Car tax for a Ford Fiesta runs from £20 to £375 a year, and the figure that applies to your car depends on three things: when it was first registered, its engine size, and its CO2 emissions. Every Fiesta driven or kept on a public road has to be taxed, even when the rate works out at £0.
Fiestas Registered Before March 2001
The oldest Fiestas use the simplest system. Tax is based on engine size alone, with no CO2 calculation. There are two tiers:
- 1549cc or smaller: £230 a year
- Over 1549cc: £375 a year
Most Fiestas from this era had engines well under the 1549cc cutoff, so the lower rate covers the vast majority.1GOV.UK. Vehicle Tax Rates for Cars and Light Goods Vehicles Registered Before 1 March 2001
If your Fiesta was built before 1 January 1986, you can apply to pay nothing at all from 1 April 2026 under the historic vehicle exemption for cars over 40 years old. Mk1 and early Mk2 Fiestas now qualify. You still have to tax the vehicle formally through DVLA, but the rate is £0. The exemption doesn’t apply if the car is used as a taxi or for commercial trade.2GOV.UK. Historic (Classic) Vehicles: MOT and Vehicle Tax
Fiestas Registered Between March 2001 and March 2017
Cars registered in this window sit in one of thirteen CO2 bands, A through M. Lower emissions mean lower tax. Popular Fiesta variants tend to land in the cheapest bands: the 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol emits around 99 g/km and sits in Band A, and the ECOnetic diesel is even cleaner at roughly 82 g/km, also Band A. Band A currently costs £20 a year.3GOV.UK. Vehicle Tax Rates for Cars Registered Between 1 March 2001 and 31 March 2017
Higher-performance variants cost more. The Fiesta ST from this era emits around 138 g/km, putting it in Band E at £200 a year. The ST200, at 140 g/km, is also Band E. The bands most likely to apply to a Fiesta:
- Band A, up to 100 g/km: £20. Most 1.0 EcoBoost, TDCi, and ECOnetic models.
- Band B, 101–110 g/km: £20. Some ST-Line petrol variants.
- Band C, 111–120 g/km: £35. Certain automatics.
- Band D, 121–130 g/km: £170. Several Zetec and Style petrol models.
- Band E, 131–140 g/km: £200. Fiesta ST and some automatics.
The exact band for your car is printed on the V5C logbook. If you’re buying used from this era, check the CO2 figure before assuming the tax will be cheap. The gap between a 1.0 EcoBoost and an older automatic can be £150 a year.
Fiestas Registered From April 2017 Onwards
Newer Fiestas follow a two-stage system. You pay a first-year rate tied to CO2 emissions, then a flat standard rate every year after.
First-Year Rate
The first-year cost swings widely with emissions. A typical Fiesta 1.0 EcoBoost petrol at around 100 g/km comes in at £365. A Fiesta ST at around 144 g/km costs £560 in year one. Diesel Fiestas that meet the RDE2 emissions standard pay the same first-year rates as petrol; those that don’t get bumped up one band, so a diesel that would normally pay £365 could instead owe £405.4GOV.UK. Vehicle Tax Rates: Cars Registered on or After 1 April 2017 The diesel supplement only applies in the first year and was introduced in April 2018 to reflect real-world nitrogen oxide emissions.5GOV.UK. Vehicle Excise Duty: Introduction of the Diesel Supplement
Standard Rate From Year Two
After year one, every petrol and diesel Fiesta pays a flat £200 a year, regardless of emissions. Mild-hybrid Fiestas registered on or after 1 April 2017 used to get a £10 discount as alternatively fuelled vehicles, but that discount has gone. Hybrids now pay the same £200 as any other petrol or diesel car.6GOV.UK. Vehicle Tax for Electric, Zero and Low Emission Vehicles
Cars with a list price above £40,000 when new pay an extra £440 a year for five years on top of the standard rate. No Fiesta variant has ever crossed the £40,000 threshold, so this surcharge doesn’t apply to any Fiesta.4GOV.UK. Vehicle Tax Rates: Cars Registered on or After 1 April 2017
Paying Monthly or Every Six Months Costs More
A single annual payment is the cheapest way to tax any Fiesta. Splitting the cost into six-month blocks or monthly Direct Debit instalments adds a 5% surcharge on top of the base rate.7GOV.UK. Vehicle Tax Direct Debit Payments On the £200 standard rate, that’s £10 extra a year. Not huge, but worth factoring in when comparing what you’ll actually pay.
Tax Doesn’t Transfer When You Buy or Sell
Any remaining tax on a used Fiesta is cancelled when the car changes hands. It does not transfer to the new owner. If you’re buying, you have to tax the car in your own name before driving it away, so budget for that from day one. If you’re selling, DVLA sends an automatic refund for any full months left on your tax, calculated from the date it’s notified of the sale. The refund goes to the name and address on the logbook. You won’t get back any credit card fees or the 5% Direct Debit surcharge. If a refund cheque hasn’t arrived after eight weeks, contact DVLA directly.8GOV.UK. Cancel Your Vehicle Tax and Get a Refund