The cost to tax a moped in the UK is £27 a year for any machine with an engine up to 150cc, which covers almost every moped on the road. Larger motorcycles pay more, electric mopeds now pay the same £27 as petrol ones, and mopeds built before 1 January 1986 pay nothing but still need to be registered for tax each year. Riding an untaxed moped triggers an £80 penalty by post and can lead to a court fine of up to £1,000.
Rates by Engine Size
Vehicle tax for mopeds and motorcycles splits into four engine-size brackets. From 1 April 2026 the annual rates are:
- Up to 150cc: £27
- 151cc to 400cc: £59
- 401cc to 600cc: £90
- Over 600cc: £125
Standard mopeds usually have 50cc engines, so they sit firmly in the cheapest bracket. A 125cc learner-legal motorcycle falls into the same tier and pays the same £27.1GOV.UK. Other Vehicle Tax Rates
These figures are reviewed each year through the Finance Act and can change every April.2GOV.UK. V149 – Rates of Vehicle Tax April 2026
How Payment Method Changes the Total
Paying the £27 in one go, whether by card, cash, or single Direct Debit, keeps the cost at £27. Choosing monthly Direct Debit instalments adds a 5% surcharge, so the annual total rises to £28.35.1GOV.UK. Other Vehicle Tax Rates
Mopeds up to 150cc have no six-month payment option; it’s annual only. From 151cc upward, six-monthly payments are available but come with a 10% surcharge. A single six-month payment on a 151–400cc motorcycle works out at £32.45 rather than the £29.50 you’d get from halving the annual figure.2GOV.UK. V149 – Rates of Vehicle Tax April 2026
Electric Mopeds
Electric mopeds are no longer free to tax. Before April 2025, zero-emission motorcycles paid nothing. From 1 April 2025 they moved to the same rate as the smallest engine-size bracket, meaning an electric moped now costs £27 a year.3GOV.UK. Vehicle Tax for Electric, Zero and Low Emission Vehicles
You still have to tax the vehicle even though the rate was recently zero. Skipping the process attracts the same penalties as any other untaxed moped.1GOV.UK. Other Vehicle Tax Rates
Historic Mopeds Pay Nothing
Old mopeds fall into a zero-rated tax class. The UK operates a rolling 40-year exemption: from 1 April 2026, any vehicle built before 1 January 1986 qualifies. If you don’t have the exact build date, first registration before 8 January 1986 is enough to apply.4GOV.UK. Historic Vehicles – Vehicles Exempt From Vehicle Tax
Engine size doesn’t matter for the historic class; only age does. Exempt does not mean unregistered, though. You still have to tax the moped through the normal process every year and the system charges £0. Skip that step and DVLA records show the moped as untaxed, which triggers automatic penalties.
If You’re Not Riding: SORN
If the moped sits unused, you can avoid tax and insurance costs by filing a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN). This tells DVLA the vehicle is being kept off public roads, on a driveway, in a garage, or on private land.5GOV.UK. When You Need to Make a SORN – Overview
SORN is required whenever the moped is untaxed and uninsured, even briefly. Letting tax lapse without filing one triggers an automatic £80 fine, and riding a SORN-declared moped on a public road can lead to a fine of up to £2,500. A SORN doesn’t pass to a new owner, so if you buy a moped that’s been declared off road, you’ll need to tax it or file your own SORN before it counts as legal.5GOV.UK. When You Need to Make a SORN – Overview
What You Need Before You Pay
Taxing a moped needs a reference number from one of three documents:
- The V5C registration certificate (logbook), if you’re the current keeper, has an 11-digit reference.
- The V11 reminder letter DVLA posts before your tax expires has a 16-digit reference.
- The V5C/2 green slip handed to a new keeper at sale has a 12-digit reference.
The system checks automatically that the moped has valid insurance and, if it’s more than three years old, a current MOT. Without both, the payment won’t go through.6GOV.UK. Tax Your Vehicle Without a Vehicle Tax Reminder
Where to Pay
The fastest route is the GOV.UK vehicle tax service at gov.uk/vehicle-tax. Enter your reference number, confirm the details, and pay by debit card, credit card, or Direct Debit. The record updates straight away.7GOV.UK. Tax Your Vehicle
Post Office branches that handle vehicle tax also accept payment. Bring the V5C or V11, insurance and MOT proof if needed, and cash, card, cheque, or Direct Debit details. There is no paper tax disc. Police and enforcement cameras check the status electronically against the DVLA database.
What Happens If You Don’t Pay
DVLA enforcement runs largely by computer. If the moped shows as untaxed with no SORN on file, you get a Late Licensing Penalty of £80 by post. Pay within 33 days and it halves to £40.8GOV.UK. DVLA Enforcement of Vehicle Tax, Registration and Insurance Offences
Ignore it and things get worse. DVLA can clamp the moped and charge release fees. If it isn’t reclaimed within 7 to 14 days, it can be crushed or auctioned. A magistrates’ court case brings a fine of £1,000 or five times the tax owed, whichever is greater.8GOV.UK. DVLA Enforcement of Vehicle Tax, Registration and Insurance Offences
On a £27 moped, five times the tax is only £135, so the £1,000 floor is what actually applies. The bigger practical cost is losing the moped itself to clamping and disposal, which most riders don’t factor in until it’s too late.