Car Tax Bands for 2021 and 2022
Stay up to speed with the latest road rates (April 2022 update)
Whether you own a car, motorcycle, or light goods vehicle, each of these vehicles is subject to vehicle tax from the Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).
In line with annual budget changes in the UK, vehicle tax rates increased from 1st April 2022. Please be aware that if you purchase a new car, you will pay a different rate of tax on that vehicle for the first licence (year), so from the second licence (year) onwards, a standard rate of car tax will apply - as displayed in the tables below.
How does car tax work?
Each April, new car tax rates are introduced by the UK government as part of the annual budget review. Previously known as Vehicle Excise Duty (VED), car tax is split into 13 bands and are based on two factors:
- The list price of the car.
- The vehicle’s emissions.
The more CO2 emissions your car produces, the higher the cost of your road tax rate. So, if you own a high-polluting car, you will be penalised for it. This is defined by the Real Driving Emissions 2 (RDE2) test standard for all vehicles registered from 1st April 2018.
It’s important to know that your car tax charge will not alter in retrospect, so if you’re currently paying £25 per year, the cost won’t suddenly balloon unexpectedly. However, it may increase slightly in line with inflation.
Car tax rates are implemented from the 1st April each year and are subject to change year on year - these follow the same system that was put in place from 1st April 2017. The only difference being that electric cars are now exempt from the premium car tax that affects petrol and diesel vehicles worth more than £40,000.
2022 car tax bands
Annual car tax rates as of 1st April 2022 are displayed in the various tables below…
First licence rates for cars registered on or after 1st April 2022:
Vehicle CO2 emissions g/km | Compliant RDE2 petrol and diesel vehicles (12 months fee) | Non-compliant RDE2 diesel vehicles (12 months fee) | Alternatively fueled vehicles (EV) (12 months fee) |
0 g/km | £0 | £0 | £0 |
1-50 g/km | £10 | £25 | £0 |
51-75 g/km | £25 | £120 | £15 |
76-90 g/km | £120 | £150 | £115 |
91-100 g/km | £150 | £170 | £140 |
101-110 g/km | £170 | £190 | £160 |
111-130 g/km | £190 | £230 | £180 |
131-150 g/km | £230 | £585 | £220 |
151-170 g/km | £585 | £945 | £575 |
171-190 g/km | £945 | £1,420 | £935 |
191-225 g/km | £1,420 | £2,015 | £1,410 |
226-255 g/km | £2,015 | £2,365 | £2,005 |
Over 255 g/km | £2,365 | £2,365 | £2,355 |
Second licence rates for cars registered on or after 1st April 2017:
Please note that cars with a list price of over £40,000 at first registration will pay the additional rate for five years from the start date of the second licence (these fees are included in the table below).
Non Direct Debit | Non Direct Debit | Direct Debit | Direct Debit | Direct Debit | |
Tax Class | 12 months | 6 months | Single 12 months payment | Total payable by 12 monthly instalments | Single 6 months payment |
Petrol/diesel car | £165 | £90.75 | £165 | £173.25 | £86.63 |
Alternative fuel car | £155 | £85.25 | £155 | £162.75 | £81.38 |
Total including the £355 additional rate | |||||
Petrol/diesel car | £520 | £286 | £520 | £546 | £273 |
Alternative fuel car | £510 | £280.50 | £510 | £535.50 | £267.75 |
Cars registered on or after 1st March 2001 and before 1st April 2017 (Part 1 - Petrol and diesel cars):
The fees highlighted in the table below are based on CO2 emissions and fuel type for petrol cars in tax class 48, and diesel cars in tax class 49.
Non Direct Debit | Non Direct Debit | Direct Debit | Direct Debit | Direct Debit | ||
Tax Band | Vehicle CO2 emissions g/km | 12 months | 6 months | Single 12 months payment | Total payable by 12 monthly instalments | Single 6 months payment |
A | Up to 100g/km | £0 | N/A | £0 | N/A | N/A |
B | 101-110 g/km | £20 | N/A | £20 | £21 | N/A |
C | 111-120 g/km | £30 | N/A | £30 | £31.50 | N/A |
D | 121-130 g/km | £135 | £74.25 | £135 | £141.75 | £70.88 |
E | 131-140 g/km | £165 | £90.75 | £165 | £173.25 | £86.63 |
F | 141-150 g/km | £180 | £99 | £180 | £189 | £94.50 |
G | 151-165 g/km | £220 | £121 | £220 | £231 | £115.50 |
H | 166-175 g/km | £265 | £145.75 | £265 | £278.25 | £139.13 |
I | 176-185 g/km | £290 | £159.50 | £290 | £304.50 | £152.25 |
J | 186-200 g/km | £330 | £181.50 | £330 | £346.50 | £173.25 |
K* | 201-225 g/km | £360 | £198 | £360 | £378 | £189 |
L | 226-255 g/km | £615 | £338.25 | £615 | £645.75 | £322.88 |
M | Over 255 g/km | £630 | £346.50 | £630 | £661.50 | £330.75 |
*Band K also includes cars that have a CO2 emission figure over 225 g/km, but were instead registered before 23rd March 2006.
Cars registered on or after 1st March 2001 and before 1st April 2017 (Part 2 - Alternative fuel cars):
The fees highlighted in the table below are based on CO2 emissions and fuel type for alternative fuel cars only in tax class 59.
Non Direct Debit | Non Direct Debit | Direct Debit | Direct Debit | Direct Debit | ||
Tax Band | Vehicle CO2 emissions g/km | 12 months | 6 months | Single 12 months payment | Total payable by 12 monthly instalments | Single 6 months payment |
A | Up to 100g/km | £0 | N/A | £0 | N/A | N/A |
B | 101-110 g/km | £10 | N/A | £10 | £10.50 | N/A |
C | 111-120 g/km | £20 | N/A | £20 | £21 | N/A |
D | 121-130 g/km | £125 | £68.75 | £125 | £131.25 | £65.63 |
E | 131-140 g/km | £155 | £85.25 | £155 | £162.75 | £81.38 |
F | 141-150 g/km | £170 | £93.50 | £170 | £178.50 | £89.25 |
G | 151-165 g/km | £210 | £115.50 | £210 | £220.50 | £110.25 |
H | 166-175 g/km | £255 | £140.25 | £255 | £267.75 | £133.88 |
I | 176-185 g/km | £280 | £154 | £280 | £294 | £147 |
J | 186-200 g/km | £320 | £176 | £320 | £336 | £168 |
K* | 201-225 g/km | £350 | £192.50 | £350 | £367.50 | £183.75 |
L | 226-255 g/km | £605 | £332.75 | £605 | £635.25 | £317.63 |
M | Over 255 g/km | £620 | £341 | £620 | £651 | £325.50 |
*Band K also includes cars that have a CO2 emission figure over 225 g/km, but were instead registered before 23rd March 2006.
What happens if you don’t tax your car?
In the words of the DVLA ‘tax it or lose it’ when it comes to your vehicle. Paper tax discs were phased out in October 2014 when an electronic register system was adopted. But don’t use that as a ‘get out’ clause when it comes to paying for car tax - the DVLA can and will always spot an untaxed car.
Remember, it is illegal to drive an untaxed vehicle. If you fail to tax your car, you’ll be fined £80 plus the amount of vehicle tax owed during the entire period it has not been taxed. Failure to pay your fine will result in your car being clamped, or even crushed.
If your car is no longer used or road-worthy, you can register your vehicle as SORN (which stands for Statutory Off Road Notification) on the GOV.UK website, when you’ll receive a refund for any remaining tax.
Choose Wilsons for your next Car
The best way to keep your car tax in a lower band is to choose a vehicle with low or zero emissions. Here at Wilsons in Epsom, Surrey, we have a fantastic range of electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid and smaller-sized cars that meet the emissions requirements. Take a look at The Best Tax Exempt Cars blog if you’re planning to reduce your emissions and motoring costs.
These are outlined by the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Testing Procedure (WLTP) which encourages manufacturers to produce cleaner models for a greener driving experience on our roads.
We proudly represent 11 new car brands, including; Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Jeep, Hyundai, Nissan, Nismo, Peugeot, MG, Renault, and Dacia, as well as stocking over 1,000 nearly new and used cars that you can browse on site or online.
