ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW AS SOME DRIVERS FACE £5,690 CAR TAX
All you need to know as major car tax hike hits many UK motorists:
- A staggering 59 vehicles across 24 different manufacturers will face a whopping £5,690 first-year Vehicle Excise Duty charge from April 2026.
- The Government has dramatically increased VED rates for petrol and diesel cars, with the highest emission vehicles bearing the brunt of the changes. Cars emitting more than 255g/km of CO2 will see charges rise from £2,745 to £5,690, affecting popular brands including Ford, BMW, Mercedes, and luxury marques like Porsche and McLaren.
- Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced the policy to push drivers towards electric vehicles, stating: "To help drive the transition to electric vehicles the government is strengthening incentives to purchase EVs by widening the differentials in Vehicle Excise Duty First Year Rates between EVs and hybrids or internal combustion engine cars." Electric vehicles continue to benefit from minimal charges of just £10 for first-year VED.
- The changes follow a tiered system, with fees approximately doubling from 2024 levels. A Treasury spokesman revealed that a Ford Puma's first-year VED will leap from £220 to £440, while luxury vehicles like Range Rovers will jump from £2,745 to £5,490.
- From April 2028, electric vehicles will face a new 'mileage tax' of 3p per mile to compensate for lost fuel duty revenue. John Cassidy from Close Brothers Motor Finance warned: "A pay-by-mile scheme for electric vehicles risks increasing costs for many drivers, particularly those who rely on their cars for higher annual mileage."
- The luxury car tax threshold will rise to £50,000 for electric vehicles while remaining at £40,000 for petrol and diesel cars, adding an extra £425 annually for five years on qualifying vehicles.
- Classic cars over 40 years old and vehicles for disabled drivers remain exempt from these increases.
- Full list of 59 cars emitting over 255 g/km has been released:
- Lamborghini Urus 4.0 V8 BiTurbo
- BMW X6 M 4.4 V8
- BMW M8 4.4 V8
- Land Rover Defender 110 5.0 P425 V8
- Ferrari Purosangue 6.5 V12
- Rolls-Royce Ghost 6.75 V12
- Mercedes-Benz G63
- Porsche 718 Cayman 4.0 GT4
- Maserati Levante 3.8 V8
- Mercedes-Benz GLS63h
- Audi R8 5.2 FSI V10
- Porsche Cayenne 4.0T V8
- Audi SQ8 4.0 TFSI V8
- Toyota Land Cruiser 2.8D
- Ford Ranger 3.0 EcoBlue
- Audi S8 4.0 TFSI V8
- Audi RS7 4.0 TFSI V8
- Jeep Wrangler 2.0 GME
- Mercedes-Benz GLE63
- Ford Ranger 2.0 TD EcoBlue
- Aston Martin DBX 4.0 V8
- Land Rover Defender 90 5.0 P425 V8
- Range Rover 4.4 P615 V8
- Audi RSQ8 4.0 TFSI V8
- Mercedes-Benz SL55
- Jaguar F-Pace 5.0 P575 V8
- Aston Martin Vantage 4.0 V8
- Toyota Hilux 2.8D
- INEOS Grenadier 3.0P
- Mercedes-Benz AMG GT 4.0 V8
- Porsche Macan 2.9T V6
- Lamborghini Huracan 5.2 V10
- Alfa Romeo Stelvio 2.9 V6 Bi-Turbo
- Ford Mustang 5.0 V8
- Lotus Emira 3.5 V6
- Mercedes-Benz GLC63
- Bentley Bentayga 4.0 V8
- Ford Ranger 3.0 V6
- BMW Alpina XB7 4.4 V8
- Audi SQ7 4.0 TFSI V8
- Aston Martin DB12 4.0 V8
- BMW X7 M 4.4 V8
- Rolls-Royce Cullinan 6.75 V12
- Lamborghini Revuelto 6.5 V12
- Volkswagen Amarok 3.0 TDI
- Ferrari Roma 3.8T V8
- Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 6.2 V8
- Range Rover 4.4 P530 V8
- Maserati MC20 3.0 V6
- Mercedes-Benz G400D
- Maserati Levante 3.0 V6
- Bentley Flying Spur 4.0 V8
- Bentley Continental 4.0 V8
- BMW X5 M 4.4 V8
- Audi RS6 4.0 TFSI V8
- Porsche 911 3.7T 992 Turbo
- Bentley Continental 6.0 W12
- Range Rover Sport 4.4P V8
- McLaren GT 4.0T V8
- READ THE FULL STORY: Full list of 59 cars to face £5,690 car tax in April 2026 including Toyota and Ford