How much is motorbike tax?

How much is motorbike tax?

All road vehicles need to be taxed. Originally, the purpose of road tax was to pay for the upkeep of UK roads, but now it's also used for other purposes. Unlike cars, scooters and motorbikes still need to display a valid tax disc to be road legal. To tax a new motorbike or scooter, you need your vehicle's registration document (V5C) and proof of valid insurance.

Where can I tax my motorbike?

Back in the day, you had to tax your vehicle at the post office, and had to leave plenty of time for the documents to reach the DVLA via post. While this is still one way of doing it, the easiest is to do it online. This can be done via the DVLA website, and providing your motorbike is registered, the DVLA will have this information on file. This makes the whole process much easier, and means you only have to fill in a few boxes and pay. You'll then receive your tax disc in the post, which you'll have to display on your bike.

How much is road tax?

Unlike cars, which are taxed on their CO2 emissions, motorcycles are taxed on their engine size. Typically, smaller engine motorbikes pay less tax than more powerful vehicles. This might affect what engine size you go for, but everything under 150cc is in the same tax bracket anyway. For a 125cc motorbike, you can expect to pay around £25 for a year of tax. This is considerably cheaper than a car, which is just another reason motorbikes are better for younger riders.

There are different ways to pay for your road tax. For bigger engine sizes, you can buy tax in 6-month increments, but for motorbikes under 150cc you can only buy 12 months at a time. This can either be paid in one go, via cheque or card, or it can be paid monthly via Direct Debit. If you choose to pay in 12 instalments, you will end up paying more money, but it'll probably be a pound or two extra.

Although £24 is hardly a massive sum, you might find it easier to pay monthly, especially with the other payments you'll have to make, such as insurance and petrol. Being able to pay monthly is a much easier way of managing it too, and it makes it easier to roll over into the next year. To renew your tax, you simply follow the same process as initial registration. Bare in mind though, once your motorbike is over 3 years old, you'll also need to have a valid MOT certificate in order to tax it.

Road tax, like insurance, isn't something that anyone enjoys paying. Unfortunately, it's a legal requirement for putting your motorbike on the road. One of the main advantages to choosing a motorbike over a car is the fact that tax is considerably cheaper, which makes it a lot easier for young people to manage.