How car tax works in Korea
If you own a car registered in Korea, including as a foreign resident, you pay an annual car tax (자동차세) to your local government. For a private (non-commercial) passenger car it is based on engine size, plus a local education tax (지방교육세) of 30% of the car tax.
| Engine size | Tax per cc | Example (car tax per year) |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 1,000cc | ₩80 | 998cc → ₩79,840 |
| Up to 1,600cc | ₩140 | 1,598cc → ₩223,720 |
| Over 1,600cc | ₩200 | 1,999cc → ₩399,800 |
| Electric / hydrogen | Flat | ₩100,000 |
With the education tax added, a new 1,598cc car costs about ₩290,000 a year.
Older cars pay less
The car’s age is counted as tax year − first registration year + 1. From year 3 the tax drops by 5% a year, up to a maximum 50% reduction from year 12. A car first registered in 2021 is in year 6 in 2026 and gets 20% off. This calculator shows electric and hydrogen cars at the flat rate without an age reduction.
When you pay, and the January discount
The bill is split in half and sent in June and December. If you pay the whole year in January (연납, prepayment), a 5% deduction rate is applied to the remaining months, which works out to roughly 4.58% off. The figure shown here is an approximation.
Good to know
- Commercial cars, vans and trucks use different rates and are not covered.
- Local ordinances and rounding can make the real bill differ slightly.
- Bills, payment and January prepayment are handled on Wetax (위택스, wetax.go.kr).
Paying off a car loan as well? Use the loan repayment calculator, and the exchange rate calculator to see the cost in your home currency.