Fiat 500 Tax Band: Rates, £40k Supplement, and Exemption

The Fiat 500 tax band depends almost entirely on when the car was first registered. Models registered between March 2001 and March 2017 fall into the lowest emissions bands and cost £20 to £35 a year. Models registered from April 2017 onward pay a flat standard rate of £200 a year, and the electric 500e now pays the same £200 after the zero-rate exemption ended on 1 April 2025.

What Sets the Band

The DVLA rates every car using three things from its V5C logbook: the date of first registration, the fuel type, and the official CO2 figure in grams per kilometre. Registration date is the pivot, because it decides which of two systems applies. Cars first registered between 1 March 2001 and 31 March 2017 sit on a graduated letter scale from Band A to Band M. Cars registered from 1 April 2017 use a first-year emissions-based charge followed by a flat standard rate from year two.¹

You can confirm your car’s current tax status and class through the government’s vehicle enquiry service using the 11-digit reference number on your V5C.²

Fiat 500s Registered Between March 2001 and March 2017

The Fiat 500’s small engines keep it near the bottom of the pre-2017 lettered scale.³

0.9-litre TwinAir, typically around 90 g/km CO2: Band A (up to 100 g/km), £20 a year.
1.2-litre petrol, at the lower end: Band B (101–110 g/km), £20 a year.
1.2-litre petrol, higher-emitting variants: Band C (111–120 g/km), £35 a year.

Your band is fixed by the CO2 figure printed on your V5C, but the pound amount attached to each band is reviewed periodically. In practical terms, pre-2017 500 owners stay in the cheapest reaches of the system.

Fiat 500s Registered from April 2017

Every petrol and diesel Fiat 500 registered from 1 April 2017 pays the £200 flat standard rate from its second year, regardless of whether it emits 90 g/km or 130 g/km.⁴

The first-year charge is separate and scales with emissions. For a new petrol Fiat 500 registered from April 2026, the first-year rates are:⁵

91–100 g/km: £365.
101–110 g/km: £405.
111–130 g/km: £455.

Buying a used post-2017 500 sidesteps this entirely. The original owner paid the first-year charge, and your ongoing bill is the £200 standard rate.

The £10 annual discount that mild hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles used to receive has been removed, so a mild hybrid 500 now pays the same as its pure petrol equivalent.⁶

Fiat 500e Rates After April 2025

Until 31 March 2025 the fully electric 500e paid nothing. That ended on 1 April 2025, when electric cars entered the VED system for the first time, including vehicles already on the road.⁶

The 500e rates depend on registration date and, for the 2026–27 tax year, are:

Registered between April 2017 and March 2025: £200 standard rate.
Registered from April 2025 onward: £10 in the first year, then £200 standard rate from year two.
Registered between March 2001 and March 2017: £20 standard rate.

The £40,000 Expensive Car Supplement

Cars with an original list price above £40,000 pay an extra £440 a year on top of the standard rate. The surcharge runs for five years, starting from the second time the vehicle is taxed.⁴

Most Fiat 500 and 500e models sit well below £40,000, so the supplement rarely bites. Heavily optioned or special edition 500e cars can cross the line. From 1 April 2026, the threshold for electric vehicles rises to £50,000, which pulls higher-spec 500es out of range.

Classic Fiat 500 Exemption

The original classic Fiat 500 produced from 1957 to 1975 qualifies for the historic vehicle tax exemption. From 1 April 2025, any vehicle built before 1 January 1985 (or registered before 8 January 1985 if the build date is unknown) is exempt from vehicle tax.⁷

Exempt does not mean nothing to do. You still have to apply for the historic tax class at a Post Office that handles vehicle tax, bringing your V5C and, if you have one, your V11 reminder. The DVLA then updates your logbook. Missing V5C? Apply for a replacement on a V62 form with a £25 fee.⁸

Paying, and What Happens If You Don’t

You can pay as an annual lump sum, in two six-monthly payments, or monthly by direct debit. Paying once a year is the cheapest route. Splitting the payment adds a 5% surcharge, which works out at £10 on a £200 bill.⁹

Even if your car is exempt, whether that’s a classic 500 or a 500e before April 2025, you still have to tax it through the DVLA. You won’t be charged, but skipping the process leaves the vehicle showing as untaxed and open to enforcement.¹⁰

Let the tax lapse without filing a SORN and the DVLA issues an automatic late licensing penalty of £80, reduced to £40 if paid within 33 days. The car can also be clamped: £100 to release within 24 hours, rising to £200 plus £21 a day in storage if it’s towed to a pound, along with a £160 surety fee that is refunded if you produce proof of tax within 14 days.¹¹

1
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. Notes About Tax Classes
2
GOV.UK. Check If a Vehicle Is Taxed
3
GOV.UK. Vehicle Tax Rates for Cars Registered Between 1 March 2001 and 31 March 2017
4
GOV.UK. Vehicle Tax Rates – Cars Registered on or After 1 April 2017
5
GOV.UK. Rates of Vehicle Tax for Cars, Motorcycles, Light Goods Vehicles and Private Light Goods Vehicles April 2026
6
GOV.UK. Vehicle Tax for Electric, Zero and Low Emission Vehicles
7
GOV.UK. Historic (Classic) Vehicles – MOT and Vehicle Tax
8
GOV.UK. Apply for a Vehicle Tax Exemption
9
GOV.UK. Vehicle Tax Direct Debit Payments – Set Up a Direct Debit
10
Inside DVLA. 5 Myth-Busting Facts About Taxing Your Vehicle
11
GOV.UK. DVLA Enforcement of Vehicle Tax, Registration and Insurance Offences