Road tax on a Honda Jazz costs £200 a year if the car was first registered on or after 1 April 2017, whether it’s the e:HEV hybrid or a petrol-only model. Older Jazz models registered between 2001 and March 2017 can cost as little as £20 a year, depending on their CO2 emissions. The exact figure comes down to when the car was first registered and, for pre-2017 cars, how much CO2 it produces.
Why the Registration Date Matters
The DVLA runs two parallel tax systems for cars, and your Jazz sits permanently in one of them. Cars first registered on or after 1 April 2017 pay a flat standard rate from the second year onward. Cars registered before that date stay on an emissions-banded system tied to their CO2 figure for the life of the vehicle. A Jazz doesn’t graduate from the old system to the new one as it ages, so a 2015 model will keep its band treatment indefinitely.
Jazz Models Registered After April 2017
The Standard £200 Rate
Every Honda Jazz registered on or after 1 April 2017 pays the standard annual rate of £200 from the second year of registration onward.1GOV.UK. Vehicle Tax for Electric, Zero and Low Emission Vehicles Until April 2025, hybrids like the Jazz e:HEV got a £10 discount as alternative fuel vehicles, which brought the bill to £190. That discount has been scrapped, so hybrid and petrol Jazz models now pay the same £200.
The First-Year Rate on a New Jazz
The first year of tax on a brand-new Jazz is based on CO2 and costs more than the standard rate. Current Jazz e:HEV models produce between 102 and 108 g/km depending on trim,2Honda UK. Honda Jazz Hybrid 2026 Specs and Dimensions which puts every trim in the 101–110 g/km band at a first-year rate of £405.3GOV.UK. Rates of Vehicle Tax for Cars, Motorcycles, Light Goods Vehicles and Private Light Goods Vehicles – April 2026 From the second year, it drops to £200. If you’re buying a used Jazz that’s already past its first anniversary, the first-year rate doesn’t apply to you.
The £40,000 List Price Supplement
Cars with a list price above £40,000 pay an extra surcharge on top of the standard rate for five years. This doesn’t affect Jazz buyers in practice. The top-of-range Advance Sport has a list price of £31,670,4Honda UK. Honda Jazz Hybrid Offers and Finance well below the threshold.
Jazz Models Registered Between 2001 and March 2017
Older Jazz models sit in an emissions band from A (cleanest) to M (dirtiest), set at registration and fixed for life. Because the Jazz is a small, efficient car, most pre-2017 examples land in the cheaper bands. For the 2026–27 tax year, the bands Jazz owners usually fall into are:3GOV.UK. Rates of Vehicle Tax for Cars, Motorcycles, Light Goods Vehicles and Private Light Goods Vehicles – April 2026
- Band A (up to 100 g/km): £20
- Band B (101–110 g/km): £20
- Band C (111–120 g/km): £35
- Band D (121–130 g/km): £170
- Band E (131–140 g/km): £200
- Band F (141–150 g/km): £225
Second-generation Jazz models from 2008 to 2015, running the 1.3-litre engine, produced around 104–120 g/km and usually land in Band B or C, so £20 or £35 a year. First-generation 1.4-litre models from 2002 to 2008 ran a bit higher and often fall into Band C or D. Third-generation 1.3-litre models from 2015 to 2020 mostly sit around Band C, though the 1.5-litre Sport pushed into higher bands. Your V5C logbook shows the exact band, or you can enter the registration on the GOV.UK vehicle enquiry service.
Watch the jump from Band C to Band D. A Jazz at 119 g/km costs £35 a year; one at 121 g/km costs £170. If you’re shopping used, checking the emissions figure before buying can save well over £100 a year on an otherwise similar car.
Disability Exemptions and Reductions
You can tax a Jazz for free if you receive the higher or enhanced rate mobility component of Disability Living Allowance, Personal Independence Payment, Adult Disability Payment, or the War Pensioners’ Mobility Supplement, among other qualifying benefits.5GOV.UK. Financial Help If You’re Disabled – Vehicles and Transport The exemption applies to one vehicle, registered in your name or your nominated driver’s name, and used for your personal needs.
A 50% reduction is available if you receive the standard rate mobility component of PIP or Adult Disability Payment. The lower rate mobility component of DLA does not qualify for either the full exemption or the 50% reduction.5GOV.UK. Financial Help If You’re Disabled – Vehicles and Transport
Paying the Tax
You can tax your Jazz online, by phone, or at a Post Office using the 16-digit reference on a V11 reminder letter or the 11-digit number on your V5C logbook.6GOV.UK. Tax Your Vehicle Without a Vehicle Tax Reminder
Direct debit lets you pay annually, six-monthly, or monthly. Paying annually carries no surcharge; six-monthly or monthly instalments add 5% to the total.7GOV.UK. Vehicle Tax Direct Debit Payments – Set Up a Direct Debit On the £200 standard rate that’s an extra £10 a year. On a £20 Band B car it rarely makes sense to split the payments.
Buying or Selling: Tax Doesn’t Carry Over
Road tax belongs to the registered keeper, not the car. When a Jazz is sold, the existing tax is cancelled and the seller gets a refund for any full remaining months.8GOV.UK. Cancel Your Vehicle Tax and Get a Refund The buyer has to tax it before driving away.9GOV.UK. Tell DVLA You’ve Sold, Transferred or Bought a Vehicle Plenty of private buyers get caught out assuming the car is still taxed because the seller had months left.
Refunds run from the date the DVLA is notified and arrive as a cheque to the name on the logbook. You won’t get back the 5% direct debit surcharge, so selling mid-term carries a small penalty if you weren’t paying annually.8GOV.UK. Cancel Your Vehicle Tax and Get a Refund
Stopping Tax With a SORN
If your Jazz isn’t being used or kept on a public road, a Statutory Off Road Notification stops the tax entirely. A SORN is required any time the car is untaxed and uninsured, whether it’s on your drive, in a garage, or off the road for repairs.10GOV.UK. When You Need to Make a SORN The only time you can drive a SORN’d car on a public road is to a pre-booked MOT.
What It Costs If You Let Tax Lapse
The DVLA uses number plate recognition cameras and database checks to spot untaxed vehicles. Letting your Jazz go untaxed without a SORN triggers an automatic £80 Late Licensing Penalty, reduced to £40 if paid within 33 days. Getting caught using an untaxed car on the road leads to an out-of-court settlement of £30 plus one and a half times the outstanding tax, with a magistrates’ court maximum of £1,000 or five times the unpaid tax if the case goes further.11GOV.UK. DVLA Enforcement of Vehicle Tax, Registration and Insurance Offences An untaxed Jazz can also be clamped or impounded, with release fees starting at £100.12GOV.UK. Get a Clamped or Impounded Vehicle Released For a car that costs £20 to £200 a year to tax, that’s an expensive oversight.