New rundown emerges as drivers warned of new £425 supplement for an extra 5 years
From next month buyers will face paying a £5,690 car tax bill due to changes in Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) rates. Household names like Ford, BMW, Toyota and Mercedes, will face a £5,690 tax from April 1 – but there is an easy way to knock £1,000 off the bill.
A new list has collected together 53 vehicles which will pay the top rate of VED for the first year – which will rise to £5,690 from £5,490 according to forecasts. The top-band charge applies to vehicles emitting more than 255g/km of CO₂. This week Chancellor Rachel Reeves made no changes to the VED plans in her spring statement, meaning they will go ahead.
Many of the models in Band M would actually go into the lower Band L, say experts – knocking £1,000 off – and because they’re only just over the limit going for a slightly lower specification when buying the car could work. The Government chose to dramatically hike first-year VED charges for petrol and diesel vehicles from April 2025 onwards. These hefty sums are paid by purchasers of brand-new cars before dropping to the standard rate afterwards.
The first year’s tax liability is determined according to a vehicle’s carbon dioxide emissions. Currently, electric vehicle (EV) motorists benefit from VED exemption, whilst cars producing between 111g and 150g/km of CO2 face a £220 levy.
Motors surpassing 255g/km encounter an even steeper first-year charge of £5,490, and this amount is anticipated to rise further from April to £5,690. Changes implemented last April meant EV buyers paid just £10 for their inaugural year’s VED, a sum which has lately stayed unchanged.
Buyers who choose a model in Band L — between 226g/km and 255g/km — will pay £4,680 instead, saving more than £1,000 in year one. Organisations like the RAC advise always check the official CO₂ emissions figure for the specific trim and engine variant you are considering — not just the model name. Even within the same car family, CO₂ output can vary significantly between engine sizes and gearbox options.
READ MORE: UK road tax 2026 April 1 changed 13 VED bands how much drivers payREAD MORE: Full list of 59 cars facing near £6,000 car tax in just a few months’ time
The table below sets out the full range of first-year VED charges taking effect from 1 April 2026, based on CO₂ emissions. Rates apply to petrol and diesel cars meeting RDE2 standards. Cars with a list price of over £40,000 at first registration pay an additional £425 per year (Expensive Car Supplement) for five years from the second licence. From 1 April 2026, the threshold for zero-emission vehicles increases to £50,000.
The full list of 53 models confirmed by data experts at AI SEO to fall in Band M (over 255g/km CO₂), and therefore subject to the £5,690 first-year charge:
- Alfa Romeo: Stelvio 2.9 V6 Bi-Turbo
- Aston Martin: DB12 4.0 V8, DBX 4.0 V8, Vantage 4.0 V8
- Audi: R8 5.2 FSI V10, RS6 4.0 TFSI V8, RS7 4.0 TFSI V8, RSQ8 4.0 TFSI V8, S8 4.0 TFSI V8, SQ7 4.0 TFSI V8, SQ8 4.0 TFSI V8
- Bentley: Bentayga 4.0 V8, Continental 4.0 V8, Continental 6.0 W12, Flying Spur 4.0 V8
- BMW: Alpina XB7 4.4 V8, M8 4.4 V8, X5 M 4.4 V8, X6 M 4.4 V8, X7 M 4.4 V8
- Chevrolet: Corvette Stingray 6.2 V8
- Ferrari: Purosangue 6.5 V12, Roma 3.8T V8
- Ford: Mustang 5.0 V8
- INEOS: Grenadier 3.0P
- Jaguar: F-Pace 5.0 P575 V8
- Jeep: Wrangler 2.0 GME
- Lamborghini: Huracán 5.2 V10, Revuelto 6.5 V12, Urus 4.0 V8 BiTurbo
- Land Rover / Range Rover: Defender 90 5.0 P425 V8, Defender 110 5.0 P425 V8, Range Rover 4.4 P530 V8, Range Rover 4.4 P615 V8, Range Rover Sport 4.4P V8
- Lotus: Emira 3.5 V6
- Maserati: Levante 3.0 V6, Levante 3.8 V8, MC20 3.0 V6
- Mercedes-Benz: AMG GT 4.0 V8, G400D, G63, GLE63, GLC63, GLS63h, SL55
- Porsche: 718 Cayman 4.0 GT4, 911 3.7T 992 Turbo, Cayenne 4.0T V8, Macan 2.9T V6
- Rolls-Royce: Cullinan 6.75 V12, Ghost 6.75 V12
- Toyota: Land Cruiser 2.8D
Commercial vehicles: Ford Ranger (3.0 V6), Volkswagen Amarok (3.0 TDI), Toyota Hilux (2.8D)
In contrast, drivers with petrol, diesel, and hybrid cars are bracing for a considerable increase as these fees are set to double. A Treasury spokesperson told Car Dealer Magazine that buying new motors such as a Ford Puma could witness the first-year VED expense jump from £220 to £440. For luxury variants like a Range Rover, the initial year’s duty would rocket from £2,745 to a staggering £5,490 – with a further rise to £5,690 expected.
“A difference of just a few grams of CO₂ per kilometre can mean paying over a thousand pounds more in first-year tax,” said a spokesperson for AI SEO. “Buyers should check the exact emissions figure on any car they are considering before April, because dropping into Band L rather than the top band is one of the simplest savings available right now.”
Search using the full model name plus ‘CO2 g/km’ or ‘WLTP emissions’ on GOV.UK or the manufacturer’s own website to find the exact C02 levels.. Manufacturer spec pages should list the exact figure for each variant.
Expected first year vehicle tax rates from April 1, 2026
- 0g/km – Remains at £10
- 1-50g/km – Rising from £110 to £115
- 51-75g/km – Rising from £130 to £135
- 76-90g/km – Rising from £270 to £280
- 91-100g/km – Rising from £350 to £365
- 101-110g/km – Rising from £390 to £405
- 111-130g/km – Rising from £440 to £455
- 131-150g/km – Rising from £540 to £560
- 151-170g/km – Rising from £1,360 to £1,410
- 171-190g/km – Rising from £2,190 to £2,270
- 191-225g/km – Rising from £3,300 to £3,420
- 226-255g/km – Rising from £4,680 to £4,850
- Over 255gkm – Rising from £5,490 to £5,690
After the driver pays the £5,690 in year one, they will still pay the “Expensive Car Supplement” from years 2 to 6. This adds £425 to the standard annual rate (approx. £200), meaning a tax bill for the following five years will be roughly £625 per year.
From year two onwards, the standard annual rate rises to £200 for all cars registered after April 2017, regardless of emissions. That makes the first-year payment the biggest variable cost for new-car buyers — and the one most within their control at the point of purchase. The 40-year classic car tax rule remains intact. If your vehicle was produced over four decades ago, you’ll still be classified under the “historic vehicle” category and pay zero in VED.
Similarly, road tax exemptions for disabled drivers remain untouched. If you’re eligible, you’ll continue to be completely exempt from these increases.
