Understanding UK Tax Exempt Cars

Tax exemptions are granted to several different categories of cars in the United Kingdom. There are ten categories of tax exempt cars recognized by the federal government.

The largest category of tax exempt cars is cars that are registered to disabled people. As of 2006, there were 1.12 million vehicles granted a tax exemption because of their owners’ disabilities.

In 2006, 450 thousand vehicles were given tax exemptions because they were emergency vehicles. These tax exempt cars include police cars, fire-engines, ambulances, and other health-service vehicles. A tax exemption is granted to these vehicles because it is considered wasteful for the government to tax itself

Using the same logic that is applied to tax exempt cars that provide emergency services, tax exemptions have also been extended to:


Cars owned by the crown for the personal usage of Queen Elizabeth II and other members of the extended royal family,

Vehicles operated by the Government Car and Dispatch Agency,and Ministerial Cars.

Other categories of tax exempt cars include cares imported by soldiers of the United States of America who are stationed in Britain and vehicles that have been registered by ex-soldiers who have been receiving war pensioner’s mobility supplements.


In order to promote fuel efficiency and reduce the dependency on foreign fuel, Band A cars, which are cars that emit fewer than twenty grams of CO2 per kilometer.


Tax exempt cars are also granted tax exemptions if the car was constructed before January 1, 1973. However, there is a move to restore tax exemptions to the old standard, of cars over 25 years over.

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