at:

• The car’s first registration date.
• Whether you are in tax year 2025 or 2026.
• Your list price and fuel type/CO₂.

2025 standard rates

For 2025, the system is still fairly straightforward:

• A flat standard rate applies from year 2 onwards.
• If the car's list price exceeded £40,000 when new, there’s an extra supplement for five years from year 2.
• This supplement stops once the car is more than seven years old.

Our calculator builds in these rules and shows you how that 5‑year supplement window and 7‑year age cap combine.

2026 standard rates - more expensive, more nuanced

From 2026, a few things change:

• The base standard rate increases.
• The expensive car supplement rises.
• There are different value thresholds for expensive cars, depending on whether your car is truly zero‑emission.

For example:

• Petrol and diesel cars still hit the supplement once they go over the usual "expensive" threshold.
• For electric and some alternative fuel vehicles with 0 g/km CO₂, a higher price threshold applies before the supplement kicks in; a recognition that many EVs have higher list prices.

The calculator applies the appropriate threshold and supplement automatically, taking into account:

• Your fuel type and CO₂.
• Tax year (2025 or 2026).
• List price and age of the vehicle.

This makes it easy to answer questions like:

• If I buy a £42k EV in late 2025, what will I pay in 2026 versus a similarly priced petrol car?
• What happens to my expensive‑car supplement after my car turns seven?

Legacy CO₂‑Based Bands (Cars Registered 1 March 2001 – 31 March 2017)

If your car was registered between 1 March 2001 and 31 March 2017, you’re in the so‑called legacy CO₂ banding system.

Here, the calculator:

• Uses CO₂ bands with separate rates for 2024, 2025 and 2026
• Applies slightly different values depending on fuel type and whether you pay by Direct Debit
• Still respects special rules for very high emitters and certain older registrations (e.g. cars registered before the "Band K" cut‑off in March 2006)

From 2025 into 2026, the broad pattern is:

• Low‑emission cars remain cheaper to tax
• Higher bands see noticeable increases year by year
• Direct Debit carries a small surcharge which the calculator builds in when you tick the box

So, by entering your registration date, CO₂ and fuel type, you get an accurate side‑by‑side view of what that legacy car costs in 2025 vs 2026.

Pre‑2001 Cars: Engine Size Still Matters

For cars registered before 1 March 2001, HMRC doesn’t use CO₂ at all – it’s purely about engine size.

The calculator switches over to this older system automatically when your registration date is pre‑March 2001. It then:

• Asks for engine size in cc
• Applies the correct small engine vs large engine thresholds
• Adjusts for the different 2024, 2025 and 2026 rates
• Factors in the Direct Debit surcharge if you choose that option

This means even owners of older classics or everyday pre‑2001 cars can still see how VED has evolved into 2026.

Direct Debit Surcharge: A Small But Real Difference

A detail many people miss is the Direct Debit surcharge DVLA applies to most VED payments. It’s typically around 5% extra when you spread costs using certain Direct Debit options.

The calculator includes this by:

• Adding the surcharge when you tick "Pay via Direct Debit"
• Applying it across first‑year, standard, legacy and pre‑2001 rates where relevant

If you want the cheapest annual figure, try running the calculator with both options enabled and disabled to compare.

How Budget 2025 And EV Charging Fit Into The Picture

These VED changes sit alongside other measures from the recent Budget. For a full breakdown of how the Chancellor’s announcements affect everyday finances (including income tax, NI, fuel duty and more) see our dedicated article: Budget 2025: What It Means For Your Wallet .

Electric vehicle owners should also think beyond VED and look at new measures for the government to recoup lost 'fossil-fuel revenue'. Road charging for EV is coming in 2028 and will be based on an annual declaration of miles driven/to-be-driven. To help with that, we've built a specialist tool: EV Road Charging Calculator . Use it alongside the VED calculator to get a fuller picture of overall yearly car costs in the near future.