Some motorists are having to pay up to £280 per year to use the road due to new car tax updates introduced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves. New Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) car tax bands came into effect from April 1, with charges rising across the board for almost all petrol, diesel and electric car owners.
Among those set to be hit by new rates are owners of brand-new cars, with first-year tax rates among those on the up. First-year tax rates are a hefty charge paid by owners of new cars in year one, with rates varying based on each vehicle’s emissions.
Highly-polluting vehicles emitting over 255g/km of CO2 are paying the most, with charges set at a whopping £5,690 to use the roads. Charges fall among cleaner cars, with models emitting between 76 and 90g/km of CO2 set to pay £280 per annum.
This is up £10 on the £270 charged to these owners ahead of the April tax year, but is more than double the rate paid by motorists over the 2024/25 tax year. Just over a year ago, first-year owners falling into this category paid just £135 to get behind the wheel, with fees now up £145.
Cars falling into this category tend to include modern full hybrids and highly efficient plug-in hybrids. Extremely efficient, small-engine petrol cars might just fall into this category, but combustion models tend to emit slightly more emissions and may just miss out.
VED is mandatory, meaning motorists must tax their vehicle every year to legally stay on the road. This can be done online in minutes, with fees paid either upfront or in instalments.
HMRC confirmed the increase to tax fees shortly after Rachel Reeves’ Autumn Budget last year.
It said: “As announced at Budget 2025, the Government will introduce legislation in Finance Bill 2025-26 to uprate Vehicle Excise Duty rates for cars, vans and motorcycles in line with the Retail Price Index (RPI) for 2026 to 2027. This will take effect from 1 April 2026.”