RealCost Tool
Road Tax Calculator UK
Use this Road Tax Calculator UK to estimate how much vehicle tax could cost over the time you plan to keep a car.
Enter your car’s first registration date, fuel type, CO₂ emissions and list price — the calculator works out the real published DVLA road tax band automatically, so you do not need to already know the rate.
Estimate ownership cost
See the road tax cost across the number of years you plan to keep the car.
Include supplement costs
Add any expensive car supplement so higher-list-price cars do not look cheaper than they really are.
Monthly budgeting view
Turn road tax into an average monthly figure for easier car ownership budgeting.
Calculate your road tax cost
Enter your car’s registration date, CO₂ emissions, fuel type and list price. The calculator applies gov.uk’s published VED rate tables automatically and projects the total cost over the years you plan to keep the car.
This calculator uses published gov.uk / DVLA Vehicle Excise Duty rate tables (current as of April 2026) to estimate your road tax. It's a budgeting tool, not an official DVLA lookup — always confirm the exact amount due for your specific vehicle via the official gov.uk vehicle tax checker using your V5C log book details.
This is a road tax budgeting calculator, not an official DVLA or VED checker. Always confirm the exact tax rate for a specific vehicle using official vehicle details, registration date and current rules.
Road tax can catch buyers out
Road tax is not always just one simple yearly figure. The first-year rate, standard annual rate and expensive car supplement can all affect the real cost, especially when comparing newer cars, higher-list-price cars and cars with different emissions figures.
RealCost note: This calculator works out your road tax band automatically from CO₂ emissions, fuel type and registration date, using gov.uk’s published VED rate tables. For the full ownership picture, use the Car Cost Calculator UK. If you are comparing fuel types, also check the Electric vs Petrol Running Cost Calculator.
What the calculator includes
The calculator uses practical inputs to estimate road tax across the time you plan to keep the car.
First registration date
Sets which VED system applies: current (April 2017+), CO₂ band (2001–2017), or engine size (pre-2001).
Fuel type
Petrol, RDE2 diesel, non-RDE2 diesel, hybrid/alternative fuel, or electric — each is taxed differently under the current system.
CO₂ emissions
Used directly to look up your real VED band. Find this figure on your V5C log book.
List price when new
Checked automatically against the expensive car supplement threshold (£40,000, or £50,000 for electric cars).
Years you plan to keep the car
How long you want to project the total road tax cost for.
What the results tell you
The results show first-year cost, yearly cost after the first year, total ownership cost and average monthly cost.
Estimated first year road tax
The first-year tax rate plus any expensive car supplement you entered.
Annual road tax after first year
The standard yearly road tax after the first year, including any supplement entered.
Base road tax over ownership
The estimated road tax over the ownership period before any expensive car supplement.
Supplement over ownership
The total extra cost from the expensive car supplement over the years entered.
Total road tax over ownership
The estimated total road tax cost over the period you plan to keep the car.
Average monthly road tax
The total road tax cost averaged into a monthly ownership figure.
Example road tax result
This example is a petrol car with 140g/km CO₂, a £28,000 list price (below the £40,000 supplement threshold), kept for 3 years.
Years kept
3
CO₂ entered
140g/km
First-year rate (auto)
£560
Standard annual rate
£200
Estimated first year
£560
Annual after first year
£200
Total over 3 years
£960
Supplement total
£0
Estimated ownership total
£960
Average monthly
£26.67
Average yearly
£320.00
What this means: The average yearly cost can differ from the standard annual rate because the first-year rate and any supplement change the ownership-period total.
How to use the calculator properly
Use official vehicle details first, then use this calculator to understand the cost over your ownership period.
Important: For used cars, check the car’s registration date, fuel type, CO₂ figure and official tax information before entering the rates. For newer or higher-list-price cars, check whether the expensive car supplement applies.
When this calculator is most useful
Use it when road tax needs to be included in a wider car ownership decision, not just checked as one annual number.
Road tax is not the full cost
A low road tax figure does not automatically make a car cheap to own.
Value loss can be much larger than road tax.
A cheap-tax car can still be expensive to insure.
Mileage and efficiency can matter more than road tax.
Servicing, tyres, MOTs and repairs still need budgeting.
Some newer or higher-list-price cars can cost more than expected.
Cars with similar emissions can be taxed differently depending on when they were registered.
What to calculate next
Use these tools to connect road tax to the wider ownership decision.
Car Cost Calculator UK
Estimate full ownership cost including tax, depreciation, insurance and running costs.
Car Depreciation Calculator UK
Check whether value loss is bigger than the tax difference.
Car Insurance Cost Calculator UK
Compare road tax with insurance cost in your monthly budget.
Car Maintenance Cost Calculator UK
Add servicing, MOT, tyres and repair allowance into the ownership picture.
Fuel Cost Per Mile Calculator UK
Compare tax against the fuel cost of actually using the car.
Electric vs Petrol Running Cost Calculator
Compare petrol and electric running costs before choosing your next car.
Related ownership guides
Use these pages when road tax is part of a bigger car ownership decision.
Average Cost of Owning a Car Per Month UK
Understand where road tax fits into the wider monthly cost of owning a car.
EV Charging Cost Calculator UK
Estimate electric charging costs before comparing total ownership cost.
Cheapest Cars to Run UK
Compare car choices where total running cost matters more than one tax figure.
How to Reduce Car Running Costs UK
Cut tax, fuel, insurance, maintenance and ownership costs where possible.