Car Tax Check

Is my car taxed? What a vehicle tax check shows

Vehicle Excise Duty (VED), which almost everyone calls car tax, is recorded against the vehicle on the DVLA's database. Paper tax discs were abolished in 2014, so there's nothing in the windscreen to look at any more. A car tax check is the simplest way to see the current position.

Our check reads the DVLA record and shows:

• Tax status: taxed, untaxed or SORN.
• The car tax due date, which is when the current tax runs out.
• MOT status as held by the DVLA, useful because you can't tax without a valid MOT.
• Vehicle details that affect the rate: CO₂ emissions, fuel type, engine size and the month of first registration.

Car tax statuses explained

The status tells you what the vehicle can legally do right now:

“Untaxed” isn't always sinister. It's exactly what you'd expect to see on a car that has just been sold, because tax doesn't pass to the new keeper.

Car tax doesn't transfer when you buy a car

Since October 2014, vehicle tax ends automatically when a car changes hands. The seller gets a refund for any full months left, and you, as the buyer, must tax the car before driving it away. That applies even if the car showed as taxed when you viewed it.

To tax a car you've just bought, you'll need the 12-digit reference from the green “new keeper” slip (V5C/2) that the seller tears off the logbook and hands to you. You can then tax online, by phone or at a Post Office that offers vehicle tax.

How to check car tax and renew it

To renew your own tax, you need one of these reference numbers:

• the 16-digit number from a V11 tax reminder letter
• the 11-digit reference from your V5C logbook
• the 12-digit reference from a V5C/2 new keeper slip

The vehicle must also have a valid MOT if it needs one. If yours has expired, you'll need to pass a test first. Our MOT due date checker shows exactly when yours runs out. You can pay for 12 months in one go, or spread it with Direct Debit, which usually costs a little more overall.

How car tax rates are worked out

The amount depends mainly on when the car was first registered. That date decides which set of rules applies for the rest of its life.

Since April 2025, electric cars have paid vehicle tax too, having previously been exempt. Rates change most Aprils, so check GOV.UK for current figures before budgeting.

The expensive car supplement

Cars registered from April 2017 with a list price above £40,000 pay an additional charge for five years, starting from the second time the vehicle is taxed. It's based on the original list price including options, not what you paid. A used car bought for £15,000 can still attract it if it cost over £40,000 new.

What happens if your car is untaxed

The DVLA matches its tax records against number plate cameras and its own database, so untaxed vehicles are easy to identify. Consequences include:

• an automatic penalty if a vehicle is untaxed and not declared SORN
• prosecution, with a fine of up to £1,000
• the vehicle being clamped, or towed and impounded until the tax and fees are paid

A car parked on the street outside your house needs tax just as much as one being driven. If it's genuinely off the road, in a garage or on a private driveway, declare SORN instead.

SORN: taking a car off the road

A Statutory Off Road Notification tells the DVLA you're keeping a vehicle off public roads, so you don't need to tax or insure it. It's common for project cars, cars waiting for repairs and second cars over winter.

A SORN stays in place until the vehicle is taxed, sold or scrapped. You can't drive a SORN vehicle on a public road except to a pre-booked MOT. When you tax it again, the SORN ends automatically.

Car tax refunds

When you sell, scrap or SORN a vehicle and tell the DVLA, any full calendar months of tax remaining are refunded automatically. Part-months aren't refunded, so it can be worth timing a sale or SORN at the end of a month if you're paying annually.

Car tax check when buying a used car

Tax status is a quick, useful signal when you're looking at a used car. Before you go to a viewing:

1. Run the check and note the status. A car advertised as “taxed until March” that shows as SORN hasn't been used recently, which may explain flat batteries or seized brakes.
2. Look at the MOT status alongside it. A car that's untaxed because its MOT expired can't be driven home until it passes a test. See the MOT history for how the last test went.
3. Confirm the vehicle details on the record match the car. Our reg check covers this in more depth.
4. Arrange your own insurance, and plan to tax the car online on the spot using the new keeper slip before you drive away.

Remember that you can't legally drive a newly bought car home on the seller's tax. It ended the moment the sale was reported to the DVLA, even if the seller hasn't done it yet.

Common car tax mistakes

• Assuming tax comes with the car. It doesn't, and the automatic penalty catches out lots of new owners.
• Letting a Direct Debit fail. If a payment bounces, the DVLA can cancel the tax and the car becomes untaxed. Keep your bank details up to date.
• Forgetting to tell the DVLA when you sell. You stay responsible for the car, and you won't get your refund.
• Parking a SORN car on the street. SORN vehicles must be kept off public roads entirely, even if they're never driven.
• Missing the MOT. When the certificate runs out you can't renew the tax. Use the MOT due date calculator to stay ahead.

Exemptions

Some vehicles qualify for a zero-rate tax class, though they still need to be taxed (just at £0). The main groups are vehicles used by disabled people who receive certain benefits, and historic vehicles built more than 40 years ago. Our MOT due date page covers the related MOT exemption for older vehicles.

Thinking of driving in London? Tax is only one running cost. Check whether the car meets emission rules with our ULEZ check too.