MG HS road tax depends on which version you drive and how old it is. A petrol MG HS pays either £1,410 or £2,270 in its first year, depending on transmission, while the plug-in hybrid pays just £115. From the second year onward, every MG HS pays the same flat standard rate of £200 a year.
First-Year VED by Version
The first year of Vehicle Excise Duty is where the choice of engine matters most. The DVLA charges a one-off first-year rate based on official CO2 emissions, and the petrol MG HS sits in one of the higher bands.
Manual and standard-transmission petrol variants emit around 168 g/km, placing them in the 151–170 g/km band at £1,410. Automatic petrol versions come in slightly higher at 173–174 g/km, which puts them in the 171–190 g/km band at £2,270.1Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. Rates of Vehicle Tax for Cars, Motorcycles, Light Goods Vehicles and Private Light Goods Vehicles April 2026 First-year rates for higher-emission cars rose sharply in April 2025, so older forum posts quoting figures in the hundreds are out of date.
The plug-in hybrid is a different story. With CO2 of around 43 g/km and roughly 32 miles of electric range, it falls into the 1–50 g/km band, giving a first-year charge of £115.2GOV.UK. Vehicle Tax Rates – Cars Registered on or After 1 April 2017 The gap between £115 and £2,270 is one of the strongest financial arguments for the hybrid, though it only applies once.
Standard Rate From Year Two
Once the first year is over, VED simplifies. Every MG HS, petrol or plug-in hybrid, pays a flat £200 per year.2GOV.UK. Vehicle Tax Rates – Cars Registered on or After 1 April 2017
Hybrid owners no longer get a discount here. The £10 annual reduction that used to apply to hybrids and alternative fuel vehicles was removed in April 2025, so a plug-in hybrid MG HS now pays exactly the same standard rate as a petrol one.3GOV.UK. Vehicle Tax for Electric and Low Emissions Vehicles
The £40,000 Supplement Does Not Apply
Cars with a list price above £40,000 when new attract an extra £440 a year for five years starting from year two, on top of the standard rate.1Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. Rates of Vehicle Tax for Cars, Motorcycles, Light Goods Vehicles and Private Light Goods Vehicles April 2026 No current MG HS crosses that threshold. The plug-in hybrid tops out at around £32,495 on the road,4MG Motor UK. MG HS Plug-in Hybrid and petrol versions are priced lower.
One thing to watch if you’re buying a future special edition or heavily optioned car: the list price that counts is the manufacturer’s price including factory options, delivery, and VAT, before any dealer discount. A negotiated purchase price under £40,000 does not exempt you if the list price is over.5UK Parliament. Vehicle Excise Duty and Zero Emission Vehicles
Company Car Tax on the MG HS
If you’re getting an MG HS through work, Benefit-in-Kind tax matters far more than VED. BIK is calculated from the car’s P11D value (list price with VAT, delivery, and plates, but not first registration fee or first-year VED) and a percentage set by its CO2 emissions.6GOV.UK. Tax on Company Cars P11D values for the MG HS currently run from about £24,580 for the base petrol to £34,330 for the top plug-in hybrid.
For the 2026–27 tax year, the two powertrains sit at opposite ends of the BIK scale:
- The plug-in hybrid, at around 43 g/km CO2 and 32 miles of electric range, falls into the 1–50 g/km band with 30–39 miles of range and attracts a 14% rate.
- The petrol, at 168–174 g/km, hits the maximum 37% rate.
In practice, a basic-rate (20%) taxpayer in a petrol MG HS Trophy with a P11D of £27,080 pays about £2,004 a year in BIK (£27,080 × 37% × 20%). The same taxpayer in a plug-in hybrid Trophy at £34,330 pays about £961 (£34,330 × 14% × 20%). The hybrid costs more up front but saves over £1,000 a year in company car tax at the basic rate, and roughly double that at the higher rate.7GOV.UK. Work Out the Appropriate Percentage for Company Car Benefits (480 Appendix 2)
How to Pay
You can pay VED in one annual lump sum, in two six-monthly payments, or monthly by Direct Debit. Splitting the cost adds a 5% surcharge on both the six-monthly and monthly options.8GOV.UK. Vehicle Tax Direct Debit Payments On the £200 standard rate, that’s an extra £10 a year. Paying annually by Direct Debit costs the same as a one-off payment and removes the risk of forgetting to renew.
If You Receive a Qualifying Disability Benefit
You can apply for a full VED exemption, covering the first-year rate as well as the standard rate, if you receive one of the following:9GOV.UK. Financial Help If You’re Disabled – Vehicles and Transport
- Higher rate mobility component of Disability Living Allowance
- Enhanced rate mobility component of Personal Independence Payment
- Enhanced rate mobility component of Adult Disability Payment (Scotland)
- War Pensioners’ Mobility Supplement
- Armed Forces Independence Payment
The standard rate of PIP mobility does not qualify. The vehicle must be registered in the name of the disabled person or their nominated driver, and you apply through the DVLA when taxing the car.
What Happens If You Don’t Tax It
The DVLA’s enforcement escalates fast. A missed renewal typically triggers a Late Licensing Penalty of £80, halved to £40 if you pay within 33 days. If the DVLA catches you driving untaxed on a public road, they can offer an out-of-court settlement of £30 plus one and a half times the outstanding tax. Refuse it and the case goes to a magistrates’ court, where the fine can reach £1,000 or five times the tax owed, whichever is greater. Untaxed vehicles on public roads can also be clamped or impounded, and the release and daily storage fees can quickly exceed a full year of VED.10GOV.UK. DVLA Enforcement of Vehicle Tax, Registration and Insurance Offences
If the car is genuinely off the road, file a Statutory Off Road Notification. A SORN is free, lasts until you tax the car again or sell it, and refunds any full remaining months of tax automatically.11GOV.UK. Register Your Vehicle as Off the Road (SORN) The car must then stay off public roads entirely, including the street outside your home.