Road tax changes announced in Chancellor Philip Hammond’s Autumn Budget came into force on April 1, 2018 – but will they mean you pay more to keep your car on the road?
Here’s all you need to know about the April 2018 road tax changes.
How first-year VED rates will be charged from April 1, 2018
| CO2 emissions (g/km) | Current first-year VED | First-year VED for diesels registered from April 2018* |
| 0 | £0 | N/A |
| 1 – 50 | £10 | £25 |
| 51 – 75 | £25 | £100 |
| 76 – 90 | £100 | £120 |
| 91 – 100 | £120 | £140 |
| 101 – 110 | £140 | £160 |
| 111 – 130 | £160 | £200 |
| 131 – 150 | £200 | £500 |
| 151 – 170 | £500 | £800 |
| 171 – 190 | £800 | £1,200 |
| 191 – 225 | £1,200 | £1,700 |
| 226 – 255 | £1,700 | £2,000 |
| Over 255 | £2,000 | TBA |
* Applies to vehicles not meeting real-world Euro 6 standards.
What cars will be hit by the April 2018 changes?
The changes impact first-year tax rates for new diesel vehicles not meeting real-world Euro 6 standards.
This means that new cars can emit up to 1.5 times the current 80mg/km NOx limit under real-world driving tests to avoid being bumped up a tax band.
The changes will apply to new vehicles first-registered from April 1, 2018. Older cars will not be hit by the hikes.
Does this apply to vans?
No – the increase in charges is reserved for cars.
Why have the rates changed – again?
These changes in rates can be seen as a realignment ahead of bigger changes coming into force from September 2019, when methods used to measure emissions will change.
New emissions testing will swap from the laboratory to real-world driving situations. This is expected reveal a significant increase in emissions levels for most cars – meaning bigger bills for many drivers.
So, give some examples of cars that will now cost more to tax – and by how much!
Just a couple of examples showing how new car owners could pay more from April. Images Ford & Porsche
According to AutoExpress, cars such as the Ford Fiesta are likely to owe £20 more under new first-year tax rates, but higher-polluting motors, like the Porsche Cayenne, are expected to be hit by hikes of up to £500.
So it’s only new-car drivers that’ll pay more?
No. Anyone who bought a car just before April last year could be hit by an increase in the standard rate tax payment.
The new standard charge will be £140 – and £450 per year for vehicles costing over £40,000.