{"id":489,"date":"2014-01-31T17:14:02","date_gmt":"2014-01-31T17:14:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/staging.ingenie.com\/young-drivers-guide\/?p=489"},"modified":"2018-08-23T15:01:01","modified_gmt":"2018-08-23T14:01:01","slug":"road-tax-explained","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ingenie.com\/young-drivers-guide\/road-tax-explained","title":{"rendered":"Road tax explained"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re planning on buying a car it\u2019s not just the cost of the car itself you need to factor in \u2013 there\u2019s insurance, maintenance costs, fuel and of course road tax.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

But what exactly is road tax, who pays it and how, and where does the money go?<\/p>\r\n

Road tax is commonly misunderstood \u2013 in fact it isn\u2019t even called road tax, it\u2019s called vehicle exercise duty<\/p>\r\n\r\n

It doesn\u2019t, as many people think, just pay to upkeep the country\u2019s roads.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Do I have to pay road tax?<\/h2>\r\n\r\n

You do, it\u2019s a legal requirement.<\/p> \r\n\r\n

The only way around it is to buy a very eco-friendly car that falls into one of the tax-free brackets. Additionally, cars made before 1973 and electric cars are also exempt.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

How much does it cost?<\/h2>\r\n

That depends on the car you drive. If your car was made before 2001 then the road tax is calculated based on engine size, if it was made after 2001 then it\u2019s dependent on your CO2 emissions.<\/p> \r\n\r\n

To complicate matters further, some cars will pay a different amount for the first year after manufacture. It\u2019s something you should definitely have in mind when choosing which car to buy.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Luckily most of the cars you\u2019ll be considering as a new or learner driver will have small economical engines so will be in a low tax bracket. You may even find your tax is nothing if you go for an eco model such as the Fiesta 1.0T Ecoboost.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t
Car emission band<\/th>\r\n\t\t\tCost<\/th>\r\n\t\t<\/tr>\r\n\t\t\t<\/thead>\r\n\t
Band A (up to 100 g\/km)<\/td>\r\n\t\t\t\u00a30<\/td>\r\n\r\n\t\t<\/tr>\r\n\t\t
Band B (101-110g\/km)<\/td>\r\n\t\t\t\u00a320<\/td>\r\n\r\n\t\t<\/tr>\r\n\t\t
Band C (111-120 g\/km)<\/td>\r\n\t\t\t\u00a330<\/td>\r\n\r\n\t\t<\/tr>\r\n\t\t
Band D (121-130 g\/km)<\/td>\r\n\t\t\t\u00a3120<\/td>\r\n\r\n\t\t<\/tr>\r\n\t\t
Band E (131-140 g\/km)<\/td>\r\n\t\t\t\u00a3140<\/td>\r\n\r\n\t\t<\/tr>\r\n\t\t
Band F (141-150 g\/km)<\/td>\r\n\t\t\t\u00a3155<\/td>\r\n\r\n\t\t<\/tr>\r\n\t\t
Band G (151-165 g\/km)<\/td>\r\n\t\t\t\u00a3195<\/td>\r\n\r\n\t\t<\/tr>\r\n\t\t
Band H (166-175 g\/km)<\/td>\r\n\t\t\t\u00a3230<\/td>\r\n\r\n\t\t<\/tr>\r\n\t\t
Band I (176-185 g\/km)<\/td>\r\n\t\t\t\u00a3250<\/td>\r\n\r\n\t\t<\/tr>\r\n\t\t
Band J (186-200 g\/km)<\/td>\r\n\t\t\t\u00a3290<\/td>\r\n\r\n\t\t<\/tr>\r\n\t\t
Band K (201-225 g\/km)<\/td>\r\n\t\t\t\u00a3315<\/td>\r\n\r\n\t\t<\/tr>\r\n\t\t
Band L (226-255 g\/km)<\/td>\r\n\t\t\t\u00a3540<\/td>\r\n\r\n\t\t<\/tr>\r\n\t\t
Band M (over 255 g\/km)<\/td>\r\n\t\t\t\u00a3555<\/td>\r\n\r\n\t\t<\/tr>\r\n\t<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n \r\n

How do I buy road tax?<\/h2>\r\n\r\n

Online<\/h3>\r\n\r\n

Providing the DVLA have your up to date details and you have a valid MOT and insurance certificate, the easiest way is to buy online<\/a> with a credit or debit card.<\/p> \r\n\r\n

At the post office<\/h3>\r\n\r\n

Alternatively you can buy your road tax in person at larger post office branches. You\u2019ll need to take the following with you:<\/p>\r\n\r\n

    \r\n\t
  • Your V11 reminder (if you\u2019ve received one)<\/li>\r\n\t
  • Insurance certificate or cover note<\/li>\r\n\t
  • MOT test certificate<\/li>\r\n\t
  • Payment by cash or card<\/li>\r\n\t<\/ul>\r\n\r\n

    By telephone<\/h3>\r\n

    If you prefer the phone, you can call 0300 123 4321.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n

    Where does the money go?<\/h2>\r\n\r\n

    As we said, most people think that road tax gets spent on roads. And until the 1930s that was indeed the case. These days it goes into a central pot and the government can spend it wherever it\u2019s needed most. On that basis it\u2019s impossible to know exactly where it ends up.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

    From October 1st 2014, you no longer need to display a paper tax disc on your vehicle windscreen.<\/strong><\/div>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    If you\u2019re planning on buying a car it\u2019s not just the cost of the car itself you need to factor in \u2013 there\u2019s insurance, maintenance costs, fuel and of course road tax. But what exactly is road tax, who pays it and how, and where does the money go? Road tax is commonly misunderstood \u2013 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":2919,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-489","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rules-and-regulations","rules-and-regulations"],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n