Recorded tax status
Review the available vehicle tax status alongside the seller's information. A status result is a record to check; it does not transfer tax to a new keeper.
Vehicle Excise DutyUnderstand the cost of car tax
Check available UK car tax details by registration before you buy. Review recorded status, emissions and VED rate information where supplied, with a PDF report to help you compare running costs.
Know what the figures mean for your budget. The report costs £0.99 per vehicle; any tax payable to DVLA is separate. Confirm the current amount on GOV.UK before paying.
What does a VED report include?
Available tax details to review alongside the registration, seller's information and current official guidance.
What is Vehicle Excise Duty?
Vehicle Excise Duty, usually shortened to VED, is UK vehicle tax. You may know it as car tax or road tax. When comparing used cars, it is one of the ongoing costs to consider alongside insurance, fuel or charging, servicing and repairs.
The CarExamer report costs £0.99 for one vehicle. It brings the available VED details into a dedicated PDF in your downloadable report archive. Tax status, due information, emissions and rate details may be supplied; coverage varies by vehicle.
Just checking whether a car is taxed? Use the free GOV.UK tax-status check. Our free car data check also shows available tax details. Choose the paid package if you want its available VED information together in a separate report.
Read any rate beside its label. A first-year amount, a standard rate and an additional rate can describe different payments. A missing field does not establish that no tax is due, and a report figure is not a personalised tax quote.
A tax check also leaves other buying questions open. Use a full car history check for recorded background risks and review the vehicle's condition before committing to a purchase.
Read the labels as well as the amounts
What to look for in the report
Tax due or expiry information
Check the tax due date or expiry details where supplied. Recent changes may take time to appear, so confirm the position with DVLA before acting.
CO2 emissions and tax band
See recorded emissions and band information where available. Read these alongside the registration date and fuel type when comparing the appropriate tax rules.
Standard-rate information
Review available standard VED figures, including six- or twelve-month amounts where supplied. Confirm the current amount and payment options on GOV.UK.
First-year rate information
A first-year rate may also be shown. Keep it separate from later payments: the first payment for a newly registered car may differ from its ongoing annual tax.
Additional-rate information
Premium-vehicle rate details may appear where available. Check whether an expensive-car supplement applies using the original list price, registration date and current rules.
How to check car tax information
Confirm the vehicle, review the available details and check the amount you will need to pay.
Check
1. Confirm the registration
Enter the UK number plate on the history-check page and confirm the returned vehicle. Select Vehicle Excise Duty, review the report price and add the package to your cart.
Compare
2. Read the available details
Download the completed report archive and open the VED PDF. Check the status and dates where shown, then distinguish first-year, standard and additional-rate information before comparing amounts.
Decide
3. Confirm the cost with DVLA
Use current GOV.UK guidance to confirm the applicable rate and any supplement or exemption. If you buy the car, arrange your own tax before driving; the previous keeper's tax does not transfer.
GOV.UK explains how to check tax status and the current rate, and what to do when buying or selling a vehicle. Checking the current rate requires the 11-digit reference from the V5C log book as well as the registration.
Check status, get a report or pay tax?
Free status checks, information reports and vehicle tax payments serve different purposes.
Free tax-status check
Is the vehicle recorded as taxed?
Use the official registration lookup to check vehicle tax and SORN status for free. Recent approved applications can take up to two working days to appear.
Check tax status on GOV.UKVehicle Excise Duty report
£0.99 per vehicleWould a separate VED report help me compare costs?
Keep the available tax status, emissions and rate information together in a dedicated PDF. The report price is separate from any vehicle tax due.
Get a VED reportTax your vehicle
Do I need to pay or renew my vehicle tax?
Use the official GOV.UK service to arrange vehicle tax and confirm the payable amount. Buying a CarExamer report does not complete this step.
Tax a vehicle on GOV.UKFull car history check
Are there recorded risks before I buy?
Investigate recorded finance, theft, insurance write-off and mileage concerns with a separate package. Tax status alone does not answer these questions.
Explore the full history checkFor a broader buying budget, compare the asking price with a Vehicle Valuation. Review past test results and recorded mileages with the free MOT history check.
What affects the cost of car tax?
Registration date, emissions, fuel type and the applicable tax class can change the amount. These are the main points for cars; other vehicle types have separate rules.
Registration date and emissions
For cars registered before 1 March 2001, tax depends on engine size. For registrations from 1 March 2001 to 31 March 2017, CO2 emissions and fuel type determine the band. Cars registered from 1 April 2017 have first-payment and later-payment rules. Compare the right registration period in the official vehicle tax rate tables.
Electric cars and additional rates
Electric cars became subject to VED from 1 April 2025. An expensive-car supplement may also apply, based on the original list price and registration date, rather than today's used-car price. The eligibility rules differ by vehicle. Read DVLA's current electric-vehicle guidance before assuming an electric car has no tax cost.
A change of keeper
Remaining tax does not transfer with a used car. A tax expiry date in the seller's report does not cover you after purchase. Follow the official buying and selling instructions, arrange your own tax before driving and include that payment in your purchase budget.
Exemptions and keeping a car off-road
Even where nothing is payable, an exempt vehicle still needs to be taxed. If you keep a vehicle off public roads, check whether a SORN declaration is appropriate. A previous keeper's SORN does not transfer to you, and specific rules govern any permitted road use.
Rates and eligibility can change. Use the current GOV.UK guidance and the amount shown when taxing the vehicle to confirm your budget. Available report figures do not replace that confirmation.
Your questions answered
Report prices, free tax checks, electric cars and what changes when you buy.
Vehicle Excise Duty, or VED, is UK vehicle tax, commonly called car tax or road tax. The amount depends on the vehicle and the applicable tax rules. For cars, registration date, fuel type, emissions or engine size can matter, along with any applicable supplement or exemption. Use the official guidance linked in this guide to check the rules for your vehicle.
The CarExamer Vehicle Excise Duty report costs £0.99 for one vehicle. This is the price of the information report, not the vehicle tax payable to DVLA. Additional report packages are optional and priced separately. You can see the total before adding your selection to the cart.
Yes. GOV.UK provides a free vehicle tax and SORN status check using the registration number. CarExamer's free car data check also shows available tax details. You do not need to buy this report just to check tax status. The paid package brings the available VED details, including rate information where supplied, into a dedicated downloadable PDF.
You can start a CarExamer report with a UK registration number and confirm the returned vehicle before selecting the package. Available details vary by vehicle. To check the current tax rate directly on GOV.UK, you also need the 11-digit reference from the V5C log book. A registration-only report does not guarantee the final amount payable.
No. The report is for information. Buying it does not pay vehicle tax, renew it, register an exemption or make a SORN declaration. Use the official GOV.UK service to tax your vehicle and confirm the amount due. The report price and any tax payable to DVLA are separate.
No. Vehicle tax does not transfer to the new keeper. You must arrange tax before driving the car, or make your own SORN declaration if it will be kept off public roads. A report showing that the car is taxed under the previous keeper does not mean you can drive it away using that tax.
Electric cars became subject to VED from 1 April 2025, including existing vehicles. The applicable rules depend on registration date and can include an expensive-car supplement. Do not assume an electric car is tax-free. Check the current DVLA electric-vehicle guidance linked above and any exemption that applies to your circumstances.
No. The relevant price is the original published list price before discounts, rather than what you pay for the car second-hand. Registration date, fuel type and the current eligibility rules also matter. Check the official rate table linked above before estimating the cost; a lower used-car price does not by itself remove a supplement.
Recent changes may not appear immediately. GOV.UK says approved tax or SORN applications can take up to two working days to appear in its status checker. Check the registration, keep any official confirmation and contact DVLA if the official record needs clarification. A report is a snapshot, not a lasting guarantee of tax status.
No. This package focuses on available VED information. Recorded finance, theft and insurance write-off risks belong to the separate Full car history check. Detailed MOT results and mileages are available through the free MOT history check. Tax status does not establish roadworthiness, insurance cover or a clear vehicle history.
Once your order is completed and the reports are prepared, you can download the report archive. Vehicle Excise Duty is supplied as its own PDF within that download. Available fields vary by vehicle, and not every rate or supporting detail will be supplied. Confirm the current payable tax with DVLA before relying on a figure for your budget.
Ready to review the available tax details?Confirm the registration and choose your £0.99 report.
Get a VED report