Petrol cars with low road tax 2024
Find the best used petrol cars with cheap road tax
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Running costs are often a big concern when buying a new car, so finding impressive petrol cars with low road tax can be helpful in keeping costs low.
What determines a low-tax petrol car?
Cheap road tax doesn’t mean you have to pick the smallest and cheapest car possible, as the costs are actually calculated based on your car’s age and its emissions.
Cars registered after April 2017 are taxed against three different bands – zero, standard or premium.
Petrol cars in the standard band will typically pay £190 per year, with a £10 discount on hybrid models.
Cars with a list price of over £40,000 when brand-new must pay an extra ‘premium car tax fee’ of £410 per year.
If your car was registered before March 2017 but after March 2001, your car tax will be based on its CO2 emissions.
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Take a look at some of our top picks for petrol cars with low road tax in 2024:
Petrol cars with low road tax
Volkswagen Golf eHybrid (2020 onwards)
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Annual road tax: £180
While not all petrol cars with cheap road tax are small, there are some brilliant compact options on the market.
The Volkswagen Golf e-Hybrid takes all that’s great about the iconic Golf and makes it even cheaper to run.
You get that £10 discount for a hybrid model and can save on petrol by covering up to 44 miles using electric power alone.
The eHybrid is ideal if you want to keep the car's hybrid abilities close to your chest, despite looking broadly the same on the outside.
BMW 3 Series (2019 onwards)
 "BMW 3 Series front 3/4")
Annual road tax (petrol): £190 for models under £40,000
Annual road tax (hybrid): £180 for models under £40,000
Historically, the BMW 3 Series is a car that’s engaging to drive but often brushed off as being too expensive to run.
If you opt for a 3 Series under £40,000, you’ll be paying the same amount for road tax as you would on a Ford Fiesta from the same year.
In fact, you can even get a £10 discount if you choose a BMW 330e under a £40,000 budget.
The 3 Series is a lot of fun to live with and is seriously eye-catching.
Choose the hybrid model to keep petrol costs low – BMW claims it can achieve up to 148mpg.
Renault Captur Plug-in Hybrid (2020 onwards)
 "Renault Captur driving")
Annual road tax: £180
Another hybrid option, the Renault Captur PHEV, is a petrol car with low road tax that can manage up to 32 miles using battery power alone.
Not only is road tax cheap – with the £10 hybrid discount – but Renault claims you can achieve up to 188mpg in the best-case scenario.
This is the perfect SUV for family life or for those who want a bit more interior space. The cabin is roomy and comfortable, and there’s a 265-litre boot at the rear.
Depending on your individual circumstances, it can be cheap to insure. Hybrid Captur insurance groups range from 13 to 20, depending on the model.
Peugeot 508 (2019 onwards)
 "Peugeot 508 exterior")
Annual road tax: £190
The Peugeot 508 is a sharp family car that’s definitely not boring, rivalling the premium German brands with its suave styling.
It’s a petrol car with cheap road tax that doesn’t feel like you're cutting back. Everything feels very luxe and it’s smooth to drive – all packaged at a very reasonable price point.
Hybrid models in this range are more expensive and usually mean you’re paying the extra luxury car tax fee, but the petrol models are still efficient.
The Peugeot 508 petrol models have been discontinued, but you can find a used petrol 508 at a great price and achieve up to 50mpg.
Kia Sportage (2022 onwards)
 "Kia Sportage front three quarters")
Annual road tax (petrol hybrid): £180
Annual road tax (petrol): £190
Another SUV option, the Kia Sportage, is a practical petrol car with low road tax that’s perfect for families.
Choose from the standard petrol or plug-in petrol hybrid engines, but get impressive fuel efficiency with both.
The plug-in hybrid offers up to 43 miles of electric driving, and the petrol engines can achieve up to 54.3mpg.
There’s a 591-litre boot in petrol models that’s massive when compared to other family cars, and the cabin is comfortable yet built to withstand wear and tear.
BMW 1 Series (2019 onwards)
 "BMW 1 Series front")
Annual road tax: £190
If you fancy something smaller but still high-end, the BMW 1 Series is a petrol car with low road tax you’ll be proud to be seen in.
It’s a perky model that’s fun to drive but not overwhelming, with some efficient engine choices to keep running costs low.
In fact, you can get up to 49.6mpg depending on the model you choose – making it ideal for daily driving.
Insurance can be inexpensive as well, depending on your individual factors.
The 1 Series typically sits in insurance groups 12 to 24 for the more standard engines, with the performance models sitting higher.
Citroen C3 (2017 onwards)
 "Citroen C3 side")
Annual road tax: £190
The Citroen C3 is a small but practical option that’s really easy to live with. It’s a petrol car with low road tax costs and is frugal in plenty of other ways, too.
Citroen is well known as a reliable manufacturer and the C3 certainly feels solid. We think this one is ideal for busy families or an active motorist who needs something hard-wearing to rely on.
It’s efficient too, with Citroen claiming the petrol models can achieve up to 52.5mpg, depending on the model you choose.
MG HS (2019 onwards)
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Annual road tax (plug-in hybrid): £180
Annual road tax (petrol): £190
For an agile family SUV with plenty to offer at a great price point, we’d pick the MG HS.
It’s a petrol car with low road tax that also happens to be one of the cheaper SUVs on the market. There’s also a hybrid version on offer – ideal if you want to cut back on fuel costs.
The MG HS scored a full five-star Euro NCAP rating in 2019, with a 91% rating for adult occupants and 81% for children.
Reliability is highly rated as well, so this should be a stress-free SUV to live with.
Advantages of low road tax for petrol cars
The most obvious benefit of choosing a petrol car with low road tax is the money you're on track to save.
By choosing a car that sits at the lowest UK standard rate for 2024/25 of £190 (or £180 with the hybrid discount) and ensuring you stay under £40,000 to skip the luxury car fee, you’ll be in the best position for running costs.
Low road tax cars can also hold their value better as future buyers could be tempted by the cheap running costs.
If you’re environmentally conscious, choosing a low road tax petrol car will mean you’re keeping emissions on the lower side.
These emissions are bad for the environment and our health, so keeping them low is in our best interest.
Cars with emissions below 100g/km are the best for the environment and also get free road tax until 2025.
How to save even more with a low road tax petrol car
You can save more money with a low road tax petrol car if you look at other running costs such as insurance and fuel costs.
Choosing a hybrid car is a good way to take the edge off petrol prices and you get that road tax discount as well.
Opting for a more efficient car in general, even if it doesn’t offer hybrid power, will mean your fuel bill is lower.
Efficiency will differ depending on the model, but small and light city cars are usually the cheapest to fill up.
You may also want to look at the insurance band of cars you’re considering. This can give an indicator of how much your road tax is likely to be, but remember individual factors such as driving offences and where the car is stored will also make a difference.
Get a used petrol car at cinch:
Petrol cars with low road tax can help keep running costs low, while still meaning you can pick a reliable, fun and stylish car.
It’s much easier than you might think to find cars with low road tax, and there’s always the option for hybrid and electric models to save even more.
Take a look at our full range of petrol cars to find more options.