Free Car Tax Check: Is Your Vehicle Taxed?

Enter the registration in the box above. We read the vehicle's DVLA record and show whether it is taxed, untaxed or SORN, the date the tax is due, and its MOT status. It is free and needs no signup. GOV.UK's own vehicle enquiry service shows the same DVLA status.

No. Vehicle tax does not pass to the new keeper: the seller's tax is cancelled when they tell DVLA, and they get a refund for any full months left. You must tax the car before you drive it, using the reference number on the green new keeper slip from the log book (V5C), or declare it off the road (SORN).

SORN stands for Statutory Off Road Notification. The keeper has told DVLA the vehicle is off the road, so it needs no tax, but it cannot be used or kept on a public road until it is taxed again. Making a SORN gets a refund for any full months of tax left.

No, if it needs one. You cannot renew vehicle tax once the MOT has expired, so book the MOT first and tax the car once it has passed. If the tax runs out in the meantime, declare it off the road (SORN). It can take up to 2 days for a new MOT to show on the record.

GOV.UK says it can take up to 2 working days for the record to update once a tax or SORN application has been approved. If you have just taxed the car and our check still shows the old status, check again in a couple of days.

The same way: enter the van's registration above. DVLA keeps the same tax status for vans as for cars. A van up to 3,500kg registered from 1 March 2001 pays £360 a year (2026/27), and our check uses that rate when DVLA's record says the vehicle is a goods vehicle.

Driving without road tax (VED) is a criminal offence. DVLA can fine you £80 automatically, plus the tax you owe, and if it goes to court the fine can be up to £1,000 or five times the yearly tax, whichever is more. DVLA uses automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras to detect untaxed vehicles. Your car can also be clamped, impounded, or crushed.

For cars first registered from 1 April 2017, the standard rate is £200 a year, whether petrol, diesel, hybrid or electric, plus £440 a year for five years if the car's list price was over £40,000 (over £50,000 for an electric car registered from 1 April 2025). Cars registered between 1 March 2001 and 31 March 2017 pay by CO2 band, from £20 (band A) to £790 (band M). Cars registered before 1 March 2001 pay £230 or £375, depending on engine size. Our check shows the rate for the car, including the supplement when DVLA's record shows it.

Yes. DVLA offers 12 monthly Direct Debits, or 6 months by Direct Debit, for 5% more than paying for 12 months in one go. A single 6 month payment costs 10% more. Bands A to C can only be paid for 12 months or monthly. You can set up a Direct Debit when you tax the car online or at a Post Office.

Yes. Electric cars have paid vehicle tax (VED) since 1 April 2025. One registered from 1 April 2025 pays £10 in its first year, then the £200 standard rate. One registered between 1 April 2017 and 31 March 2025 pays the £200 standard rate, and one registered between 1 March 2001 and 31 March 2017 pays the band A rate of £20. The £440 expensive car supplement applies to electric cars with a list price over £50,000, unless the car was registered before 1 April 2025.