What vehicles are free to tax?

Vehicle tax is a cost that many of us have to factor into our budgets, whether we pay annually or every 6 months. Vehicle tax, otherwise known as Vehicle Excise Duty, contributes to a Government fund out of which comes the cost of maintaining the UK’s road network. However, some vehicles are free to tax, which comes as a nice bonus if it applies to the car you own. 

Whilst you may not have to pay to tax your vehicle, you must still apply for tax on it, as failure to do so can result in a fine; this would somewhat undo the money saved by owning a tax-free vehicle, and be a whole lot of hassle to boot! 

So which vehicles are free to tax? 

Historic vehicles 

If you’re a big fan of the classics, you’re in luck when it comes to paying vehicle tax; cars registered before 1982 have no vehicle tax to pay! You do, however, have some paperwork to fill out before you can hit the road tax-free; it’s best to do your research if you think this applies to your vehicle. It’s also worth bearing in mind that this is a rolling 40-year exemption; the cut-off is 1982 in 2022, but in 2023 it will be 1983, and so on! 

Vehicles used for agriculture and horticulture 

Vehicles used for just cutting grass (such as sit-on mowers), tractors, and light agricultural vehicles are amongst those typically used ‘off-road’ and are therefore exempt from paying road tax. These vehicles are still permitted to travel on the road between land that is occupied by one person, but this must be at a distance of 1.5 kilometres or less. 

Cars that produce zero exhaust emissions

Since April 2017, the only new tax-free cars that you can purchase are ones that produce zero exhaust emissions; that’s electric cars. This makes popular cars such as the Nissan LEAF, Renault ZOE and the Peugeot e-208 free to tax, in addition to the other cost-saving benefits that electric cars provide. 

Vehicles registered between March 2001 and March 2017 that produce less than 100g/km of CO2

Many used cars on the market today will fit into this free-tax category, such as the Toyota Aygo, Ford Mondeo, and even the Nissan Qashqai! Vehicle tax was adjusted as of April 2017 in a bid to encourage more people to switch to greener motoring; this is why only electric cars are available new with no tax to pay. 

For a full list of tax-exempt vehicles, head to the relevant Government website pages.