subject: A Quick Look At The Uk Car Tax Bands [print this page] If you own a car that you intend to drive or park in a public road within the UK, you will be required to pay what is known as the car tax. Two ways exist in which you can pay your car tax; you can choose to pay one that will last for six months, or you can choose to pay for your car tax by buying an annual license. The amount of money that you will be required to pay will be dependent on the size of the engine or the amount of carbon emissions.
Banding System
For a long time, the amount of car tax that one was required to pay depended on the engine size. However, due to increased concern for the environment, it was necessary to come up with laws that target to "penalize" car-owners whose cars have got high carbon emissions.
One of the most radical reforms to the car tax regime came from laws that took effect on 1 March 2001. For cars that were registered before this effective date, the amount of money that owners will be required to pay will depend on the engine size. In this banding system, a car with an engine size that is under 1550cc will attract a tax of 130 pounds per year. If on the other hand the capacity of the engine is 1550cc or more, the tax payable will stand at 215 pounds.
Car Taxes Based On Carbon Emissions
As already indicated, cars registered after the new car tax regime came into force on the 1st of march 2001 will attract a car tax based on the amount of carbon dioxide that is emitted by the vehicle. The amount of carbon emission is measured in terms of grams per kilometer. The more carbon dioxide a car emits, the more tax will be required of the owner.
Cars taxed based on carbon emission fall into thirteen classes; from class A (with less than 100g/km) to class M with at least 255g/km. Cars in class A pay no road tax while those in class M are required to pay 460 pounds a year.
Still on cars that are taxed based on carbon emissions, we have cars that were registered after the 1st of April 2010. Although these cars are taxed based on carbon emissions and within the A - M bands, the amount of tax levied on them differs. This newest system puts greater burden on vehicles that emit greater amounts of carbon dioxide within the first few years of registration.
