How to tax your car in 2026: Online, phone and Post Office guide

When it comes to owning and running a car, one of the most essential tasks every driver must undertake is paying for car tax.

While this responsibility is often seen as just another part of vehicle ownership, understanding how to properly tax your vehicle is crucial to ensuring compliance with the law and avoiding penalties.

In this know how guide, we walk you through the necessary steps, and the different ways to tax your vehicle.

How do I tax my car?

• Go to Gov.uk/vehicle-tax
• Enter your V5C logbook or road tax reminder reference
• Choose annual, monthly or 6 month payment
• Confirm payment
• Your vehicle should now be taxed

How much road tax do I have to pay?

From 1 April 2026, the standard Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) rate for petrol, diesel and hybrid cars registered on or after 1 April 2017 increases to £200 a year.

Paying for six months will cost £110, or £105 if you choose to pay by Direct Debit. Spreading the cost over 12 monthly instalments brings the total annual bill to £210.

If your car’s list price exceeded £40,000 when new (or £50,000 for electric vehicles), you may also have to pay the ‘luxury car tax’. This adds £440 a year, taking total annual VED to £640.

Cars first registered before 2017 may attract higher or lower charges. The amount you pay depends on when the vehicle was first registered, what fuel it uses and its CO₂ emissions. Full details of the tax bands and payment amounts are set out below.

For more information, read our feature on car tax bands - a complete guide to VED.

Electric cars no longer qualify for free road tax, and in April 2026 drivers of electric cars under a year old will start paying the £200-a-year flat rate. 

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How to pay for road tax online

When paying for your vehicle tax online, you can use a debit or credit card or set up a Direct Debit to spread the cost.

In order to tax your car, van or motorcycle online you will need the following documents:

• Vehicle tax reminder or a ‘last chance’ warning letter from the DVLA
• Logbook (V5C), which must be in your name

If you have just bought the vehicle then you’ll need the green ‘new keeper’ slip from the logbook. The car tax cannot be transferred to the new keeper.

If you don’t have any of these documents, you will need to apply for a new logbook on the gov.uk website.

You can complete this process and tax your vehicle at the same time. The replacement V5C will usually arrive by post within a few working days, although processing times can vary.

Finally, before you can legally drive your vehicle, you must meet all the necessary legal obligations for drivers, which include having valid tax, insurance, and MOT, as applicable.

You can visit the Government's car tax checker here.

What documents do you need to pay for road tax online?

To pay for road tax online in the UK, you will need a few important documents and details:

1. The V5C registration certificate (also known as the logbook).
2. A valid MOT certificate (if your car is over 3 years old).
3. Proof of insurance (must be valid for the duration of the tax period).*
4. A valid payment method (credit/debit card or direct debit).

Remember that if you are paying with Direct Debit, it will cost you more to tax the vehicle.

^{*Your vehicle must be insured. In most cases the DVLA will verify this automatically through its records.}

Step-by-step guide to pay car tax online

Here is how you can pay your car tax (VED) online:

1. Visit the official DVLA vehicle tax website
2. Enter your vehicle's registration number and the 11-digit reference number from your V5C registration certificate (logbook).
3. Check your eligibility: The DVLA will confirm whether your vehicle is eligible for online tax payment. If you are eligible, it will show details like the tax amount and due date.
4. Choose a payment option: You can pay using a credit or debit card, or set up a Direct Debit for annual, six-monthly, or monthly payments.
5. Receive official confirmation: After making the payment, you’ll receive an instant confirmation email.

Following this process, your car will be taxed.

Online road tax payment options

You can set up a Direct Debit to pay for your road tax online on the DVLA's website. Emails and letters about Direct Debit payments will be sent to the account holder. 

• Payment frequency and costs: You can pay yearly, every six months, or monthly. There is a 5% surcharge for monthly or six-monthly payments, but no surcharge for annual payments.
• Information you will need: You will need your address, date of birth, and bank account details (bank name, account number, and sort code).
• Confirmation: You will receive a confirmation once your Direct Debit is set up. The first payment will be taken within 10 days of the tax start date, with subsequent payments taken on the first working day of the month.

How to cancel online road tax payment

DVLA will cancel your Direct Debit for your car tax if your vehicle has been sold or transferred to someone else, taken off the road (Statutory Off Road Notification, or SORN), written off by your insurance provider, or if the vehicle has been scrapped or reported as stolen.

It will also be cancelled if it has been exported out of the UK.

However, if you cancel your Direct Debit with your bank for another reason, you'll need to tax your vehicle again using a new Direct Debit from an account with sufficient funds, or pay the full amount with a valid debit or credit card.

The Direct Debit will also be cancelled if you no longer need to pay vehicle tax because the vehicle is used by a disabled person or is classed as 'historic' (over 40 years old).

Why can’t I pay my car tax online?

You may not be able to pay your car tax online if your vehicle’s details aren't up to date with the DVLA, if your MOT or insurance isn’t valid, or if the vehicle is exempt from road tax. Additionally, if the vehicle is declared off-road (SORN), you cannot pay online.

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Paying car tax by phone

To apply for vehicle tax by phone, you can use the DVLA vehicle tax service by calling 0300 123 4321.

This service is available 24 hours a day, providing convenience for those who prefer to handle their vehicle tax over the phone.

However, it's important to note that Direct Debit payments cannot be made through this phone service.

For more information on call charges, it's recommended to check the relevant details beforehand – and visit gov.uk.

You’ll need your V5C or V5C/2 to hand, when speaking over the phone to the DVLA.

Paying for car tax at the Post Office

To tax your vehicle at a Post Office, you need to visit a branch that handles vehicle tax services.

When you go, make sure to bring the payment for your vehicle tax, or your bank or building society account details if you wish to set up a Direct Debit.

If your vehicle is exempt from tax, you will not need to provide payment details. But the vehicle will still need to be taxed, even if you are not required to pay.

What documents will I need to tax my car at the Post Office?

In addition to payment, you will need to bring one of the following documents: your vehicle logbook (V5C), which must be in your name, or the green ‘new keeper’ slip from the log book if you have recently purchased the vehicle.

You may also need to provide evidence of a valid MOT, which must be in place when the tax starts.

This could include a screenshot of your vehicle’s MOT history or an MOT certificate, if available.

Keep in mind that it can take up to two days for MOT information to be updated, so if your vehicle has just passed its MOT, you may not be able to tax it immediately after the test.

Which Post Offices will tax my car?

You'll need to check the Branch Finder tool to see if you can tax your vehicle at your local Post Office.

How to tax a car without a V5C

Here is the step-by-step process to tax your car without your V5C form:

Lost the V5C but you are the registered keeper

If this is the case, then you can tax your vehicle immediately online on the GOV.UK website, as well as applying for a new V5C logbook.

You will need your vehicle registration number, VIN number, as well the name and address held by the DVLA.

Click on the ‘tax the vehicle at the same time’ option and follow the necessary steps.

Next you will have to pay the £25 replacement fee and the necessary VED rate (car tax) linked to the vehicle.

Once the payment has gone through and you receive the email confirmation, the vehicle is taxed.

You do not need to wait for the new V5C to arrive.

V11 tax reminder

If you receive the V11 tax reminder letter in the post, then you do not need your V5C logbook to process your car tax payment.

You will instead need to use the 16-digit reference number on the V11 form.

The next step is to tax the vehicle like you would do normally – either online at the GOV.UK website, or at a Post Office.

Bought a new car and have the green V5C/2 form

In this case, you can use the 12-digit reference number on the green slip, alongside the details of your valid MOT and car insurance.

Again, use the GOV.UK service or at a local Post Office.

No V5C, V11 or V5C/2 form

For owners with none of these forms, then it isn’t possible to tax the car immediately.

At this stage, you will need to apply for a V5C logbook through a V62 form.

It will need to be printed off and filled in with the necessary information. The completed form will then need to be posted to the DVLA (including the £25 fee, if applicable).

This process cannot be done electronically or through the GOV website.

Unlike the other scenarios, the car must be SORN and kept off the roads until the DVLA confirms the keeper details and the car can be taxed.

Can I drive home after buying a car?

Yes, you can drive a newly purchased car home straight away, but only if it is both insured and taxed before you set off.

Since vehicle tax no longer transfers when ownership changes, the previous owner's tax is automatically cancelled when the sale is completed.

As the new keeper, you must arrange a new tax payment before driving on public roads. In most cases, you can do this online using the 12-digit reference number on the V5C/2 (new keeper slip) provided by the seller.

You'll also need;

• car insurance (if the vehicle is old enough to require one)
• MOT certificate.

Driving without meeting these requirements could result in fines, penalty points or the vehicle being seized.

How do I check if my car is taxed?

Drivers can check whether their vehicle is taxed using the DVLA's free online vehicle enquiry service.

They will need to enter the registration number, and from there they will be able to see the vehicle's tax status, MOT status and basic information such as make and colour.

This service is useful if they have recently taxed a vehicle and want to confirm the update has been processed, or if they are buying a used car and want to verify its current status.

The Government’s online service provides a quick way to check that a vehicle is legally taxed and roadworthy.

Can I tax a car immediately?

Yes, in most circumstances you can tax a vehicle immediately after buying one.

The quickest method is online through the DVLA website, although you can also tax a vehicle by phone or at certain Post Office branches.

To do so, you'll usually need either the V5C logbook, a V11 tax reminder letter or the V5C/2 new keeper slip if you've recently purchased the vehicle.

Once your application and payment have been accepted, the vehicle is generally recorded as taxed straight away on DVLA systems, even though it may take a short time for online records to update publicly.

This means you can normally use the vehicle as soon as the transaction is completed and all other legal requirements have been met.

Can someone else tax my car?

Yes, another person can pay vehicle tax on your behalf. They can include:

• a family member
• friend
• employer can make the payment

This is provided they have the necessary vehicle details and reference number from the relevant DVLA document.

However, paying the tax does not transfer ownership or legal responsibility for the vehicle. The vehicle must still be correctly registered with the DVLA, have valid insurance, and where applicable, hold a valid MOT certificate.

Remember, as the registered keeper, you remain responsible for ensuring the vehicle is legally compliant and taxed correctly.

What happens if I forget to tax my car?

Failing to tax a vehicle can lead to penalties including fines and police involvement, even if you are not actively driving it.

The DVLA uses an automated enforcement system, including Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras, to identify untaxed vehicles.

If your vehicle is found to be untaxed while being driven or kept on a public road, you could receive a fine, face enforcement action or, in serious cases, have the vehicle clamped or impounded.

If you are not using the vehicle and intend to keep it off public roads, you must make a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN) to avoid ongoing tax obligations.

It is important to either tax the vehicle promptly after purchasing it, or declare it off the road to remain compliant with the law.

Can I tax a car with no MOT?

Generally, no. If your vehicle requires an MOT certificate, it will usually need a valid MOT before you can tax it.

The DVLA's taxation system automatically checks MOT records, so an expired MOT will normally prevent a tax application from being completed.

One of the main exceptions is when you are driving directly to or from a pre-booked MOT test appointment, which is permitted under certain circumstances.

If your vehicle has recently passed its MOT and you're unable to tax it immediately, this may be because the MOT database has not yet updated.

In some cases, it can take up to 48 hours for the information to be reflected across DVLA systems.

Once the MOT record is updated, you should be able to tax the vehicle as normal.