On passing your driving test, your next task might be looking for your first car. If on a budget, a little research can save you a small fortune in road tax. Vehicle Excise Duty or road tax is divided into 13 groups ranging from A - G. These groups determine what the driver pays for their road tax. What group your car falls in depends on its CO2 emissions.
For example, sports cars or high performance cars produce large quantities of CO2 emissions. As a result, these cars will fall into the high group. Vehicles with large engines such as 4 X 4's and some people carriers will also fall into the higher bracket. |
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Older cars tend to be less fuel efficient producing more CO2 and also fall into higher tax ranges. However, if your car is registered before 2001 then it isn't affected by the new changes. Road tax charges will be:
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- £120 per year or £66 for 6 months - if engine size is lower than 1549cc
- £185.00 per year or £101.75 for 6 months - if engine size is higher than 1549cc.
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| Cars registered after 2001 will be categorised by CO2 emissions charges. |
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Which car should I look for? |
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You can pay from as little as £15 to over £400 per year for road tax. Before purchasing your vehicle find out what the CO2 emissions are.
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An example of cars that fall into the £35 yearly tax band are:
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- Toyota Aygo (both petrol and diesel versions).
- Citroen C1 and Peugeot 107, it emits just 109g/km.
- Small-engined diesels such as the Renault Clio 1.5 dCi, Peugeot 207 1.4 HDI and Ford Fiesta 1.4 TDCI also make the grade.
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| Your road tax can be purchased for a period of 6 or 12 months. Purchasing your tax for a 6 month period costs around 10% more than 12 months. Road tax can be purchased at a post office or online. |
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