Everything You Need to Know About Checking Car Tax
6 June 2025 | 
Car tax, also known as Vehicle Excise Duty (VED), is a legal requirement for most drivers in the UK. Whether you’ve just bought a car or can’t remember when your current tax is due, it’s essential to know how to check and stay up to date. In this guide, we’ll cover how to check your tax status, how much you might need to pay, and how temporary car insurance can help you tax your vehicle quickly when you need to.
How to Check Car Tax
You can check whether a car is taxed using the government’s vehicle tax checker. Just enter the vehicle’s registration number to confirm if tax is valid and when it’s due for renewal.
There are a few key reasons you might need to check your car tax:
- You’re unsure when your car tax expires.
- You’ve just bought a used car.
- You’re about to tax a vehicle and want to confirm its details.
If you’ve recently bought a second-hand car, remember that tax doesn’t carry over from the previous owner. You’ll need to insure and tax the car before driving it.
Driving without tax is illegal and can lead to fines of up to £2,500, with the DVLA also able to clamp or impound your car until payment is made. (The only exception is driving a SORN vehicle to a pre-booked MOT.)
How Much Will Your Car Tax Be?
Car tax costs depend on several factors, including:
- Vehicle age.
- CO₂ emissions.
- Fuel type.
- List price when new.
Generally, newer low-emission vehicles – like hybrids or EVs – fall into lower tax bands, while older diesel cars or vehicles over £40,000 may incur higher charges.
To find your vehicle’s tax band, you’ll need the 11-digit reference number from your V5C log book. You can also check fuel and emissions data on the Vehicle Certification Agency website.
Some drivers are exempt from paying for car tax, such as:
- Drivers with a registered disability.
- Owners of historic vehicles (over 40 years old).
Even if you’re exempt, you still need to tax your car, though. If your car is off-road and not being used, you’ll need to register it as SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification) if you don’t want to tax it.
How to Tax Your Car
To tax your car, you’ll need either your vehicle log book (V5C), a recent DVLA tax reminder, or the green ‘new keeper’ slip if you’ve just bought the vehicle. You can pay online at GOV.UK, by phone, or at a Post Office that handles vehicle tax. Payment can be made by card, Direct Debit, or even cash or cheque at the Post Office.
You can’t tax a car without insurance in place. The DVLA automatically checks the Motor Insurance Database (MID) when you apply, so make sure you’re insured first. If you need to tax a vehicle quickly and haven’t sorted annual insurance yet, temporary insurance can be a fast, flexible solution.
Knowing how to check your car tax is essential if you want to stay road legal and avoid unnecessary fines. Whether you’re buying a second-hand car, unsure of your renewal date, or just want peace of mind, checking your tax on the gov.uk site is quick and easy. And if you find out your tax has expired, don’t panic – short-term insurance can help you get covered fast so you can tax your car and get back on the road without delay.
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