53 High-Emissions Cars to Pay £5,690 First-Year Tax from April 2026
From April 1, 2026, buyers of new high-emission vehicles will face a staggering £5,690 first-year Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) bill, as confirmed by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in her recent spring statement. This represents a rise from the current £5,490 charge for the top band.
How to Dodge £1,000 of the Tax Bill
Experts have identified a simple method to potentially save over £1,000. The top rate applies to cars emitting more than 255g/km of CO₂, placing them in Band M. However, many models are only slightly above this threshold. By opting for a slightly lower specification when purchasing, buyers can drop these vehicles into Band L (226-255g/km), where the first-year tax is £4,680—a saving of £1,010.
Organisations like the RAC strongly advise checking the official CO₂ emissions figure for the specific trim and engine variant, not just the model name. Emissions can vary significantly even within the same car family due to engine sizes and gearbox options.
Full List of 53 Cars in the Top Tax Band
Data experts have compiled a list of 53 models confirmed to fall into Band M, subject to the £5,690 charge:
- Alfa Romeo: Stelvio 2.9 V6 Bi-Turbo
- Aston Martin: DB12 4.0 V8, DBX 4.0 V8, Vantage 4.0 V8
- Audi: R8 5.2 FSI V10, RS6 4.0 TFSI V8, RS7 4.0 TFSI V8, RSQ8 4.0 TFSI V8, S8 4.0 TFSI V8, SQ7 4.0 TFSI V8, SQ8 4.0 TFSI V8
- Bentley: Bentayga 4.0 V8, Continental 4.0 V8, Continental 6.0 W12, Flying Spur 4.0 V8
- BMW: Alpina XB7 4.4 V8, M8 4.4 V8, X5 M 4.4 V8, X6 M 4.4 V8, X7 M 4.4 V8
- Chevrolet: Corvette Stingray 6.2 V8
- Ferrari: Purosangue 6.5 V12, Roma 3.8T V8
- Ford: Mustang 5.0 V8
- INEOS: Grenadier 3.0P
- Jaguar: F-Pace 5.0 P575 V8
- Jeep: Wrangler 2.0 GME
- Lamborghini: Huracán 5.2 V10, Revuelto 6.5 V12, Urus 4.0 V8 BiTurbo
- Land Rover / Range Rover: Defender 90 5.0 P425 V8, Defender 110 5.0 P425 V8, Range Rover 4.4 P530 V8, Range Rover 4.4 P615 V8, Range Rover Sport 4.4P V8
- Lotus: Emira 3.5 V6
- Maserati: Levante 3.0 V6, Levante 3.8 V8, MC20 3.0 V6
- Mercedes-Benz: AMG GT 4.0 V8, G400D, G63, GLE63, GLC63, GLS63h, SL55
- Porsche: 718 Cayman 4.0 GT4, 911 3.7T 992 Turbo, Cayenne 4.0T V8, Macan 2.9T V6
- Rolls-Royce: Cullinan 6.75 V12, Ghost 6.75 V12
- Toyota: Land Cruiser 2.8D
- Commercial vehicles: Ford Ranger (3.0 V6), Volkswagen Amarok (3.0 TDI), Toyota Hilux (2.8D)
Additional £425 Expensive Car Supplement
From the second year of registration, cars with a list price over £40,000 pay an additional £425 per year for five years, known as the Expensive Car Supplement. From April 2026, the threshold for zero-emission vehicles increases to £50,000. This means after paying £5,690 in year one, owners of expensive, high-emission cars will face a tax bill of approximately £625 per year for the following five years, combining the standard £200 rate with the supplement.
Expected VED Rates from April 1, 2026
The Government has implemented significant hikes in first-year VED charges for petrol and diesel vehicles from April 2025 onwards. Here are the expected rates from April 1, 2026:
- 0g/km: Remains at £10
- 1-50g/km: Rising from £110 to £115
- 51-75g/km: Rising from £130 to £135
- 76-90g/km: Rising from £270 to £280
- 91-100g/km: Rising from £350 to £365
- 101-110g/km: Rising from £390 to £405
- 111-130g/km: Rising from £440 to £455
- 131-150g/km: Rising from £540 to £560
- 151-170g/km: Rising from £1,360 to £1,410
- 171-190g/km: Rising from £2,190 to £2,270
- 191-225g/km: Rising from £3,300 to £3,420
- 226-255g/km: Rising from £4,680 to £4,850
- Over 255g/km: Rising from £5,490 to £5,690
Note: Electric vehicles currently benefit from VED exemption, but changes last April meant EV buyers paid £10 for their first year, a rate that has remained unchanged.
Exemptions and Further Details
The 40-year classic car tax rule remains intact, meaning vehicles produced over four decades ago are classified as "historic" and pay zero VED. Road tax exemptions for disabled drivers also remain untouched, with eligible individuals completely exempt from these increases.
A Treasury spokesperson highlighted that for many drivers, fees are set to double. For example, buying a new Ford Puma could see the first-year VED jump from £220 to £440, while a luxury Range Rover might rise from £2,745 to £5,490, with a further increase to £5,690 expected.
A spokesperson for AI SEO warned: "A difference of just a few grams of CO₂ per kilometre can mean paying over a thousand pounds more in first-year tax. Buyers should check the exact emissions figure on any car they are considering before April, because dropping into Band L rather than the top band is one of the simplest savings available right now."
To find exact CO₂ levels, search using the full model name plus ‘CO2 g/km’ or ‘WLTP emissions’ on GOV.UK or the manufacturer’s website, where spec pages list figures for each variant.
