A Simple Guide to Motor Tax Rates

Motor tax rates are imposed by the government on individuals that have motor vehicles. If you want to drive legally in a public area, you need to pay the required motor tax. There are various factors that determine the amount that one has to pay to the local authorities. Moreover, you have the option to pay it after twelve, six, or three months.

Factors that determine the motor tax rates

There are mainly three factors that you must keep in mind while calculating the motor tax rates. These are –

1. The capacity of the engine

The engine capacity or cc is taken into account if the vehicle was created before July 2008.

2. CO2 emission

The NEDC or CO2 emission outputs are critical if the registration of the car was between the time periods of 1^st July 2008 to 31^st December 2020. However, WLTP or CO2 emission outputs will be considered for the automobiles that have been registered after 1^st January 2021.

3. Unladen weight

This criterion is mainly for commercial vehicles. Here, the unladen weight is considered. Unladen weight is actually the vehicle weight when there is no load.

Motor tax rates

The motor tax rates are determined based on the vehicle type you have. Moreover, one can also view the different tax rates on the website of the Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government.

The various automobiles that require the payment of the motor tax are –

• Motorcycle

• Taxi

• Private cars

• Goods vehicle

• Buses

• Public service automobiles

What is the rule for vintage cars?

Firstly, it is vital to understand if the car is actually a vintage. For a vehicle to be vintage, it must at least be more than or equal to thirty years of age from its production. In order to publicly display the status to others, the owner must carry the vehicle registration certificate. Here, the age of the car must be visible. Suffice to say, the motor tax rates differ.

Motor tax rates for the commercial vehicles

The motor tax rates for commercial vehicles differ from the private ones greatly. For instance, commercial vehicles have taxes based on their weight. The more the weight, the higher the tax you want to pay.

However, these motor tax rates only apply to commercial automobiles. If you are caught using them for pleasure or social purposes, there will be a penalty. It means that you have broken the law and can also face potential court summons. But, there is an option that lets you register the commercial car for other use. In this case, the rates are based on the engine capacity system and not the recent CO2-based one.

How to apply for motor tax?

To apply for the tax of the new vehicle, you can visit the local Motor Taxation Office. However, you can also search for it online.

When you visit the local office, you must ask for the RF100 form, which is also known as the First Motor Tax Application Form. Apart from the office, you can also get this from the dealer from where you have purchased the car.

Keep in mind that you will have to pay a specific amount of fees, along with the form for successful payment of the tax.

However, simply paying the motor tax is not enough. Vehicle owners also have to display it on their windscreen.

Conclusion

Vehicles that have been registered from and after 1^st January 2021 have to pay motor tax rates based on the WLTP or the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Testing Procedure. There are also minor changes that will affect the tax rates for the cars registered between July 2008 and December 2020.