Do electric cars pay road tax?
Yes: since 1 April 2025 electric cars pay the same £200 standard Vehicle Excise Duty rate as petrol and diesel cars. A £440 expensive-car supplement applies in years two to six where the list price was above £40,000 for petrol, diesel and hybrid cars, or £50,000 for zero-emission cars registered from April 2026, under gov.uk's vehicle tax rate tables.
Why might road tax cost more than expected?
Since 1 April 2025 almost every car pays the same standard rate, £200 a year, whatever the fuel, under gov.uk's vehicle tax rate tables. Electric cars lost their exemption on that date. A new EV pays a token £10 in the first year, then the standard rate after that.
The part that surprises people is the expensive-car supplement. If a car's list price when new was above the threshold, it pays an extra £440 a year on top of the standard rate, in years two to six. For petrol, diesel and hybrid cars that threshold is £40,000. For zero-emission cars registered from 1 April 2026 the threshold is £50,000, so a new EV has a little more headroom before the supplement bites.
What would I pay in a worked example?
A new £55,000 electric car registered from April 2026 is over the £50,000 EV threshold. It pays the £200 standard rate plus the £440 supplement, £640 a year in years two to six. The same car at £48,000 would stay under the threshold and pay only £200.
Common questions
Do electric cars pay road tax now?
Yes. The exemption ended on 1 April 2025. Electric cars now pay a token £10 in the first year, then the standard £200 a year, the same as other cars. If the list price is high enough they also pay the expensive-car supplement.
What is the £40,000 car tax (expensive-car supplement)?
If a car had a list price above the threshold when new, it pays an extra £440 a year on top of the standard rate, in years two to six. The threshold is £40,000 for petrol, diesel and hybrid cars, and £50,000 for zero-emission cars registered from 1 April 2026.
How much is road tax a year?
The standard rate is £200 a year. A car over the expensive-car threshold pays £200 plus a £440 supplement, so £640 a year in years two to six. This example (electric, £55,000) works out at £640.
Why might road tax cost more than expected?
The expensive-car supplement is easy to miss. If a car's list price when new was above the threshold, an extra £440 a year is due on top of the standard rate, in years two to six. The threshold is £40,000 for petrol, diesel and hybrid cars and £50,000 for zero-emission cars registered from 1 April 2026, per gov.uk's vehicle tax rate tables.
What would I pay in a worked example?
A new £55,000 electric car registered from April 2026 sits above the £50,000 EV threshold, so it pays the £200 standard rate plus the £440 supplement, £640 a year in years two to six. The same car at £48,000 would stay under the threshold and pay only £200.
Sources & Rate Verification
Rates verified against official statutory guidance on 6 September 2026.