Do electric cars pay road tax? A 2026 UK guide
Do electric cars pay road tax? Yes. Since 1 April 2025, electric cars pay Vehicle Excise Duty (VED), the same as petrol and diesel cars.
If you own or plan to buy an electric car, road tax now counts as a running cost. This guide explains how much is road tax for an electric car in the 2026 to 2027 tax year. It also covers when you pay and what the new pay-per-mile charge means.
Knowing the figures helps you budget with confidence, whether you keep your car or sell it on Motorway. Electric cars still skip the congestion charge and stay exempt from ULEZ, so the change does not undo their other savings.
- Do electric cars pay road tax?
- Do hybrid cars pay road tax?
- How the DVLA works out your road tax
- What is the £50,000 expensive-car supplement?
- Will electric cars still pay tax after 2035?
- Electric car FAQs
Electric car road tax at a glance
- Do electric cars pay VED: yes, since 1 April 2025
- Newest electric cars, registered from April 2025: £10 first year, then £200 a year
- Expensive-car supplement: £440 a year on electric cars over £50,000
- Pay-per-mile eVED: 3p per mile from 1 April 2028
- Electric vans: £360 a year standard rate
Do electric cars pay road tax now?
Yes. Since 1 April 2025, every electric car pays road tax. Zero-emission cars used to be exempt from VED, but that exemption has ended.
So how much is road tax for an electric car? What you pay depends on when your car was first registered.
| When your electric car was first registered | Road tax in 2026 to 2027 |
|---|---|
| On or after 1 April 2025 | £10 in the first year, then £200 a year |
| 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2025 | £200 a year |
| 1 March 2001 to 31 March 2017 | £20 a year |
The DVLA sets these figures, as published in its gov.uk guidance on EV vehicle tax. You can check the tax on any car before you buy it.
Do hybrid cars pay road tax?
Yes, hybrid cars pay road tax too. The £10 discount for hybrids and other alternative-fuel vehicles ended on 1 April 2025.
Hybrids first registered on or after 1 April 2017 now pay the £200 standard rate. Those registered before then are taxed on their CO2 emissions, so the cleaner the car, the less you tend to pay.
How the DVLA works out your road tax
The DVLA works out your road tax differently depending on your car’s age:
- Cars registered after March 2001: the DVLA uses CO2 tailpipe emissions
- Cars registered before March 2001: the DVLA uses engine size
A low first-year rate still applies to the cleanest cars, but zero-emission cars no longer escape it. From the second year, an electric car pays the £200 standard rate, the same as most petrol and diesel cars.
According to the DVLA’s published DVLA vehicle tax rates, the standard rate is £200 a year and the expensive-car supplement is £440 a year.
What is the £50,000 expensive-car supplement?
Buy a pricey car and you pay an extra charge on top of standard road tax. The DVLA calls it the expensive-car supplement. It is £440 a year and runs from the second year for five years, so years two to six.
The price threshold depends on fuel type:
- Petrol and diesel cars: £40,000 or more
- Electric cars registered on or after 1 April 2025: £50,000 or more
Electric cars registered before 1 April 2025 do not pay the supplement at all. The threshold counts the car’s list price before any discounts.
Take an electric car listed at £52,000 and registered today. It pays the £440 supplement on top of the £200 standard rate in years two to six. Over those five years, that adds £2,200 in supplement charges alone.
The new pay-per-mile tax (eVED)
A new charge is on the way. From 1 April 2028, electric cars will pay a pay-per-mile tax on top of their standard VED. The government calls it electric Vehicle Excise Duty (eVED).
According to the government’s eVED policy paper, fully electric cars will pay 3p per mile and plug-in hybrids will pay 1.5p per mile. The charge was announced at Budget 2025 and is based on your recorded mileage.
Vans and heavy goods vehicles are out of scope when eVED launches. The rates will then rise with inflation (CPI) from 2029 to 2030.
Drive an electric car 8,000 miles a year and you would pay about £240 in eVED. That comes on top of your standard road tax. A plug-in hybrid over the same distance would pay about £120.
Do electric vans pay road tax?
Yes. Electric vans moved to the standard light-goods-vehicle rate on 1 April 2025. According to the DVLA’s published other vehicle tax rates, that rate is £360 a year for the 2026 to 2027 tax year, the same as a petrol or diesel van.
Run a van and want to move it on? You can sell your van on Motorway, the same simple way as a car.
Why have I been fined for not taxing my electric car?
Your electric car now has an amount to pay, and you must still tax it every year. In fact, gov.uk is clear that you must tax your car even when there is nothing to pay. You will get your usual renewal reminder, and you need to act on it.
If you do not tax your car, or declare it off the road with a SORN, you risk a penalty from the DVLA. Taxing your car takes minutes, but ignoring the reminder is costly.
How do electric cars pay road tax?
You tax an electric car the same way as any other car, and there is now usually a payment to make. Have your details ready and you have two options:
- Online: use the DVLA service on gov.uk with your V5C logbook and reminder letter
- In person: visit a Post Office with your V5C logbook, MOT certificate, and insurance details
To confirm your car is taxed or due for renewal, look it up on the DVLA record using your registration number. Set a reminder ahead of the renewal date so a payment never catches you out, especially now that most electric cars have something to pay.
Will electric cars still pay tax after 2035?
Yes. Electric cars already pay road tax, and that will not change after 2035. As the UK phases out new petrol and diesel cars, more road-tax revenue will come from electric drivers, so VED is here to stay for electric cars.
The pay-per-mile eVED charge from 2028 is the next confirmed step. If these changes have you weighing up your options, read our guide on buying or selling an electric car. You can also read our take on the 2035 electric car switchover.
Electric car road tax FAQs
Why do electric cars pay road tax now?
The government ended the VED exemption for electric cars on 1 April 2025. As more drivers switch to electric, the old exemption would have left a growing gap in road-tax revenue.
Which vehicles are exempt from road tax?
Very few now are. According to the DVLA’s list of vehicles exempt from vehicle tax, historic cars made before 1 January 1986 are exempt, along with some vehicles used by disabled people. You must still apply for the exemption rather than assume it applies.
How much is road tax for a typical electric car?
An electric car registered on or after 1 April 2025 pays £10 in the first year, then £200 a year. One registered between April 2017 and March 2025 pays £200 a year.
When does the pay-per-mile tax start?
The eVED pay-per-mile charge starts on 1 April 2028. Electric cars will pay 3p per mile and plug-in hybrids 1.5p per mile, on top of standard VED.
Do electric vans pay road tax?
Yes. Electric vans pay the standard light-goods-vehicle rate, which is £360 a year in the 2026 to 2027 tax year.
Ready to sell your car?
Ready to learn more about valuing, maintaining, and selling your car? Check out more of our guides here, covering everything from hybrid and electric car depreciation, to converting your car to dual-LPG fuel.
- Do electric cars need servicing?
- How & where to charge your electric car at home & on the road
- How to sell an electric car
- Electric cars — the ultimate guide
- Electric cars — should you buy or sell?
- Selling your car and the 2035 electric car switchover
- What is a hybrid car and how do they work?
- LPG cars — the ultimate guide
- How long does it take to charge an electric car?
- How & where to charge your electric car at home and on the road
- Do electric cars pay the congestion charge?
The information provided on this page is for general informational purposes only and should not be considered as professional advice.