Car Tax Calculator (VED)
Calculate your UK Vehicle Excise Duty for 2025/26. See first year rates by CO2 emissions, the standard rate from year 2, expensive car supplement, and compare total running costs for petrol vs electric vehicles.
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How to Use This Calculator
VED Calculator tab
Select your registration date (before or after April 2017), fuel type, and enter your CO2 emissions (found on your V5C logbook or the manufacturer's spec sheet). For post-2017 cars, enter the list price to check whether the expensive car supplement applies. The calculator shows your first year VED, standard rate from year 2 onwards, and a 6-year total.
Electric vs Petrol VED tab
Compare the VED cost of an electric car against a petrol car side by side. Enter the CO2 emissions and list price for the petrol car, the EV list price, and choose how many years to compare. You will see a year-by-year breakdown showing exactly where the VED savings are.
Total Running Cost tab
Go beyond VED and compare total annual running costs for petrol vs electric. Enter your annual mileage, fuel economy, fuel and electricity prices, insurance estimates, and MOT cost. The calculator shows the full annual cost breakdown and highlights the total saving. Expand "More options" to fine-tune all inputs.
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Every input is encoded in the URL. Click Share to send your exact scenario to a partner, dealer, or save it for later.
The Formula
UK Vehicle Excise Duty is calculated differently depending on when your car was registered:
Year 1 VED = First year rate (based on CO2 emissions and fuel type)
Year 2+ VED = Standard rate (£195/year for all fuel types)
Expensive car supplement = £425/year if list price > £40,000 (years 2-6 only)
6-year total = First year rate + 5 × (Standard rate + Supplement if applicable)
Cars registered before 1 April 2017:
Annual VED = Band rate (A-M, based on CO2 emissions)
Same rate every year, no first year premium or expensive car supplement
Fuel cost comparison:
Petrol annual cost = (Annual miles ÷ MPG) × 4.546 × Price per litre
EV annual cost = (Annual miles ÷ Miles per kWh) × Price per kWh
The key difference between pre- and post-2017 rules is that post-2017 cars pay a high first year rate based on CO2, then everyone pays the same flat standard rate. Pre-2017 cars pay based on CO2 every year, but the rates are generally lower.
The expensive car supplement of £425/year applies to any car with a list price over £40,000 when new, regardless of what you actually paid. It applies for 5 years starting from the second tax payment (years 2-6).
Example
Sarah — Marketing Manager, 34, Birmingham
Sarah is deciding between a petrol SUV (150 g/km CO2, £38,000 list price) and an electric crossover (0 g/km, £42,000 list price). She drives 10,000 miles per year.
VED Calculator tab — Petrol SUV
VED Calculator tab — Electric Crossover
Despite the EV having a much lower first year rate (£10 vs £540), the expensive car supplement on the £42,000 EV means it actually costs more in VED over 6 years. If Sarah chose an EV under £40,000, the 6-year VED total would be just £985 — a £530 saving over the petrol.
Total Running Cost tab
Even with higher VED, Sarah saves over £1,000/year on fuel alone by going electric. The total running cost comparison makes the EV the cheaper option overall.