Road tax 2026/27

Volkswagen Golf road tax in 2026/27

Road tax (VED) on a Volkswagen Golf in 2026/27 depends on when it was first registered. One first registered between 1 March 2001 and 31 March 2017 pays by CO2 band: across the 798 versions in the Vehicle Certification Agency's CO2 database from 2001 to 2016, that is £20 (band A) to £790 (band M) for 12 months, most often £35 (band C). One first registered from 1 April 2017 pays the £200 standard rate each year after its first (plus £440 a year in years 2 to 6 if its list price was over £40,000, or £50,000 for an electric car registered from 1 April 2025). Bought new in 2026/27, the first-year rate across the 65 versions in the VCA database on 28 September 2026 is £455 to £3,420, set by WLTP CO2. Cars first registered before March 2001 pay by engine size: £230 up to 1,549cc, £375 above.

Check what a specific car really costs to own

Data to 2026-04-01 · Page updated 2026-09-28 · Publisher: 73 Auto

Cheapest 2001–2017 version: £20; band A, 39g/km, listed 2015–2016
Typical 2001–2017 version: £225; median of 798 versions
First year, new: £455 to £3,420; 65 current versions, then £200

Which Volkswagen Golf is cheapest to tax

37% of the Volkswagen Golf versions sold between 2001 and 2016 pay less than the £200 a newer car pays, because their CO2 figure puts them in a band below it. The cheapest listed was the Golf GTE 1.4 TSI 150PS DSG Plug-In-Hybrid (1395cc electricity / petrol, D6) at 39g/km (£20); the dearest the Golf 5 Door R32 V6 4MOTION (250 PS) (3189cc petrol, M6) at 259g/km (£790).

Of the 959,230 Volkswagen Golfs licensed in the UK at 31 December 2025 (DfT), 58% were first used between 2002 and 2016 and so pay by CO2 band, 32% from 2018 onwards and pay the flat rate, and 3% before 2001, taxed by engine size; the remaining 8% were first used in 2001 or 2017, when the rules changed part-way through the year.

Volkswagen Golf tax by CO2 band (cars registered March 2001 to March 2017)

Volkswagen Golf versions by VED band and 2026/27 annual rate
Band	CO2	2026/27, 12 months	Versions	Share
Band A	up to 100g/km	£20	21	3%
Band B	101–110g/km	£20	61	8%
Band C	111–120g/km	£35	128	16%
Band D	121–130g/km	£170	89	11%
Band E	131–140g/km	£200	87	11%
Band F	141–150g/km	£225	128	16%
Band G	151–165g/km	£275	91	11%
Band H	166–175g/km	£325	65	8%
Band I	176–185g/km	£360	34	4%
Band J	186–200g/km	£410	53	7%
Band K	201–225g/km	£445	29	4%
Band L	226–255g/km	£760	10	1%
Band M	over 255g/km	£790	2	0%

Band K also covers cars over 225g/km first registered before 23 March 2006. Versions counted from VCA snapshots; a version listed across that date is counted once for each band it can fall in.

Volkswagen Golf tax by engine and fuel

Volkswagen Golf 2026/27 VED by engine size and fuel, cars registered 2001–2017
Engine	Listed	CO2	Bands	2026/27 VED
1.4 litre petrol	2001–2016	109–204g/km	B, C, D, E, F, G, H, K	£20 to £445
2.0 litre diesel	2004–2016	106–174g/km	B, C, D, E, F, G, H	£20 to £325
1.6 litre diesel	2010–2016	85–129g/km	A, B, C, D	£20 to £170
1.9 litre diesel	2001–2010	119–181g/km	C, D, E, F, G, H, I	£35 to £360
2.0 litre petrol	2001–2016	139–223g/km	E, F, G, H, I, J, K	£200 to £445
1.2 litre petrol	2010–2016	113–139g/km	C, D, E	£35 to £200
1.6 litre petrol	2001–2010	157–202g/km	G, H, I, J, K	£275 to £445
3.2 litre petrol	2003–2010	231–278g/km	K, L, M	£445 to £790
1.8 litre petrol	2001–2004	192–204g/km	J, K	£410 to £445
2.3 litre petrol	2001–2004	211–235g/km	K	£445
1.0 litre petrol	2016	99–109g/km	A, B	£20
2.8 litre petrol	2001–2004	264–266g/km	K	£445
1.4 litre electricity / petrol	2015–2016	39g/km	A	£20

Engine sizes rounded to the nearest 0.1 litre.

Volkswagen Golf tax by year it was sold

Versions in the VCA database each year, taxed as if first registered then. Use the year on the V5C to narrow the range, then the CO2 figure to find the exact band.

Volkswagen Golf 2026/27 VED range by the year the version was on sale
On sale	Versions	CO2	2026/27 VED	Most common
2016	93	39–165g/km	£20 to £275	£35 (C)
2015	65	39–180g/km	£20 to £360	£35 (C)
2014	140	85–199g/km	£20 to £410	£35 (C)
2013	119	98–199g/km	£20 to £410	£35 (C)
2012	75	99–199g/km	£20 to £410	£200 (E)
2010	104	99–255g/km	£20 to £760	£200 (E)
2009	65	119–255g/km	£35 to £760	£225 (F)
2008	42	119–255g/km	£35 to £760	£275 (G)
2007	38	132–255g/km	£200 to £760	£275 (G)
2006	41	140–259g/km	£200 to £790	£275 (G)
2005	28	140–206g/km	£200 to £445	£275 (G)
2004	56	140–278g/km	£200 to £445	£225 (F)
2003	41	143–278g/km	£225 to £445	£225 (F)
2002	35	143–266g/km	£225 to £445	£225 (F)
2001	38	140–266g/km	£200 to £445	£225 (F)

VCA snapshots from July 2001 to August 2016; the August 2011 snapshot is published only as a spreadsheet and is not used, so 2011 counts only versions listed both before and after it.

Volkswagen Golf registered from April 2017

A new Volkswagen Golf pays a one-off first-year rate set by its WLTP CO2 figure, then £200 a year. Of the 65 versions in the VCA database on 28 September 2026, the cheapest first year is the Golf Estate Life 1.5 eTSI 115 PS 7-Speed DSG (1498cc petrol electric, A7) at 114g/km (£455) and the dearest the Golf R Black Edition 2.0 TSI 4Motion 333 PS 7-Speed DSG (1986cc petrol, A7) at 192g/km (£3,420). The first-year rate is normally included in a new car's on-the-road price; a used buyer pays from the standard rate.

Expensive Car Supplement: of the 130 Volkswagen Golf versions sold since September 2025 that could still be paying it in 2026/27, 73 Auto's list-price reference confirms 8 cost over the threshold and pay £440 a year on top, and 0 cost less; the list price of the other 122 is not known to us, so we do not say either way.

Volkswagen Golf first-year road tax (bought new in 2026/27)

Volkswagen Golf versions by first-licence VED band, 2026/27
WLTP CO2	First year	Versions	Then
111-130g/km	£455	41	£200 a year
131-150g/km	£560	12	£200 a year
151-170g/km	£1,410	5	£200 a year
171-190g/km	£2,270	6	£200 a year
191-225g/km	£3,420	1	£200 a year

Versions in the VCA database on 28 September 2026, taxed by 73 Auto's VED engine as a first licence taken out on 1 April 2026. Plug-in hybrids use the weighted combined CO2 figure.

Does a Volkswagen Golf pay the Expensive Car Supplement?

Versions listed in each VCA snapshot, treated as first registered then and renewing in 2026/27. The status comes from 73 Auto's VED engine and list-price reference; “not known” means we have no confirmed list price for that version.

Volkswagen Golf versions by Expensive Car Supplement status in 2026/27, by when they were on sale
On sale	Versions	Pays £440	Under threshold	Not known
September 2025	65	4	0	61
Now	65	4	0	61

Electric versions first registered before 1 April 2025 are not counted here: under GOV.UK rules they never pay the supplement.

At a glance

Volkswagen Golf road tax in 2026/27 by first-registration date
Figure	Value	Basis
Before 1 March 2001	£230 up to 1,549cc, £375 above	engine size (V5C)
1 March 2001 – 31 March 2017	£20 to £790	CO2 band, see tables above
First year, new	£455 to £3,420	WLTP CO2, 65 current versions
From 1 April 2017	£200	standard rate after the first year
Expensive Car Supplement	+£440	from 1 April 2017, list price over £40,000 (£50,000 electric from April 2025), years 2–6

Limitations

Rates are the 2026/27 rates for a 12-month licence taken out from 2026-04-01; paying monthly or for six months costs slightly more. The CO2 figure is the official type-approval figure the VCA published when each version was on sale, which is normally the figure on the V5C, but a car's own V5C is what DVLA uses. Some versions were sold under a different model name (for example estate or MPV variants), and the VCA's list does not say how many of each were sold, so the version counts are not a guide to how common each band is on the road. The Expensive Car Supplement depends on the original list price including options, which the VCA list does not carry. Figures are calculated with 73 Auto's VED engine from the DVLA rate tables.

See the exact tax on a specific Volkswagen Golf

Enter the registration: we read its real CO2 figure and first-registration date from DVLA and DVSA and show the tax it pays, with its other running costs. Your first check is free and shows the vehicle summary and its headline ownership cost. The category-by-category breakdown is part of a paid check.

UK number plate or 17-character VIN

Where these figures come from

Car fuel data, CO2 and vehicle tax tools: archived database snapshots (15 snapshots, 2001–2016) — Vehicle Certification Agency. Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Car fuel data, CO2 and vehicle tax tools: WLTP database snapshots (2020 to the live database of 2026-09-28) — Vehicle Certification Agency. Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Vehicle Excise Duty rates 2026/27 (V149), as implemented in 73 Auto's VED engine — DVLA (GOV.UK). Open Government Licence v3.0.
Licensed cars by year of first use (VEH0124) — Department for Transport and DVLA. Open Government Licence v3.0.
Tax per version, ranges and shares (73 Auto calculation with its VED engine) — 73 Auto. Derived figures.
Original list prices behind the Expensive Car Supplement status (73 Auto list-price reference) — 73 Auto. Derived figures.

Figures labelled as 73 Auto estimates are our own analysis of these sources, set out in the methodology and data sources. To report a factual error, see corrections.