Road tax on a 1200cc car in the UK depends almost entirely on when it was first registered. If the car was registered before 1 March 2001, you pay a flat £230 a year because the old system taxes by engine size alone. If it was registered between March 2001 and March 2017, the bill is set by CO2 emissions and can sit anywhere from around £35 to well over £200. Cars registered from 1 April 2017 onwards pay a first-year rate tied to emissions, then a flat £200 standard rate from year two.
Pre-March 2001 Cars: The Only Time 1200cc Itself Sets the Rate
For cars first registered before 1 March 2001, the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994 uses a simple two-tier system based on engine capacity.1Legislation.gov.uk. Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994 Anything up to 1,549cc pays the lower rate; anything above pays the higher one. A 1200cc engine sits comfortably in the lower band.
For the 2026/27 tax year:
- 1,549cc or under: £230 per year, or £126.50 for six months
- Over 1,549cc: £375 per year, or £206.25 for six months
Those are the lump-sum figures. Paying monthly by Direct Debit adds a 5% surcharge.2GOV.UK. Vehicle Tax Rates – Cars and Light Goods Vehicles Registered Before 1 March 2001
Cars Registered Between March 2001 and March 2017
Once you move past March 2001, engine size stops being the deciding factor. The annual charge is based on CO2 emissions in grams per kilometre, with vehicles slotted into bands A (lowest) through M (highest).3GOV.UK. Vehicle Tax Rates – Cars Registered Between 1 March 2001 and 31 March 2017
This is where two 1200cc cars can end up with very different bills. A 1200cc car emitting 115g/km sits in Band C at £35 a year. Push that to 125g/km and it jumps to Band D at £170. A less efficient example at 145g/km lands in Band F at £225. Same engine size, very different tax.
The exact CO2 figure for your car is printed on the V5C registration certificate. If you don’t have it to hand, you can look up emissions data on GOV.UK using the registration number.
Cars Registered From April 2017 Onwards
Vehicles first registered on or after 1 April 2017 follow a two-stage system. The first year is charged on CO2 emissions and, for a 1200cc petrol, can range from £10 for the cleanest models up to several thousand pounds for high-emission ones.4GOV.UK. Vehicle Tax Rates – Cars Registered on or After 1 April 2017
From the second year, the standard rate is £200 for all petrol, diesel, and alternative fuel cars. The £10 discount hybrids and alternative fuel cars used to get was removed in April 2025.5GOV.UK. Vehicle Tax for Electric, Zero and Low Emission Vehicles
The Expensive Car Supplement
If your car’s list price when new was above £40,000, an extra £440 a year is added on top of the standard rate for five years, starting from the second time the vehicle is taxed. That takes the annual bill to £640.6GOV.UK. Rates of Vehicle Tax for Cars, Motorcycles, Light Goods Vehicles and Private Light Goods Vehicles April 2026 Most 1200cc models are well below that threshold, so it rarely bites, but it’s worth checking on a premium or turbocharged variant.
Historic Vehicle Exemption
An older 1200cc car may not owe anything at all. From 1 April 2026, vehicles built before 1 January 1986 qualify for the historic vehicle tax exemption and pay £0. If you don’t know the build date but the car was first registered before 8 January 1986, you can still apply. You still have to tax the vehicle each year — the rate is just nil.7GOV.UK. MOT and Vehicle Tax – Historic Vehicle Tax Exemption The exemption doesn’t cover vehicles used commercially or as taxis.
How to Pay
You’ll need a reference number to identify the vehicle. If you’re the current keeper, use the 11-digit number on your V5C. If you’ve just bought the car and the V5C isn’t in your name yet, use the 12-digit number on the new keeper supplement (V5C/2). If a V11 reminder letter has arrived, the reference is on that. The system also checks for a valid MOT and active insurance before it lets the transaction through.8GOV.UK. Tax Your Vehicle Without a Vehicle Tax Reminder
You can pay online through GOV.UK, by phone on the DVLA’s 24-hour line (0300 123 4321), or in person at a Post Office branch that handles vehicle tax. Options are a single annual payment, two six-monthly instalments, or monthly Direct Debit. Six-monthly and monthly options carry a 5% surcharge.9GOV.UK. Tax Your Vehicle
What Happens If You Don’t Tax It
If the DVLA’s system finds your car untaxed and there’s no SORN on file, an £80 penalty is automatically posted to the registered keeper. Pay within 33 days and it drops to £40.
Being caught driving an untaxed vehicle on a public road is worse. The initial penalty is £30 plus one and a half times the outstanding tax. If it reaches a magistrates’ court, the maximum fine is £1,000 or five times the tax owed, whichever is greater. Repeat offenders can have the vehicle clamped or crushed.
If the car is off the road and you don’t want to pay, declare a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN) through GOV.UK, by phone, or at a Post Office. A SORN stays in force until you tax the car again or sell it.10GOV.UK. Register Your Vehicle as Off the Road (SORN) Driving a SORN’d vehicle on any public road, even briefly, is a separate offence.