New laws came into force on April 1 which will see some motorists face a huge jump in how much they pay to drive on UK roads.

The DVLA rolled out the latest vehicle excise duty (VED) rates for the new tax year over the weekend. VED - more commonly known as car tax - is paid every year and is a legal requirement for all vehicles registered in the UK. Anyone who fails to tax their vehicle on time faces being hit with an £80 fine, as well as voiding their car insurance.

You need to pay tax when the vehicle is first registered and this covers the car for the next 12 months. You then pay vehicle tax every six or 12 months after this at a different rate. Cars registered between March 1, 2001 to March 31, 2017 are taxed based on their CO2 emissions.

Cars registered on or after April 1, 2017 pay a first-year figure according to their emissions, and this is different for every car this group, then pay the same flat rate from the second year and beyond. According to DVLA data, the average petrol car produces roughly 140g/km of CO2 emissions while a diesel car produces more at 164g.

VED road tax rates for cars first registered after March 2001 and before April 2017 are split across 13 bands depending on the CO2 emissions of the vehicle. For example, the car tax rate for a vehicle registered from March 2001 and before April 2017 that produces 141 to 150g/km of CO2 emissions (Band F) would be £210. If the car produces over 255g/km of CO2 emissions (Band M) the cost sits at £735. Drivers with vehicles between car tax bands D and L can expect to pay between £10 and £35 more compared to last year.

For petrol and diesel vehicles registered after April 1 this year, which fall into the CO2 band of between 51g/km to 75g/km, will need to pay £30 for the first payment. The standard rate for petrol and diesel vehicles thereafter has been increased by £10 from £180 to £190. The fee for "alternative fuel vehicles" such as hybrids and plug-in hybrids has increased from £170 to £180.

Cars with a higher CO2 rate of 131g to 150g of CO2 per km, will now pay an upfront cost of £270 for a petrol car, £680 for a diesel car and £260 for alternative fuel cars, such as hybrid models. The most polluting petrol and diesel vehicles, which fall in the over 255 CO2 band, will need to pay £2,745 - this is up from £2,605 last year.

So if you are fancying getting yourself a first car which falls into this category, then you should be aware of the car tax you will need to pay before being able to drive.

As well as increasing the standard rate, there has also been a £30 hike to the additional "premium" rate tax on all models purchased after 1 April 2017. This premium rate impacts all cars that cost more than £40,000 when they were new and is paid on top of the standard rate for five years.

Electric vehicles remain exempt from paying VED and will not have to pay until April 2025, with Chancellor Jeremy Hunt saying this would create an equal and fair system of motoring taxation. Drivers who are unsure of their own tax rate can visit GOV.UK to find out the technical details of their vehicle.