How to Tax a Car in the UK: Online, Phone or Post Office

Taxing a car in the UK takes a couple of minutes once you have the right reference number in front of you. The confusion usually comes from three things: not knowing which number the system wants, not realising that tax no longer transfers when a car is sold, and not knowing what to do when a car is off the road.

Here is the whole process, the documents involved, and the rules that catch people out.

How do you tax a car online?

Go to the vehicle tax service on GOV.UK, enter one reference number, confirm the vehicle details, choose how long you want to tax it for and pay. The service runs 24 hours a day and the tax takes effect immediately.

The reference number is the only part that trips people up, because it depends on which piece of paperwork you have:

Step by step:

• Open the vehicle tax service on GOV.UK. Use the official site only, because copycat sites charge a fee for a free service.
• Enter your 16, 11 or 12 digit reference number.
• Check that the make, model, colour and registration shown match your car. If they do not, stop and contact DVLA.
• Choose 6 months, 12 months, or monthly by Direct Debit.
• Pay by debit card, credit card or set up the Direct Debit.

You will get a confirmation on screen and by email. There is no tax disc to display: enforcement is done electronically, and anyone can check a vehicle's tax and MOT status on GOV.UK using the registration.

What is vehicle tax and why do you need it?

Vehicle tax, properly called Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) and often known as road tax or car tax, is a tax on keeping or using a vehicle on a public road in the UK. It is collected by DVLA and paid into general taxation rather than being ring fenced for road maintenance.

The paper tax disc was abolished in October 2014. Since then, two things changed that still cause problems:

• Tax no longer transfers with the vehicle. When a car is sold, the seller's tax is cancelled and refunded. The buyer must tax it before driving it.
• Enforcement is automatic. DVLA runs monthly checks against its own database and police ANPR cameras read number plates on the move, so an untaxed car is usually picked up quickly whether or not it is being driven.

How is car tax calculated in the UK?

The rate depends on when the vehicle was first registered, and then on emissions, fuel type or engine size.

A few points worth knowing:

• The expensive car supplement is based on the list price when new, including options, not what you paid for it second hand. It catches a lot of used buyers by surprise.
• Electric vehicles are no longer exempt. Since April 2025 they pay VED alongside petrol and diesel cars.
• Vehicles built more than 40 years ago move into the historic vehicle class on a rolling basis and are taxed at a nil rate, but they still have to be taxed each year.
• Diesel cars registered from April 2018 that do not meet the relevant emissions standard are placed a band higher in their first year.

You can check the exact figure for a specific vehicle on the GOV.UK vehicle tax rate tables using the V5C details.

What documents do you need to tax a car?

In England, Scotland and Wales you need one reference number and a valid payment method. Everything else is checked electronically.

• V5C registration certificate (logbook). Issued by DVLA, it shows the registered keeper. It is proof of who is responsible for the vehicle, not proof of legal ownership.
• MOT. The vehicle must have a current MOT if it is old enough to need one, generally from three years after first registration. DVLA checks the MOT database, so you do not need the certificate itself.
• Insurance. The vehicle must be insured, and again the check is electronic against the Motor Insurance Database. Northern Ireland is the exception, where you still have to produce an insurance certificate or cover note.

If the MOT was done that morning it can take a short while to appear on the database, so give it an hour before trying to tax the car.

What if you do not have any of the reference numbers?

If you have lost the V5C and have no reminder or new keeper slip, apply for a replacement V5C using form V62. If you are the registered keeper you can usually tax the vehicle at a Post Office at the same time as submitting the V62, which avoids waiting for the replacement to arrive.

How do you tax a car by phone or at the Post Office?

Both routes exist for people without internet access or without an accepted reference number.

By phone

Call the DVLA vehicle tax line on 0300 123 4321. It is an automated 24 hour service. Have your V5C or V11 to hand and a debit or credit card. You cannot set up a Direct Debit over the phone, so if you want to pay monthly you need to use the online service or a Post Office.

At the Post Office

Not every branch handles vehicle tax, so check on the Post Office branch finder first. Take with you:

• Your V11 reminder, or your V5C if you do not have one.
• Your MOT certificate if the vehicle needs one.
• In Northern Ireland, a valid insurance certificate or cover note.
• Payment: card, cash or cheque, or your bank details if you are setting up a Direct Debit.

The Post Office is also where you tax a vehicle if you have just bought it and have neither the V5C nor the green slip, using form V62 alongside the payment.

Which payment option should you choose?

You can pay for 12 months in one go, 6 months in one go, or monthly by Direct Debit.

The two instalment options both cost a little more across the year than paying for 12 months up front, so pay annually if the cash flow allows. The advantage of Direct Debit is that it renews itself as long as the vehicle keeps a valid MOT and insurance, which removes the risk of forgetting.

Direct Debit is cancelled automatically if you tell DVLA the vehicle has been sold, scrapped, exported or declared SORN, or if the MOT lapses.

What is SORN and when do you need it?

A Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN) tells DVLA that a vehicle is off the road and will not be taxed. Once a SORN is in place the vehicle must be kept off public roads entirely, on a drive, in a garage or on private land.

You need a SORN if you are:

• Storing a car over winter or while it is not in use.
• Restoring a vehicle or waiting for repairs.
• Keeping a car you cannot currently insure or MOT.

Declare it online on GOV.UK, by phone on 0300 123 4321, or by post using form V890. A SORN takes effect immediately if you make it in the month your tax expires, or from the first of the following month if you make it in advance. It lasts until you tax the vehicle again or sell it, with no annual renewal.

The important detail: a car on a SORN cannot legally be driven on a public road, including to a garage, unless it is going to a pre booked MOT appointment.

What happens if you do not tax your car?

DVLA runs an automated check every month and issues a late licensing penalty to the registered keeper of any untaxed vehicle that is not on a SORN. The penalty is reduced if it is paid promptly, and it escalates if it is ignored, potentially leading to court action and a much larger fine.

Beyond the penalty, an untaxed vehicle on a public road can be clamped or impounded. Recovering it means paying a release fee, taxing the vehicle, and covering storage charges that build daily. If the vehicle is not claimed it can be disposed of.

The same monthly check also picks up vehicles that are insured but untaxed, so relying on not being seen is not realistic.

Getting your car tax refund

You do not apply for a refund separately. It happens automatically when you tell DVLA that you have:

• Sold or transferred the vehicle to someone else.
• Taken the vehicle off the road with a SORN.
• Scrapped it at an authorised treatment facility.
• Exported it, had it stolen, or registered it as exempt from tax.

The refund covers any full remaining months and is sent by cheque to the name and address on the V5C. Part months are not refunded, so if you are selling a car it is worth completing the transfer just after a tax month starts rather than a day before it ends.

Two common problems: the cheque goes to the address on the V5C, so update your address before you sell, and the refund goes to the registered keeper, which on a lease or company car is the finance company rather than the driver.

Practical tips for staying on top of it

• Set a calendar reminder a month before the tax and MOT both expire, rather than relying on the V11 arriving.
• Update your address on the V5C when you move. DVLA sends everything to the address it holds, and there is no charge for updating it.
• Check your vehicle's tax and MOT status online occasionally, especially after buying a car, to confirm what you think happened actually registered.
• If you have a lease or contract hire car, the finance company is the registered keeper and handles the tax. Check what your agreement says before assuming it is covered.
• Keep the green new keeper slip when you buy a car. It is the only document that lets you tax the vehicle straight away.

On the subject of leased vehicles, the tax is usually the easy part. The costs that catch drivers out at the end of an agreement are the damage charges applied against the fair wear and tear standard. If you have kerbed wheels, scuffed bumpers or door dents to sort before handover, lease car repairs generally cost far less than the finance company's recharge, and our team can give you a free quote within 24 hours.