Most Ford Fiestas on UK roads pay £200 a year in car tax (Vehicle Excise Duty). What you actually owe depends on when your Fiesta was first registered, because the DVLA has run three different pricing systems over the years. With Ford Fiesta production ending in July 2023, every Fiesta on the road now sits in one of these existing systems as a used car.
Fiestas Registered On or After 1 April 2017
If your Fiesta was first registered from April 2017 onward, you pay a flat standard rate every year after the first. For the 2026/27 tax year starting April 2026, that rate is £200, regardless of whether the car is petrol, diesel, or a mild hybrid.1GOV.UK. Vehicle Tax Rates: Cars Registered on or After 1 April 2017
Hybrid and alternative fuel Fiestas, such as the 1.0 EcoBoost mHEV, used to get a £10 discount. That discount ended in April 2025. Every Fiesta on this system now pays the same £200.2GOV.UK. Vehicle Tax for Electric, Zero and Low Emission Vehicles
Fiestas Registered Between 1 March 2001 and 31 March 2017
Fiestas from this window are taxed on a graduated scale from Band A to Band M, based on the CO2 figure recorded when the car was built.3House of Commons Library. Vehicle Excise Duty The lower the emissions, the cheaper the bill. Current rates for 2026/27:
- 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
- Band G (151–165 g/km): £275
Bands H through M cover 166 g/km and above, running from £325 up to £790, but most Fiestas never land that high. The 1.0-litre EcoBoost, one of the most common Fiesta engines from this era, produces around 99 g/km and sits in Band A at £20 a year.1GOV.UK. Vehicle Tax Rates: Cars Registered on or After 1 April 2017 Older or larger-engined variants like the 1.25 Zetec or 1.6 Ti-VCT usually fall into Bands C to E, costing between £35 and £200 a year.
One change to watch: Band A used to be free. Since April 2025, even Band A cars pay £20. If your Fiesta previously cost nothing to tax, expect a small bill at renewal.
Fiestas Registered Before 1 March 2001
The oldest Fiestas follow the simplest system. Tax is based on engine size, with a dividing line at 1,549cc. Engines of 1,549cc or under cost £230 a year. Larger engines cost £375.4GOV.UK. Cars and Light Goods Vehicles Registered Before 1 March 2001
Almost every Fiesta from this period had an engine under the threshold (the 1.25 and 1.3 were the common ones), so £230 applies to the vast majority. The rare 1.6-litre models cross the line and pay the higher rate.
How to Check Your Fiesta’s Exact Rate
The quickest way is the DVLA’s free vehicle enquiry service. Enter your registration number and it shows your Fiesta’s current tax status, its CO2 figure, and the renewal date.5GOV.UK. Check if a Vehicle Is Taxed That is useful for pre-2017 Fiestas where the exact band is not obvious from the model name.
Your CO2 figure is also printed on the V5C registration certificate (the logbook), along with the 11-digit reference number you need to renew.6GOV.UK. Tax Your Vehicle Without a Vehicle Tax Reminder Just bought the car and the V5C is not yet in your name? Use the 12-digit reference on the new keeper slip.
How to Pay and What Splitting the Payment Costs
You can tax your Fiesta online at gov.uk, by phone on 0300 123 4321, or in person at a Post Office that handles vehicle tax.7GOV.UK. Tax Your Vehicle You need your V5C reference or the 16-digit number from the V11 reminder the DVLA posts before your tax is due.
Pay in one lump and you pay the headline rate. Split it and you pay more. For a Fiesta on the £200 standard rate:1GOV.UK. Vehicle Tax Rates: Cars Registered on or After 1 April 2017
- Single 12-month payment: £200
- Two six-month payments, not Direct Debit: £110 each, £220 total
- Two six-month payments by Direct Debit: £105 each, £210 total
- 12 monthly instalments by Direct Debit: £210 total
Monthly Direct Debit costs the same as six-monthly Direct Debit, so there is no extra charge for spreading payments across the year once you are on Direct Debit.
Driving an Untaxed Fiesta
The DVLA takes untaxed cars seriously. The first step is usually an out-of-court settlement letter for £30 plus one and a half times the outstanding tax. Ignore it and the case goes to a magistrates’ court, where the fine is £1,000 or five times the tax owed, whichever is greater.8GOV.UK. DVLA Enforcement of Vehicle Tax, Registration and Insurance Offences
Your Fiesta can also be clamped on the street. Release costs £100 within 24 hours. If it goes to a pound, release is £200 plus £21 a day in storage, and vehicles not claimed within 7 to 14 days can be crushed or auctioned.8GOV.UK. DVLA Enforcement of Vehicle Tax, Registration and Insurance Offences
Declaring Your Fiesta Off the Road (SORN)
If your Fiesta is not being driven or kept on a public road, you do not have to pay VED, but you do have to tell the DVLA by making a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN). That covers cars stored in a garage, on a driveway, or on private land.9GOV.UK. Register Your Vehicle as Off the Road (SORN)
You can declare a SORN online with the 11-digit V5C reference, by phone, or by post using form V890. It stays in place until you tax the car again or sell it. The important thing: your Fiesta must have either valid tax or a SORN at all times. A gap between the two is itself an offence and triggers the same enforcement described above.