Independent guide. Not affiliated with DVLA or GOV.UK. Always verify rates at gov.uk.
HowMuchIsCarTax.com

Check Car Tax by Registration UK
Free DVLA Tool

DVLA runs a free official lookup at gov.uk/check-vehicle-tax. Enter any UK registration number to see whether the vehicle is currently taxed, when the tax expires, MOT status, fuel type, and CO2 emissions. No fees. No account needed. No paid third-party wrapper does anything the official tool does not already do.

Check tax at gov.uk/check-vehicle-tax

Step-by-step: check car tax by registration

  1. 1. Visit gov.uk/check-vehicle-tax.
    The DVLA vehicle enquiry service. Always start here. Anyone offering a "premium" or "deluxe" lookup is wrapping this free service.
  2. 2. Enter the registration number.
    Use the UK format (e.g. AB12 CDE). The form is not case-sensitive. Spaces optional.
  3. 3. Confirm the make + model.
    DVLA shows the vehicle make and model so you can confirm you have entered the right reg.
  4. 4. Read the tax and MOT status.
    Shows: tax status (Taxed / Untaxed / SORN), tax due date if taxed, MOT status, MOT expiry, fuel type, CO2 emissions, year of manufacture.

Total time: about 30 seconds. The DVLA tool is the authoritative source. We do not provide a registration-lookup tool of our own because the official one exists, is free, and is more accurate than any third-party can be.

What the DVLA tool tells you

  • - Tax status: Taxed, Untaxed, or SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification)
  • - Tax due: the date the current VED expires (if taxed)
  • - MOT status: Valid, Not valid, No MOT details held
  • - MOT expiry date: when the current MOT runs out
  • - Year of manufacture: useful for confirming the historic vehicle 40-year rolling exemption
  • - CO2 emissions: the figure you need to apply the band lookup on /rates-by-co2
  • - Fuel type: petrol, diesel, electric, etc.
  • - Engine size: in cc, relevant for pre-2001 vehicles
  • - Cylinder capacity / wheelplan / vehicle type approval: technical reference data

From the DVLA lookup to the £ amount

The DVLA tool tells you the current tax status, not the £ rate. To work out how much VED you would pay for any car:

  1. Get the CO2 figure from the DVLA lookup (or the V5C logbook)
  2. Get the registration date (or year of manufacture if the car is older)
  3. Get the original list price (only matters for the £40k / £50k supplement)
  4. Use the HowMuchIsCarTax calculator or look the band up in /rates-by-co2 for post-2017 cars, or /pre-2017-rates for older vehicles

Why we don't run a reg-number tool here

Third-party reg-number lookup wrappers commonly: (a) require an email signup before showing the result, (b) push paid "full vehicle history" reports the DVLA tool already covers for free, (c) rely on stale data caches that lag behind DVLA, or (d) bundle insurance-broker referrals into the result.

DVLA runs the authoritative tool free of charge. Pointing you to gov.uk/check-vehicle-tax is the honest answer. If you spot a stale rate or a calculation that doesn't add up on this site, email [email protected] with the page URL.

Related guides

Full CalculatorFrom CO2 + reg date to exact £ rate.Rates by CO2 BandAll 13 bands with first-year rates.How to PayOnline, phone, Post Office routes.SORNWhat to do if the vehicle is off the road.Classic CarsPre-1986 historic vehicle exemption.MethodologySources, refresh cadence, what we publish.

Authoritative source: gov.uk/check-vehicle-tax. Verified May 2026.

Updated 2026-05-11