Drivers could face £600 car tax bill if vehicle has one of these number plates

Drivers could face a hefty £600 car tax bill if their vehicles have a certain number plate.

According to leasing experts at Cars2Buy cars registered between 2001 and 2017 will be hit with new Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) taxes that are due to come into effect in the spring.

The amount of VED charged for the cars which were manufactured over the 16-year period will be based on how much pollution they emit. Costs will vary dramatically as they will be placed into bands based on their emission levels.

READ MORE: Washing up liquid users urged 'make change' as warning issued

READ MORE: New update on calls to increase personal tax allowance from £12,570 to £45,000

Cars which produce very little emissions will be expected to pay just £20, however the dirtiest petrol and diesel models may be expected to pay in the excess of £600, according to the Express.

Revealing what the new changes mean for each vehicle on UK roads, Car2Buy stressed older vehicles were set to be among the most affected.

They explained: “Cars registered between 2001 and 2017 will continue to be taxed based on their CO2 emissions, with rates ranging from £20 to £600 per year depending on the vehicle’s environmental impact.”

VED fees are uprated every Spring in line with Retail Price Index (RPI) inflation with 2025 no different. Number plates usually correspond with the date vehicles were first registered making it easy to quickly identify a car’s age.

Models manufactured between March and August usually correspond exactly with the year of production. Meanwhile, those built between September and the following February use a number 50 years older than the current date.

The current system was put into place in 2001 with ‘01 and ‘51’ pate vehicles introduced that year. A year later, ‘02’ and ‘52’ plates were launched, followed by ‘03’ and ‘53’ 12 months later. From 2010, models registered in the second half of the year took on the number '60’ while it ticked over to ‘70’ in 2020.

With vehicles between 2001 and 2017 affected, it means anyone with a ‘17’ or ‘67’ design will also be impacted by the new tax rates.

Motoring experts and breakdown specialists at the RAC explained: “For cars registered between 1 March 2001 to 31 March 2017, the rates are split into different CO2 bands – the lower the tailpipe emissions, the lower the vehicle tax.

“In order to tax a vehicle, suitable car insurance cover must be in place, while the vehicle must also have a valid MOT if it is over three years old (four years in Northern Ireland). Both are checked electronically when you apply for car tax.”

Full list of number plates possibly affected

• 01/51

• 02/52

• 03/53

• 04/54

• 05/55

• 06/56

• 07/57

• 08/58

• 09/59

• 10/60

• 11/61

• 12/62

• 13/63

• 14/64

• 15/65

• 16/66

• 17/67

Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here.