OTR On The Road

An On The Road (OTR) price is the price that you pay for a new Motorcycle or Scooter including the value of the vehicle, plus the first registration fee and the first year of tax, as well as additional costs such as pre delivery inspection number plates and delivery charges.

New registrations fee

You’ll have to pay a fee of £55 if you’re registering and taxing a vehicle for the first time with DVLA.

All motorcycles on UK roads must be taxed.

Commonly known as motorcycle tax or road tax but officially called Vehicle Excise Duty or VED for short.

The tax bands have been changed many times as Governments have come and gone. Currently most vehicles are assessed based on their C02 emissions.

Motorcycles however are taxed based on their engine size (CC). 

It’s a pretty simple and straightforward process to get your bike taxed so lets dig into the details.

Motorbike and scooter tax rates

So just how much is it going to cost me?

First job is to find your engine capacity. If you are unsure, it should be listed on your vehicle registration document.

VED rate table

Engine Size (cc)	Single 12 Month Payment	12 Monthly Installments by DD (total)	Single 6 Month Payment	6 Monthly Installments by DD (total)
Not Over 150	£20	£20	N/A	N/A
151-400	£44	£44	N/A	N/A
401-600	£67	£67	£36.85	£35.18
Over 600	£93	£93	£51.15	£48.83

*Source: UK Gov official site

What documents are required?

You will need the motorbikes registration document aka the logbook (V5C) and also proof of insurance.

For motorcycles over three years old a valid MOT certificate will also be needed.

Where to tax my motorcycle?

Note: Paper tax discs where abolished in 2014 – you no longer need to display a tax disc on your motorcycle nor will one be sent to you when you tax it.

There are several ways to pay:

Online

The quickest and easiest way to pay is online at the DVLA website.

They should already have a record of your motorcycle insurance and MOT status (if required) so tick a few boxes and put in your card details and you should be good to go.

Pay by phone

Contact the DVLA on 0300 123 4321 to pay over the phone. You will need the V5C (logbook) when you call.

Pay at Post Office

Take your logbook, your money and a valid MOT certificate (if required) and pay over the counter.

What if I buy or sell a motorcycle?

Motorcycle tax is not transferable with the bike.

Police are now using digital technology and roadside ANPR cameras to check for untaxed vehicles so don’t be tempted to ride without the proper documents!

Selling

When you sell your motorbike you will automatically receive a refund for any full months tax remaining from the DVLA. This will apply from the time the DVLA is notified of the sale.