Car tax check

How much is the tax on this car?

The yearly vehicle tax for a used car, from the details on its V5C log book. To see if it is taxed right now, use GOV.UK.

Rates from GOV.UK tables
No registration needed
Not affiliated with DVLA

Enter the date of first registration

The V5C log book shows the date the car was first registered. With the fuel, that is enough for most cars. The yearly rate appears here.

Tax status

Is it taxed right now? Check on GOV.UK.

VetTheCar does not show whether a car is taxed, untaxed or SORN, or when its tax runs out. DVLA holds that record. GOV.UK shows it with just the registration.

Check if a vehicle is taxed

Useful next checks

More free checks, no sign-up.

How much is car tax?Car Tax Calculator What does SORN mean for this car?SORN Check When is my MOT due?MOT Due Date

What this data can tell you

The yearly rate a used buyer pays to tax the car, from the GOV.UK rate tables: by engine size before March 2001, by CO2 band from March 2001 to March 2017, and the standard rate plus any expensive car supplement from April 2017. Worked out from the details you enter.

What it cannot tell you

Whether this car is taxed, untaxed or SORN today, or when its tax runs out: VetTheCar does not see DVLA records. Disability and other exemptions are not worked out here, and rates change each April.

Rates: GOV.UK vehicle tax rate tables (DVLA). Rules: GOV.UK guidance, read on 28 September 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Independent service, not affiliated with DVLA.

Before you buy

Tax status is on GOV.UK. The Buying Report reads the MOT record.

The Buying Report does not show tax or SORN status. For the car you are looking at, it reads the MOT history for you: what to check, whether the mileage adds up and how it compares with cars like it.

One report for this vehicle, no subscription. Everything shown above stays free.

What the report adds

What the car is worth against comparable cars

What to check, read from its MOT history

Whether the mileage adds up

The rules

Taxed, untaxed
or SORN

A car tax check answers two questions. Is the car taxed right now? Only DVLA holds that, and GOV.UK shows it for free: Check if a vehicle is taxed (opens in a new tab). And what will it cost to tax once you own it? That is what this page works out, from the details on the V5C log book.

Vehicle tax does not pass to you when you buy a used car. You must tax it, or make a SORN, before you drive it. The SORN Check explains the off-road rules. For the first-year rate a new car pays, or the tax over six years, use the Car Tax Calculator.

Sources: GOV.UK vehicle tax rate tables and guidance on buying a vehicle and SORN, read on 28 September 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Independent service, not affiliated with DVLA.

Taxed

Tax is paid up to a date. It is not transferred when the car is sold, so a buyer must tax it before driving it. The seller gets a refund for any full months left.

Untaxed

No tax and no SORN. GOV.UK says a keeper who needs a SORN and does not make one is automatically fined £80.

SORN

Declared off the road. It can go on a public road only to or from a pre-booked MOT or other test. Taxing it again cancels the SORN.