Car tax check: VED status and cost
Enter a UK registration number to see whether it's currently taxed, when its tax is due, and its Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) cost — calculated from the vehicle's official CO2 figure and first-registration date, including the post-2025 rules for electric and zero-emission vehicles.
Last reviewed: 2026-08-13
Check a car's tax
Enter a UK registration number to see its tax status and calculated VED cost.
What the tax check shows
- Tax status and due date — current DVLA tax status and, where the vehicle is taxed, the date it's next due.
- Calculated VED cost — Vehicle Excise Duty worked out from the vehicle's CO2 emissions and first-registration date against the current published VED rate bands.
- Electric and zero-emission vehicle rules — 73 Auto applies the post-2025 VED rules for zero-emission vehicles, including the reduced first-year rate and the additional rate that applies to higher-value electric cars.
- Untaxed-vehicle flag — a risk flag if official records show the vehicle as currently untaxed.
How the VED figure is calculated
Tax status and due date are read live from DVLA. The VED cost itself is calculated by 73 Auto from official published rate bands, which are entered into 73 Auto as fixed values rather than pulled from a live government feed — so when HMRC or DVLA change a rate, there's a lag until 73 Auto is updated. For an exact, time-sensitive amount, always verify directly with DVLA. See data sources for the full detail, and methodology for how VED fits into a full cost report alongside every other category.
Tax is only one line
VED is one of eight cost categories in a full 73 Auto report — alongside depreciation, fuel or energy, insurance, servicing, repairs, tyres and finance. See total cost of ownership for the complete picture, or car running costs for the ongoing costs of keeping a car on the road year to year.
Other vehicle checks
- Car checkA UK car's official DVLA record, MOT status and tax status in one check.
- Vehicle history checkFull DVSA MOT test history and mileage consistency signals.
- MOT checkCurrent MOT status, expiry date and full DVSA test history.
- Total cost of ownershipWhat TCO means and how 73 Auto calculates it for a specific car.
- Car running costsThe ongoing annual costs of keeping a car on the road.