VEHICLE TAX
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Renew car tax in less than a minute
Forget slow sites and fiddly forms. Pay for vehicle tax effortlessly with Caura. You'll need your V11 or your V5C, enter the details into the app and pay via Apple Pay or Google Pay (or credit card if you prefer). You'll have the option to renew for 6 or 12 months.
What is vehicle tax?
Vehicle tax (also known as VED, or Vehicle Excise Duty) is an annual tax that pretty much all UK drivers – if you drive or park on public roads – must pay (with some exceptions).
This tax goes into a centralised government fund, some of which is spent on the development and maintenance of the UK's highways infrastructure.
On a basic level this means re-surfacing and repairing potholes, it also means development of new roads and route improvement more generally.
All you need to know
VED is tied to the vehicle, not the driver. If you sell your car you can reclaim a pro-rata amount for the remainder of the tax period. Vehicle tax can be paid monthly, or every 6 or 12 months. There's a 5% surcharge to pay monthly or 6 monthly (charged by the DVLA). Caura lets you pay for 6 or 12 months in the app.
How much is vehicle tax?
The amount you pay for your car’s tax depends on its CO2 emissions. The more CO2 emissions it emits, the higher the charge.
You can work out how much tax you’ll pay by looking at the government’s tiered band system. The current annual rates for petrol or diesel cars registered on or after 1st March 2001 and before March 31st 2017 are:
- Band A: £0
- Band B: £20
- Band C: £30
- Band D: £135
- Band E: £165
- Band F: £180
- Band G: £220
- Band H: £265
- Band I: £290
- Band J: £330
- Band K: £360
- Band L: £615
- Band M: £630
For petrol and diesel cars registered on or after April 1st 2017, bands are as follows (diesel charges vary depending on whether the vehicle meets RDE2 standards:
- 0g/km: £0
- 1 to 50g/km: £10 - £25
- 51 to 75g/km: £25 - £120
- 76 to 90g/km: £120 - £150
- 91 to 100g/km: £150 - £170
- 101 to 110g/km: £170 - £190
- 111 to 130g/km: £190 - £230
- 131 to 150g/km: £230 - £585
- 151 to 170g/km: £585 - £945
- 171 to 190g/km: £945 - £1,420
- 191 to 225g/km: £1,420 - £2,015
- 226 - 255g/km: £2,015 - £2,365
- Over 255g/km: £2,365
The tiered band system favours the development of newer, cleaner, more eco-friendly electric and hybrid vehicles. It deters drivers from owning or leasing vehicles with high emissions rates. More and more bands have been introduced to the system over the years to keep up with the way cars are evolving.
Alternative fuel vehicles are subject to different tax rates. You can check the latest costs on the gov.uk website.
Fines for not paying vehicle tax
You face fines if you don’t pay car tax. The DVLA takes serious action against those who don’t pay, and you’ll be given an £80 fine on the spot. This gets reduced to £40 if it’s paid in 28 days.
Using an untaxed vehicle on a public road without a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN), results in an out-of-court settlement letter (OCS). You’ll receive a £30 penalty plus one and a half times the outstanding vehicle tax. So, the longer you’ve driven without tax, the higher your fine.
If you ignore the OCS letter, the penalty could increase to £1,000 or five times the amount of tax chargeable. Your vehicle is also likely to be clamped.
Using an untaxed vehicle on a public road with a SORN results in a heftier fine. You’ll receive a £30 penalty plus twice the outstanding vehicle tax.
Vehicle tax exemptions
Some vehicles are exempt from having to pay vehicle tax. Owners still need to apply for tax – but don’t have to pay.
List of exemptions:
- Vehicles used by a disabled person
- Disabled passenger vehicles (vehicles used as transport for disabled people)
- Mobility scooters and powered wheelchairs (must have a maximum speed of 8 mph)
- Historic vehicles (vehicles made before 1st January, 1981)
- Electric vehicles (must be powered from an external source or battery storage)
- Mowing machines (must be designed for cutting grass, tractors are excluded)
- Steam vehicles
What about SORN vehicles?
You can legally own an untaxed vehicle, but it needs to be registered as ‘off the road’ – otherwise known as SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification). You can apply for this online.
Just remember that a SORN vehicle can’t be driven on public roads – not even parked. You must leave a SORN vehicle on your private property, like a driveway or garage.
You must register a vehicle as SORN if:
- Your vehicle is not legally insured
- You’re planning to scrap your vehicle for parts
- You purchase a vehicle but want to keep it off the road for now
Pay your clean air charges in seconds
How do I know when my tax needs renewing?
Caura automatically syncs with the DVLA and tells you when your tax is going to expire. You'll receive notifications (email and in-app) in plenty of time, you no longer need rely on receiving a paper reminder through the post.
Pay vehicle tax with Caura
Pay your car tax with Caura every 6 or 12 months, you can use your V11 or your V5C to renew. You can pay via Apple of Google pay, or via credit card if you prefer, it takes a few seconds to get sorted.
We’re regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and work closely with the DVLA, so you can have peace of mind when you renew via Caura.
Sort everything car. All in one place.
It’s far too easy to forget to pay vehicle tax. There’s just too many payments needed to keep your vehicle running legally – insurance, MOT, tax, and the numerous city charges and road tolls drivers now navigate daily. With Caura, we don’t just help you pay tax – you can sort all your car admin on the app.
Questions?
Find answers to common questions here. If you can't find what you're looking for then email us on support@caura.com and we'll get back to you.
My account
Do I have to sign up to access Caura?
Yes. To enjoy the benefits of Caura, like timely reminders for tax and insurance, and ultrafast city charge and toll payments, you’ll need to create an account. This is so we can let you know about important expiry dates and booking details.
Can I change the email address I use for Caura?
You can’t currently change your email address on Caura (but we are working on it). As a workaround, you can log out of your current account and sign up with a new email address. We won’t be able to transfer the history over.
What happens if I forget my account credentials?
Easily done. Just tap ‘Forgot Password’ on the Log In screen - we’ll send you a password reset link via your registered email address. If you used your Google or Apple profile details (instead of an email address) to create your account, you’ll need to continue to use this sign-in method.
My account has been suspended, why?
Your account may be suspended as a precaution if we see evidence of fraud or a violation of our terms of service. Please email support@caura.com or send us a message in-app, and we can investigate this with you.
How do I delete my account?
Please email support@caura.com or send us a message in-app, and we can take care of that for you. Please feel free to let us know why you want to leave, as we’re always working to improve Caura for drivers like you.
Managing vehicles
How do I add or remove vehicles from my account?
To add a vehicle, simply swipe to the left on your current vehicle or tap the ‘+’ icon on the Home screen. To remove a vehicle, tap and hold on the vehicle image.
My vehicle cannot be found when I add my number plate, why not?
All vehicles registered with the DVLA should show on Caura. Please make sure you are entering a valid number plate recognised by the DVLA. If the problem persists please email support@caura.com.
Why can’t I see my updated vehicle details (e.g. tax, MOT) on Caura?
If you have made the update on Caura (e.g. paid for tax on Caura), it should update automatically within a few days. If it doesn't, you can pull down the image of your vehicle from the Home screen, which will refresh the app.
Notifications & reminders
Do I need to enable notifications?
Caura notifications help keep you updated on any upcoming renewal or expiry dates for your vehicle, as well as important transaction details. If you’re an AutoPay user, you’ll need to have them on so we can contact you in case of failed payment or changes to your AutoPay status.
I turned off notifications, how do I re-enable them?
If you turned off push notifications, you can enable again by going to Settings on your device and scrolling down to Apps and selecting Caura. From there, simply switch on ‘Allow Notifications’ from within the Permissions section.
Does Caura tell me whether I’ve driven into a charging zone (e.g. ULEZ)?
Only Caura AutoPay users will receive notifications confirming they have entered a charging zone, and this currently only applies to London Congestion, ULEZ & LEZ charges. When you drive into these London charging zones, TfL automatically recognises your vehicle and up to 5 days later they notify us of your journey. We’ll then let you know and automatically take payment from your card.
What expiry reminders can Caura provide for my vehicle?
Caura helps keep you updated on upcoming renewal or expiry dates for you vehicle, including tax, MOT and insurance. You’ll need to manually add your insurance renewal date into the app, MOT and tax reminders will be generated automatically.
Managing payment methods
How do I add or remove a payment method?
You can add, remove and set your default payment method via the Payment Methods screen, accessed via the Account tab. To remove a payment method, swipe it to the left. To set a payment method as the default option, swipe it to the right.
What if I need to change my AutoPay payment method?
Go to your AutoPay account in-app (by going to the City Charges screen). From your AutoPay account, tap the current payment method selected. You can then choose to change your payment method tied to your AutoPay, either select an existing payment method or add a new card to Caura.
Car tax (VED)
How do I renew my vehicle tax through Caura?
Caura will let you know when the time comes to renew your vehicle tax.
To renew, simply tap Tax on your vehicle’s Home screen and follow the quick and easy steps. Enter or scan your V5 or V11 document to complete your renewal.
Caura will tell you exactly how much you owe at the point of renewal of your vehicle tax.
Do all vehicles have to pay tax?
All road vehicles have to pay a vehicle tax (also know as Vehicle Exercise Duty).
However, your vehicle may have a £0 rate. You must still renew your tax, this lets the DVLA know your car is still on the road, but it’s free to tax them. You can find out if this applies to your vehicle here.
Vehicles taken off the road, for example it kept in a garage, don’t have to pay vehicle tax. You can tell DVLA about any vehicle you’ve taken off the road via a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN).
Can I pay monthly via Caura?
Currently, we only offer upfront payments of either 12-month or 6-month tax cover, depending on availability for your vehicle.
What happens when I sell my vehicle?
When you sell your vehicle you can notify the DVLA here and they will issue a tax refund from the end of the month in which your vehicle is sold.
Do I need my V5 or V11 document to renew my tax?
Yes - enter either a V5C (Logbook) or V11 (tax reminder) document to complete your renewal. We’ve made the renewal process as easy as possible. For example, you can now simply scan the QR code on your V11 reminder and Caura will take care of the rest.
What if I don’t have my V5 or V11?
In this case you would be unable to renew your car tax through any means. You’ll need to apply for a new V5 or V11 document through the DVLA here.
Can I renew my tax before it is expired?
Yes - you can pay to renew your vehicle tax up to two months in advance. The renewal will start from the date your current tax expires.
What happens if my vehicle tax is overdue?
You may be fined up to £1,000 and have your vehicle confiscated. Your vehicle will be flagged by Police ANPR cameras and also DVLA enforcement agencies who may clamp your vehicle if untaxed. Don’t worry, with Caura’s notifications you’ll always know exactly when your tax is due.