Choose UK, Germany, France, or US.
EV usually exempt; diesel often taxed more.
Provide engine size and CO2 emissions from registration documents.
Review annual, monthly, and multi-year totals.
Road tax structures reflect each country's environmental and fiscal priorities. The UK prices CO2 emissions directly. Germany combines an engine size base (encouraging smaller engines) with a CO2 surcharge for high-emitting vehicles. France uses a steep malus to discourage high-CO2 cars. The US varies wildly by state but typically uses weight or value rather than emissions.
UK: VED bands by CO2 • Germany: Engine cc × rate + CO2 surcharge • France: malus by CO2
EVs are exempt or reduced in most jurisdictions — check the specific rule
UK VED rises sharply above 150 g/km CO2 — high-emitting cars cost £1,000+/year
Germany taxes diesel engines almost 5× more than petrol per cc
France's malus écologique can exceed €5,000 for high-CO2 cars
US states vary wildly — some have no road tax, others charge by weight or value
First-year vehicle tax is often higher than subsequent years
Factor road tax into the total cost of ownership when comparing vehicles
Road tax — known as Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) in the UK, Kfz-Steuer in Germany, and taxe sur les véhicules in France — is an annual levy that funds road infrastructure and incentivizes lower-emission vehicles. Each country uses a different formula. The UK bases VED entirely on CO2 emissions, with first-year rates ranging from £0 for zero-emission vehicles to over £2,745 for cars emitting above 255 g/km. Germany combines engine displacement (€2 per 100cc for petrol, €9.50 per 100cc for diesel) with a CO2 surcharge of €2.00 per g/km above the 95 g/km threshold. France applies a one-time malus écologique at registration, which can exceed €50,000 for high-emission vehicles. In the United States, road tax varies by state and is typically based on vehicle weight, value, or a flat fee. As governments push toward electrification, many are restructuring road tax to replace lost fuel duty revenue from EVs, making it increasingly important for car buyers to understand how these taxes will affect total ownership cost over the vehicle's lifetime.
Road tax is one of several recurring vehicle costs alongside fuel, insurance, depreciation, and maintenance. For high-emission vehicles, road tax can exceed €1,000-€2,000 per year — easily 10-20% of total annual ownership cost. Always factor it in when comparing two vehicles, especially when choosing between petrol/diesel/hybrid/EV options.
Data sourced from trusted institutions
All formulas verified against official standards.