Road tax on an import worries people because nobody can tell them the figure up front. The rules themselves are the same ones every British car follows. What changes with an import is the evidence the DVLA has to work from, and that evidence decides which band the car lands in.
Road tax, properly called Vehicle Excise Duty, is separate from the import VAT and duty paid at the border. For those, use our import tax calculator. This guide is about what you pay to keep the car on the road once it is registered.
Taxed when it is registered
An imported car is taxed for the first time as part of its registration. The DVLA form for a used import, the V55/5, is literally titled the application for first vehicle tax and registration. GOV.UK says you pay a £55 registration fee and tax the car when you register it.
So the band is fixed at the point the application goes in, using what is written on it and the documents sent with it. Getting that right first time is far easier than trying to change it afterwards. Our guide to the V55/5 goes through the form itself.
The date that matters
Which set of rates applies depends on when the car was first registered, and for an import that means first registered anywhere, not first registered here. The DVLA confirmed this when the current scheme started: a used import comes under the April 2017 rules if it was first registered abroad on or after 1 April 2017. Anything registered abroad before then stays on the older rules.
That gives three eras, each with its own way of working out the tax.
| Feature | Taxed on | Yearly rate (12 months) |
|---|---|---|
| From 1 April 2017 | CO2 for the first payment, then a flat standard rate | £200 standard rate |
| 1 March 2001 to 31 March 2017 | CO2 band, A to M | £20 to £790 |
| Before 1 March 2001 | Engine size, split at 1549cc | £230 or £375 |
Cars first registered from 1 April 2017
The first payment is based on the car's CO2 figure and covers 12 months. It runs from £10 for a zero-emission car up to £5,690 for anything over 255g/km. Diesels that do not meet the RDE2 standard pay a higher first rate, and GOV.UK suggests asking the manufacturer if you are not sure.
After that, the standard rate is £200 a year. A car with a list price over £40,000 pays an extra £440 a year (£50,000 for electric cars), for five years from the second time it is taxed.
That is why the V55/5 asks for the list price on M1 passenger cars registered from 1 April 2017. The DVLA's guide says it is the price on the day before the car is taxed and registered.
Cars first registered 1 March 2001 to 31 March 2017
These cars are taxed every year on their CO2 band. GOV.UK's table runs from band A (up to 100g/km) at £20 a year to band M (over 255g/km) at £790. Cars registered before 23 March 2006 with a figure over 225g/km sit in band K, at £445.
This is the era where the evidence question bites hardest, because the whole band rests on one number. That is covered below.
Cars first registered before 1 March 2001
Older cars are taxed on engine size. GOV.UK sets two bands: £230 a year for engines not over 1549cc and £375 for anything bigger. For most older imports, that is simple, because the engine size is on the foreign registration document.
CO2 evidence versus engine size
For a car taxed on CO2, the DVLA needs a CO2 figure it can accept. The V55/5 guide says to take it from the Certificate of Conformity, using the combined figure, and that the WLTP figure can come from the Certificate of Conformity or the IVA certificate.
GOV.UK also says a car first registered from 1 March 2001 with EU type approval, and a CO2 figure in g/km, needs proof of approval to be taxed. That applies even where the car is old enough not to need approval testing. In practice, for a European car of that era, the Certificate of Conformity is what gets it into the right CO2 band. Our CoC guide explains how to get one.
Where there is no CO2 figure, the DVLA said in 2017 that the car is taxed in the private light goods class. GOV.UK rates that class on engine size, at the same £230 and £375 as pre-2001 cars. This is common with older Japanese and American imports, which were never given a European CO2 figure.
Engine size can work out cheaper or dearer. A small-engined car with no CO2 figure pays £230, which may be more than its CO2 band would have been. A big-engined car pays £375, which may be less. Which way it falls depends on the car, so ask us before you assume.
Evidence that sets the right band
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Supplement on used imports
The £40,000 supplement can catch a used import too. When the scheme started, the DVLA said that for a used car first registered abroad from 1 April 2017, the extra rate applies for up to six years from its date of first registration outside the UK. So a three-year-old import may only have part of that period left to run.
Classics and the 40-year rule
Road tax works on a rolling date for older cars. From 1 April 2026, cars built before 1 January 1986 can stop paying vehicle tax, but the exemption has to be applied for. It does not happen on its own. My Car Import handles the declarations for classics to become MOT and road tax exempt as part of registration.
Registering in the historic class can help elsewhere too. TfL exempts vehicles over 40 years old in that class from the ULEZ, which our ULEZ guide covers. For the dating evidence a classic needs, see our guide to importing a classic car.
After the first year
Once the car is registered, it is taxed like any other British car. You renew online or by Direct Debit, monthly, six-monthly or yearly. The band set at registration carries forward, which is one more reason to get the evidence right before the application goes in.
We fill in and submit the V55/5 for our customers through our DVLA account, with the documents the DVLA needs to band the car. Our guide on how long registration takes covers the timings.
Questions people ask
Is road tax higher on an imported car?
Not because it is imported. It follows the same rate tables as any car. The difference is the evidence: without an accepted CO2 figure, a car may be taxed on engine size instead.
Which date decides the tax on an import?
The date it was first registered anywhere. The DVLA said in 2017 that a used import comes under the current rules if it was first registered abroad on or after 1 April 2017.
How is a car with no CO2 figure taxed?
The DVLA said cars without a CO2 figure are taxed in the private light goods class. GOV.UK rates that class on engine size: £230 a year up to 1549cc and £375 above.
Where does the CO2 figure come from?
The DVLA V55/5 guide says to take it from the Certificate of Conformity. The WLTP figure can come from the Certificate of Conformity or the IVA certificate.
Do I pay road tax on a classic import?
From 1 April 2026, cars built before 1 January 1986 can stop paying vehicle tax, but you have to apply for the exemption. We handle the declarations as part of registration.
Want to know how your car is likely to be banded before it ships? Send us the details on the quote form.
