See how much vehicle tax DVLA should refund when you sell, scrap or SORN a car.
| If DVLA hears in | Months | Refund |
|---|
Estimate only, check with DVLA. Refunds cover full calendar months left after the month DVLA gets your notice. Credit card fees and the 5% and 10% surcharges are never refunded. Rates checked October 2026.
This car tax refund calculator shows UK drivers how much vehicle tax DVLA should pay back when a car is sold, scrapped, written off, exported or declared off the road with a SORN, using the 2026/27 GOV.UK rates. Pick your tax band or type your own rate, choose how you paid, then enter when your tax runs out and the date DVLA gets your notice. You see the refund in pounds, the number of full months counted, the surcharge you will not get back and what a delay of one month would cost.
Quick answer: DVLA refunds each full calendar month left on your tax, counted from the date it receives your notice, at one twelfth of the 12 month rate. On the £200 standard rate that is £16.67 a month, so five months back is £83.33. The car tax refund calculator applies this rule for your dates.
In This Guide
What Is a Car Tax Refund?
A car tax refund is the money DVLA pays back for the unused, whole months of vehicle tax once you tell it that you no longer keep the car or have taken it off the road. In plain words the formula is: refund = full months left × 12 month rate ÷ 12. The month in which DVLA receives your notice is never counted, even if it arrives on the 2nd, so the count starts on the first day of the next month and runs to the end of the last month your tax covers.
Tax no longer moves with a car when it changes hands. The seller gets a refund for the months left and the buyer has to tax the car before driving it away. The GOV.UK vehicle tax refund guide confirms the cheque is sent automatically for any full months left, so you do not need a separate claim unless the car was stolen. If the car is still in its first year, the refund is based on whichever is lower: the first tax payment you made at registration or the standard rate that follows it.
How to Use the Car Tax Refund Calculator
Step 1: Choose Your Tax Rate
Most cars first registered from 1 April 2017 pay the £200 standard rate, or £640 when the £440 expensive car supplement applies. Cars registered between March 2001 and March 2017 pay by CO2 band, A to M, and older cars by engine size. Your V5C logbook or last tax reminder shows the band. If your rate is different, type it in the 12 month rate box. Tick the first year box only if the car is still within 12 months of first registration.
Step 2: Choose How You Paid
Tell the car tax refund calculator whether you paid 12 months or 6 months in one go, or used yearly, 6 monthly or monthly Direct Debit. The calculator shows the surcharge part of your payment, because DVLA keeps the 10% added to a single 6 month payment and the 5% added to monthly and 6 monthly Direct Debits.
Step 3: Enter the Two Dates
Set the last month your tax covers, which is printed on your V11 reminder or shown when you check a vehicle's tax online, and the date DVLA will receive your notice. Telling DVLA online when you sell or scrap usually counts the same day, while a posted V5C section can take days to arrive. The days between dates calculator helps if you want to check how close you are to a month end.
Step 4: Read Your Refund
The headline is your estimated cheque. Below it you see the months counted, the value of each month, the surcharge you will not get back and the amount lost if DVLA hears from you a month later. The table lists the refund for the current month and the next five, which makes the cost of putting off a SORN or sale notice obvious.
How Much Car Tax Refund Will I Get?
You will get one twelfth of your 12 month rate for every full month left after the month DVLA receives your notice. Worked example: Priya in Leeds taxed her 2019 hatchback for 12 months at the £200 standard rate, running to the end of March 2027. She sells it on 15 October 2026 and tells DVLA online the same day. October is not counted, so the refund covers November to March: 5 months × £200 ÷ 12 = £83.33. Had she waited until 2 November, the refund would fall to £66.67, so the delay would cost her £16.66.
The same five months on other rates, using the figures in the rate table on GOV.UK:
| Tax rate (12 months) | Who pays it | Per month | Refund for 5 months |
|---|---|---|---|
| £20 | Band A or B, 2001 to 2017 | £1.67 | £8.33 |
| £170 | Band D, 2001 to 2017 | £14.17 | £70.83 |
| £200 | Standard rate from April 2017 | £16.67 | £83.33 |
| £375 | Before March 2001, over 1549cc | £31.25 | £156.25 |
| £640 | Standard rate plus expensive car supplement | £53.33 | £266.67 |
| £790 | Band M, over 255 g/km | £65.83 | £329.17 |
Every rate in the car tax refund calculator and in this table is taken from the GOV.UK vehicle tax rate tables as they stand for 2026/27, so the refund matches what DVLA uses unless your car has a special rate. Figures checked October 2026.
Do You Get a Car Tax Refund If You Pay Monthly?
Usually not: with monthly Direct Debit each payment covers the month it is taken for, so when DVLA cancels the Direct Debit there are no prepaid months left to refund. What you gain is that no further payments leave your account. Drivers who paid 12 or 6 months up front, or by yearly or 6 monthly Direct Debit, have whole months in hand and get a cheque for them, less any surcharge. The GOV.UK Direct Debit page sets the 5% surcharge for monthly and 6 monthly payers, which is why paying yearly is the cheapest way to tax a car.
How Long Does a Car Tax Refund Take?
Whatever figure the car tax refund calculator shows, most refunds arrive as a cheque within 8 weeks of DVLA receiving your notice, sent to the name and address on the vehicle record. If nothing has arrived after 8 weeks, contact DVLA. Make sure your address on the V5C is current before you sell, because the cheque follows the record, not you.
When Can You Claim a Vehicle Tax Refund?
- Sold or transferred: tell DVLA online or send the V5C section; the refund follows automatically.
- SORN: declaring the car off the road cancels the tax from the next full month.
- Scrapped or written off: the scrapyard or insurer tells DVLA, though notifying it yourself is quicker.
- Exported: send the export section of the V5C.
- Stolen: you must apply for the refund separately once the police and insurer are involved.
- Exempt: registering the car as exempt, for example for a disabled driver, ends the payments.
Use the car tax refund calculator again if your sale date slips into a new month. Buying another car soon? Check when its first MOT is due before you buy, and compare running costs with the fuel cost calculator so the tax refund is not the only number you plan around.
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How we checked this tool: the Tools Veria Editorial Team built this tool by hand, checked it against the official rules or published standards where they apply, and tested it against worked examples. Results are estimates for planning, not personal financial or tax advice. Read our editorial policy and disclaimer, or report an error.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I get a refund on car tax when I sell my car?
Yes. When DVLA is told you have sold the car, it cancels the tax and posts a cheque for every full calendar month left, worked out from the date it gets your notice. The buyer must tax the car again before driving it.
How is a car tax refund calculated?
DVLA multiplies the full months left by one twelfth of the 12 month rate. With 5 months left on the £200 standard rate, the refund is 5 × £16.67, which comes to £83.33. The month the notice arrives is not counted.
Do I get the month I sold the car refunded?
No. The month in which DVLA receives your notice is not refunded, even if you sell on the 1st or 2nd. Only whole calendar months after it count, so telling DVLA before a month ends saves one month's tax.
Are Direct Debit surcharges refunded?
No. DVLA does not refund the 5% surcharge on monthly and 6 monthly Direct Debits, the 10% surcharge on a single 6 month payment, or credit card fees. The refund is based on the 12 month rate only.
How long does a DVLA tax refund take?
A DVLA vehicle tax refund normally arrives as a cheque within 8 weeks of DVLA receiving your notice. It goes to the keeper's address on the vehicle record, so contact DVLA if nothing has arrived after 8 weeks.
Do I get a car tax refund if I make a SORN?
Yes. A SORN cancels your vehicle tax and DVLA refunds every full month left after the month it receives the SORN. You must then keep the car off public roads until you tax it again.