Is my car old enough to be historic?
Put in the year your car was built. You get two answers, one for vehicle tax and one for the MOT, because the two rules are not the same. Then put the year on the wall.
Rules as GOV.UK sets them out for Great Britain, read on 8 September 2026. Northern Ireland tests its cars separately. Rules change, so check GOV.UK before you act.
The car plate print is on its way
We are adding the print to the shop now. Come back soon to see your car’s name and year set on a plate-style panel.
The two rules, in plain words
Vehicle tax changes once a year, on 1 April. A car built in any year stops paying on the 1 April 41 years later, and stays that way. The law counts back 40 years from the start of that year, and we have done the sum.
Their car, repainted from one photograph in whichever of the nine styles suits the room. Free preview first, accepted on screen before anything is charged.
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The MOT follows the car's own birthday instead. Once it is more than 40 years since the car was built or first registered, and nothing big has been changed on it, the test is no longer needed.
Put those side by side and a car can be free of the MOT long before it's free of tax. A car built in January is MOT-free in its 40th year, but its tax-free date doesn't arrive until the 1 April more than a year later. That's why the checker gives you both answers.
What you still have to do
Being old enough isn't the end of it. For tax, you apply to DVLA to move the car into the historic class, and then you still “tax” it each year, for nothing. The steps are on GOV.UK's page for vehicles exempt from vehicle tax.
For the MOT, no test doesn't mean no responsibility. The car still has to be kept roadworthy, and if it's had a big change to its engine, body or chassis, the exemption may not apply. GOV.UK's historic vehicles guide says what counts as big.
A few vehicles are left out of the tax exemption altogether, such as some special vehicles used commercially. Those exceptions are listed in the law itself, on legislation.gov.uk.
How many cars are we talking about?
The DVLA counts them. The cars turning historic next 1 April, by make and model, are on their own page, and how many cars from each year are still licensed shows how few survive the further back you go.
Putting your car's year on the wall
The print is a plate-style panel with your car's name, the year it was built, and a line of your own beneath it. Many owners put the date their car goes historic there. It's made to order on paper or canvas, with or without a frame, and it's a keepsake for a wall inside, not a tax disc. If you'd rather have the car itself, turn a photo of it into art.
Written by Craig Fearn, Petrol & Ink. Last updated .
Questions, answered
What if I don’t know when my car was built?
GOV.UK gives a fallback that uses the registration date instead. For 2026 the cut-off it gives is 8 January 1986. The date moves with the year, so check GOV.UK for the one in force when you read this.
Do I still need insurance on a historic car?
Yes. The tax and MOT exemptions don’t change the law on insurance. A car on the road needs it.
Does the checker keep what I type?
No. The year is checked in your browser and goes nowhere. If you add the print to your basket, only the wording you put on it is saved, so we can print it.
Can I send the print back if I change my mind?
Not for a change of mind. It is made to your wording, so the 14-day cancellation right does not apply (Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28(1)(b)). Read the preview through before you add it. If it arrives damaged or with a print fault, we reprint it or refund you.
Useful reading
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