DVLA hits millions with new £650 driver tax - check if you are exempt

The DVLA has hiked road tax for millions of drivers this month, as it brought in a number of changes to existing charges on April 1. These include an increase in the standard rate for all vehicles. The tax exemption for electric vehicles (EVs) has also been axed.

Meanwhile, low-emission vehicles have also been hit with tax increases, and there has also been a sizeable increase in first-year rates for new cars with high emissions. It means drivers could face significantly higher costs to run their vehicles, with warning that the average UK car owner could be paying more than £650 per year in fuel duty and road tax, reports.

However, motorists whose vehicles were first registered from March 1, 2001, can easily check online whether they're affected by entering their number plate registration on

The car buying service's 30-second car valuation tool will reveal your CO2 emissions and the amount of car tax that applies to you.

The new standard annual road tax rate has gone up by £5 to £195 and applies to all cars first registered between April 1, 2017, and March 31, 2025, the outlet reports. This includes electric vehicles.

New EVs registered from the 1st of April be subject to a £10 tax in the first year, known as the "showroom tax".

An "expensive car supplement" will apply to cars that have a list price of more than £40,000.

Such vehicles are subject to an additional £425 anually between the second and sixth years of you owning it, but all EVs registered before March 31, 2017, will benefit from a lower annual rate of £20.

Low-emission vehicles are also affected by the changes. Vehicles of this kind that produce between one and 50 g/km of CO2 are now liable for a £110 tax rate, having previously paid no road tax in the first year - with petrol and diesel cars in the same band paying just £10.

First-year road tax for new cars that emit 51-75 g/km has been bumped up to £135, from the previous £20 rate for hybrids and £30 for petrol and diesel cars, as reported by The Mirror.

Meanwhile, the rate for new cars that fall into the higher-polluting category (emitting 76g/km or more) has risen twofold.

According to , owners of new luxury and performance cars bought after April 2025 that emit over 255g/km of CO2 will be hardest hit, with the road tax rising from £2,745 to £5,490 per annum, though pickups are being treated as LCVs so will avoid the tax tike.

You can find the full list of changes .