Car owners with certain number plates face a vehicle tax blow of up to £760 after new rates came into force. People with vehicles manufactured between 2001 and 2017 are taxed on a sliding scale which is based on carbon dioxide (CO2) emission levels. Registration numbers issued between those years range from Y to 67.

Drivers with older cars with higher CO2 emissions now face a heftier tax bill. Charges move up from band A’s £20 rate, to band D’s £165 to band F’s £215 all the way up to band M’s £760. These rates apply to cars registered on or after March 1, 2001, and April 1, 2017.

New rates came in last month and for the first time cars with carbon emissions below 100g/km no longer qualify for free road tax. If your car emits up to that much, then you have to pay £20 per year in vehicle excise duty (VED). Note that VED, car tax, road tax and vehicle tax are different names for the same thing.

Meanwhile, first licence rates for cars registered on or after April 1 this year will see drivers of cars that emit between 1-50g/km of carbon dioxide having to pay £110. New cars that emit 51-75g/km now pay £130, up from £30, or £20 for hybrids.

All other rates have doubled for new registrations, with a vehicle in the tax band 76-90g/km paying £270 instead of the previous £135.

Under the changes, cars registered on or after April 1 this year that emit 255g/km of CO2 or more will see the highest VED rate – £5,490.

Electric vehicles have lost their tax-free status, with those made before 2017 subject to a £20 rate.

First licence rates for zero emission cars registered on or after April 1 this year now have to pay £10. After that first payment, new electric cars will pay an annual rate of £195.

New EVs registered on or after April 1 with a list price over £40,000 will also incur a £425 expensive car supplement for the first five years from the start of the second licence.

To check if a car is taxed you can visit gov.uk and will need the vehicle’s registration number.

The website will tell you if the vehicle has road tax which is up to date or has been registered as being off the road or is subject to a statutory off road notification.

Driving a vehicle which isn’t taxed can result in a fine or penalty. Car tax can be paid at a Post Office, over the phone or online at gov.uk/vehicle-tax by debit card, credit card or direct debit.

You will need your V5C logbook to prove you own the vehicle, a recent vehicle tax reminder, a DVLA “last chance” warning letter or the green new keeper slip from a logbook.