New bike tax rates

Motorcycle road tax has increased by as much as 3.7% in the Budget. The rate has risen for all motorcycles except those up to 150cc.

A year’s tax for bikes over 600cc will cost £76 instead of £74. Machines from 151cc to 400cc will be £36 a year, up from £35.

Riders of bikes from 401cc to 600cc will see the biggest percentage increase, up 3.7% from £53 a year to £55.

Six-monthly rates, available only to bikes over 400cc, have also risen.

Motorcycles from 401cc to 600cc rise from £29.15 for six months to £30.25. Machines over 600cc go from £40.70 to £41.80.

Bikes up to 150cc remain unchanged at £16 a year, with no six-month option.

The new rates take effect from April 1.    

A spokesman for the Motorcycle Industry Association said: ‘With the lowest polluting cars now paying zero for a tax disk, the MCI deplores the Government’s lack of willingness to consider the motorcycle tax disk rates in a more positive way.’

Nich Brown, General Secretary of the Motorcycle Action Group, said the rise “might seem fair but it still leaves many riders paying more to tax their bike than a car that burns more fuel and creates more greenhouse gases”.

MAG president Ian Mutch added: “It’s always a shame to see any tax hikes for motorcycles. The full ecological contribution of motorcycles can only be understood with reference to the fact that they can percolate through traffic that cannot accommodate any more cars.”