You face a hefty car tax if you own one of these cars

As major new car tax changes come into effect, owners will have to pay a whopping £5,690, it has been announced.

Updates of Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) will be introduced from April 1, and the sting will be felt by petrol, diesel and electric car owners.

Who is going to be the most affected?

Motorists with the keys to the latest brand new combustion vehicles, with the most costly rises hitting first-year VED rates.

Costs range from just £10 for electric car owners, however, those emitting over 255g/km of CO2 pay the highest rates, with bills this year set to jump £200 from £5,490 to £5,690.

Those who will pay more include owners of top brands such as Audi, BMW and Mercedes, as more sporty, high-performance models generally emit more pollution.

From the second year on the roads, models registered after 2017 will switch to the standard VED fee.

As part of Retail Price Index (RPI) inflation rises, it will rise to £200 per annum from April 1.

First-year rates for the most polluting models doubled last year, as fees jumped from £2,745 to £5,490 per annum.

“As announced at Budget 2025, the Government will introduce legislation in Finance Bill 2025-26 to uprate Vehicle Excise Duty rates for cars, vans and motorcycles in line with the Retail Price Index (RPI) for 2026 to 2027. This will take effect from 1 April 2026”, HM Revenue and Customs announced.

If you fail to pay the rate it means tax evasion, and drivers risk facing fines or having their car confiscated.

Full list of new cars emitting over 255g/km of CO2:

Alfa Romeo Stelvio 2.9 V6 Bi-Turbo
Aston Martin DB12 4.0 V8
Aston Martin DBX 4.0 V8
Aston Martin Vantage 4.0 V8
Audi R8 5.2 FSI V10
Audi RS6 4.0 TFSI V8
Audi RS7 4.0 TFSI V8
Audi RSQ8 4.0 TFSI V8
Audi S8 4.0 TFSI V8
Audi SQ7 4.0 TFSI V8
Audi SQ8 4.0 TFSI V8
Bentley Bentayga 4.0 V8
Bentley Continental 4.0 V8
Bentley Continental 6.0 W12
Bentley Flying Spur 4.0 V8
BMW Alpina XB7 4.4 V8
BMW M8 4.4 V8
BMW X5 M 4.4 V8
BMW X6 M 4.4 V8
BMW X7 M 4.4 V8
Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 6.2 V8
Ferrari Purosangue 6.5 V12
Ferrari Roma 3.8T V8
Ford Mustang 5.0 V8
Ford Ranger 2.0 TD EcoBlue
Ford Ranger 3.0 EcoBlue
Ford Ranger 3.0 V6
INEOS Grenadier 3.0P
Jaguar F-Pace 5.0 P575 V8
Jeep Wrangler 2.0 GME
Lamborghini Huracan 5.2 V10
Lamborghini Revuelto 6.5 V12
Lamborghini Urus 4.0 V8 BiTurbo
Land Rover Defender 110 5.0 P425 V8
Land Rover Defender 90 5.0 P425 V8
Lotus Emira 3.5 V6
Maserati Levante 3.0 V6
Maserati Levante 3.8 V8
Maserati MC20 3.0 V6
McLaren GT 4.0T V8
Mercedes-Benz AMG GT 4.0 V8
Mercedes-Benz G400D
Mercedes-Benz G63
Mercedes-Benz GLC63
Mercedes-Benz GLE63
Mercedes-Benz GLS63h
Mercedes-Benz SL55
Porsche 718 Cayman 4.0 GT4
Porsche 911 3.7T 992 Turbo
Porsche Cayenne 4.0T V8
Porsche Macan 2.9T V6
Range Rover 4.4 P530 V8
Range Rover 4.4 P615 V8
Range Rover Sport 4.4P V8
Rolls-Royce Cullinan 6.75 V12
Rolls-Royce Ghost 6.75 V12
Toyota Hilux 2.8D
Toyota Land Cruiser 2.8D
Volkswagen Amarok 3.0 TDI