Most Citroën C1s fall into tax Band A, covering petrol cars that emit up to 100 g/km of CO2. If your C1 was first registered between 1 March 2001 and 31 March 2017, you pay £20 a year. If it was registered on or after 1 April 2017, the lettered bands no longer set your annual bill: you pay the flat standard rate of £200 a year regardless of emissions. Citroën stopped building the C1 in 2022, so every one on the road is now a used car, and the registration date on the V5C is what decides which system applies.
Pre-April 2017 C1s: Band A in Almost Every Case
C1s first registered between 1 March 2001 and 31 March 2017 are taxed under the older CO2-based system that groups cars into lettered bands. The 1.0-litre petrol engine fitted to most C1s produces around 95 g/km of CO2, which puts it in Band A (up to 100 g/km). The annual rate for Band A is £20.1GOV.UK. Vehicle Tax Rate Tables – Rates for Cars Registered on or After 1 March 2001
A few C1 variants with slightly higher emissions sit in Band B (101 to 110 g/km), which also costs £20 a year for petrol cars. Band C (111 to 120 g/km), where some diesel-equipped C1s could land, is £35 a year.1GOV.UK. Vehicle Tax Rate Tables – Rates for Cars Registered on or After 1 March 2001 For a pre-2017 C1, road tax is about as cheap as petrol car tax gets.
Post-April 2017 C1s: The Flat £200 Standard Rate
C1s first registered on or after 1 April 2017 come under a different system. CO2 emissions still set the first-year rate the original buyer paid, but from the second year onward every petrol C1 pays the same flat amount: £200 as a single 12-month payment.2GOV.UK. Vehicle Tax Rates – Cars Registered on or After 1 April 2017
That is a tenfold jump from the £20 pre-2017 owners pay, and it catches many buyers out when comparing used C1s from either side of the April 2017 cutoff. The first-year rate is behind every C1 on the road now, so the £200 standard rate is what the annual bill will look like going forward.
How to Check Which System Applies to Your Car
Your V5C logbook shows the date of first registration and the official CO2 figure. Those two entries tell you whether the pre-2017 banded rates or the post-2017 flat rate apply. Registration on or before 31 March 2017 means you follow the lettered bands. Registration on or after 1 April 2017 means the £200 flat rate applies from year two onward, whatever the emissions figure says.
Payment Options and Surcharges
You do not have to pay the full year up front. The DVLA offers three payment frequencies by Direct Debit: annual, six-monthly, or monthly.3GOV.UK. Set Up a Direct Debit to Tax Your Vehicle Today Spreading payments costs extra. Six-monthly or monthly Direct Debit adds a 5% surcharge, and a single six-month payment without Direct Debit carries a 10% surcharge.
For a post-2017 C1 on the £200 standard rate, the options work out as follows:
- Single 12-month payment: £200, by card or Direct Debit.
- Monthly Direct Debit: £210 total across 12 months.
- Single six-month payment: £110, or £220 if you renew twice.
- Six-month Direct Debit: £105 per half, £210 over a full year.
The surcharges are modest each year, but they add up over the life of the car. Paying annually saves the most if cash flow allows.2GOV.UK. Vehicle Tax Rates – Cars Registered on or After 1 April 2017 On a £20 Band A car, the surcharges are trivial in absolute terms.
If Your C1 Is Off the Road: SORN
If your C1 is not being driven and is kept on private property, you can file a Statutory Off Road Notification instead of taxing it. A SORN removes the obligation to pay vehicle excise duty for as long as the car stays off public roads. You apply through GOV.UK using your V5C or V11 reference number.4GOV.UK. Register Your Vehicle as Off the Road (SORN)
A SORN takes effect immediately if your tax has already expired, or from the first day of the following month if tax is still running. You cannot drive a SORN’d vehicle on a public road, with one narrow exception: travelling directly to a pre-booked MOT test. Driving a SORN’d car on public roads is treated more seriously than simply having no tax.
Penalties If You Don’t Tax It
Under Section 29 of the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994, using or keeping an unlicensed vehicle on a public road is a criminal offence.5Legislation.gov.uk. Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994 – Penalty for Using or Keeping Unlicensed Vehicle The DVLA runs automatic number plate recognition to enforce it.
- Out of court settlement: £30 plus one and a half times the outstanding tax. For a post-2017 C1 owing a full year at £200, that comes to £330.
- Magistrates’ court: If the settlement goes unpaid, the maximum penalty is £1,000 or five times the outstanding tax, whichever is greater.
- Wheelclamping: The DVLA can clamp the car on the street. Release within 24 hours costs £100. If the car is towed to a pound, add a £200 release fee and £21 per day in storage. A £160 surety applies if the car is still untaxed when released.
Driving a SORN’d car on public roads is worse. The out of court settlement is £30 plus twice the outstanding tax, and the court maximum rises to £2,500 or five times the tax.6GOV.UK. DVLA Enforcement of Vehicle Tax, Registration and Insurance Offences On a £20 Band A car the fines look small; on a £200 flat-rate C1 they climb quickly.
Refunds When You Sell, Scrap, or Export
If you sell, scrap, or export your C1, the DVLA refunds any full calendar months of tax remaining. The refund is calculated from the date the DVLA receives notification, not from the day you stopped driving, so tell them promptly.7GOV.UK. Cancel Your Vehicle Tax and Get a Refund
The refund arrives automatically as a cheque posted to the name and address on the V5C, and any Direct Debit is cancelled for you. Two things are not refunded: any surcharge paid for six-monthly or monthly payment, and any credit card processing fees. If the cheque has not arrived after eight weeks, contact the DVLA.7GOV.UK. Cancel Your Vehicle Tax and Get a Refund