Motor Tax Calculator Ireland
Estimate your annual Irish motor tax (road tax) from your car's registration year, fuel type and CO₂ emissions — or engine size for pre-2008 cars. The tool applies the correct regime automatically: engine-size cc bands, NEDC CO₂, WLTP CO₂, or the flat €120/yr electric-vehicle rate.
Motor Tax Estimator
Enter your car's reg year, fuel and CO₂ (or engine size for pre-2008 cars) to estimate the annual road tax.
Registered 2021 or later → WLTP CO₂ table.
A whole number of g/km, e.g. 119. Find it on your VRT certificate, V5C or Certificate of Conformity.
Looking for a low-tax car? Browse used cars under €20,000.
Browse cars by budgetHow much is motor tax in Ireland? The short answer
Annual motor tax in Ireland runs from €56 to €2,400 a year. The floor of €56 is the vintage/veteran rate for a car 30 years or more from its date of manufacture; every electric car pays a flat €120. Most ordinary used petrol and diesel cars land between €180 and €400.
Which table applies to you is decided by the date the car was first registered, not by its age or model year: cars first registered from 1 January 2021 use the WLTP CO₂ table, cars first registered between July 2008 and December 2020 use the NEDC table, and anything registered before 2008 is taxed on engine size. Cars registered between January and June 2008 straddle the change and pay whichever of the two rates is lower. An imported car is keyed to its first registration in its country of origin, so two identical-looking cars on the same forecourt can sit on different tables.
That distinction is worth real money. 165 g/km costs €420 a year on the WLTP table but €600 on the NEDC table — the same emissions figure, a difference of €180 every year. Check the CO₂ figure on the car's VRC against the tables below, or use the calculator above.
How Irish motor tax works
Motor tax in Ireland is an annual charge to keep a car on the road, paid on motortax.ie or at a motor-tax office. How much you pay depends on when the car was first registered, because Ireland has changed the basis of the tax twice:
- Vintage/veteran (30 years or more from manufacture): a flat €56 per year, whatever the engine size, CO₂ or fuel — this overrides all three tables below.
- Before 2008: taxed on engine size in cc.
- January–June 2008: taxed on whichever is lower — the engine-size (cc) rate or the NEDC CO₂ rate.
- July 2008 – 2020: taxed on the NEDC CO₂ figure (g/km).
- From 1 January 2021: taxed on the WLTP CO₂ figure (g/km).
- Electric cars (BEV): a flat €120 per year — EV = flat €120/yr, not a top band.
Estimate — confirm on motortax.ie. Estimate only — verify with motortax.ie before committing. Rates verified against motortax.ie, 21 July 2026.
2021-onward (WLTP CO₂) motor tax bands
| CO₂ (WLTP) | Annual tax |
|---|---|
| Electric (0 g/km) | €120 |
| 1–50 g/km | €140 |
| 51–80 g/km | €150 |
| 81–90 g/km | €160 |
| 91–100 g/km | €170 |
| 101–110 g/km | €180 |
| 111–120 g/km | €190 |
| 121–130 g/km | €200 |
| 131–140 g/km | €210 |
| 141–150 g/km | €270 |
| 151–160 g/km | €280 |
| 161–170 g/km | €420 |
| 171–190 g/km | €600 |
| 191–200 g/km | €790 |
| 201–225 g/km | €1,250 |
| 226+ g/km | €2,400 |
July 2008 – 2020 (NEDC CO₂) motor tax bands
| CO₂ (NEDC) | Annual tax |
|---|---|
| Electric (0 g/km) | €120 |
| 1–80 g/km | €170 |
| 81–100 g/km | €180 |
| 101–110 g/km | €190 |
| 111–120 g/km | €200 |
| 121–130 g/km | €270 |
| 131–140 g/km | €280 |
| 141–155 g/km | €400 |
| 156–170 g/km | €600 |
| 171–190 g/km | €790 |
| 191–225 g/km | €1,250 |
| 226+ g/km | €2,400 |
Pre-July-2008 (engine size, cc) motor tax bands
| Engine size | Annual tax |
|---|---|
| Vintage/veteran (30+ years old) — any cc | €56 |
| Up to 1,000 cc | €199 |
| 1,001–1,100 cc | €299 |
| 1,101–1,200 cc | €330 |
| 1,201–1,300 cc | €358 |
| 1,301–1,400 cc | €385 |
| 1,401–1,500 cc | €413 |
| 1,501–1,600 cc | €514 |
| 1,601–1,700 cc | €544 |
| 1,701–1,800 cc | €636 |
| 1,801–1,900 cc | €673 |
| 1,901–2,000 cc | €710 |
| 2,001–2,100 cc | €906 |
| 2,101–2,200 cc | €951 |
| 2,201–2,300 cc | €994 |
| 2,301–2,400 cc | €1,034 |
| 2,401–2,500 cc | €1,080 |
| 2,501–2,600 cc | €1,294 |
| 2,601–2,700 cc | €1,345 |
| 2,701–2,800 cc | €1,391 |
| 2,801–2,900 cc | €1,443 |
| 2,901–3,000 cc | €1,494 |
| 3,001+ cc | €1,809 |
Motor tax — frequently asked questions
How is motor tax calculated in Ireland?
Irish motor tax depends on when the car was first registered. Cars registered before 2008 are taxed on engine size (cc). Cars registered between 1 January and 30 June 2008 are a transition case: they are taxed on whichever is LOWER, the engine-size rate or the CO₂ rate. Cars registered from July 2008 to the end of 2020 are taxed on their NEDC CO₂ figure. Cars registered from 1 January 2021 are taxed on their WLTP CO₂ figure. Electric cars pay a flat €120 per year. Use the calculator above and the band tables below for your exact figure.
How much is motor tax on an electric car in Ireland?
A battery-electric car (BEV) pays a flat motor tax of €120 per year in Ireland — the lowest rate available. It is not a "top band"; EV = flat €120/yr regardless of the car. Plug-in hybrids and ordinary hybrids do not get the flat EV rate; they are taxed on their CO₂ figure like any other petrol or diesel car.
Why is motor tax different for cars registered after 2021?
From 1 January 2021, Ireland switched to the WLTP emissions test, which reports higher (more realistic) CO₂ figures than the older NEDC test. To keep tax fair, a separate WLTP band table applies to 2021-onward registrations. The same CO₂ number can give a different tax on the two tables — for example 165 g/km is €420 on the WLTP table but €600 on the NEDC table — so the registration year always decides which table is used.
How is motor tax worked out for a car registered before July 2008?
Cars first registered before 2008 are taxed on engine capacity in cubic centimetres (cc), not CO₂. Cars first registered between 1 January and 30 June 2008 are the exception: they pay whichever is LOWER of the engine-size rate and the CO₂ (NEDC) rate, because a car of that vintage switched to the CO₂ rate on its first renewal after 1 July 2008 if that rate was lower, and imports of the same vintage are put on the same footing. Rates start at €199 a year for engines up to 1,000 cc and rise with engine size to €1,809 a year for engines over 3,000 cc. Those cc rates only apply while the car is under 30 years old: once it is 30 years or more from its date of manufacture it moves to the vintage/veteran class at a flat €56 a year, whatever the engine size. If you are importing or buying an older car, check the engine cc, the CO₂ figure and the manufacture date, because a large engine under 30 years old can mean a large annual tax bill.
How much is motor tax on a vintage or classic car in Ireland?
A vehicle that is 30 years or more from its date of manufacture is taxed in the vintage/veteran class at a flat €56 a year, whatever its engine size, CO₂ figure or fuel. That is the lowest annual motor tax rate in Ireland — lower than the €120 flat rate for electric cars. The threshold rolls forward every year, so in 2026 it reaches cars manufactured in 1996. Because the 30 years run from the date of manufacture rather than from 1 January, a car built later in its first qualifying year pays its ordinary engine-size rate until its 30th anniversary. Vintage motorcycles pay €26 a year. Confirm the date of manufacture on the vehicle registration certificate and the rate on motortax.ie.
Where do I find my car’s CO₂ figure to calculate motor tax?
Your CO₂ figure in g/km is on the vehicle’s VRT certificate, its V5C registration document (for UK imports) and its Certificate of Conformity (CoC). Enter that number, your fuel type and the registration year into the calculator above. For pre-2008 cars enter the engine size in cc instead, since those are taxed by engine capacity; for a car registered between January and June 2008 enter both, because it pays whichever of the two rates is lower.
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