HMRC raised the approved rate for using your own car or van from 45p to 55p a mile on 6 April 2026. It had not moved since 6 April 2011.
In force from 6 April 2026.
| Vehicle | Rate | |
|---|---|---|
| Car | 55p a mile for the first 10,000 miles | 25p a mile after that |
| Van | 55p a mile for the first 10,000 miles | 25p a mile after that |
| Motorcycle | 24p a mile | |
| Bicycle | 20p a mile |
Bands reset each tax year, which starts on 6 April, so the higher band is available again from then. Carrying a colleague on the same business journey adds 5p a mile.
Published by HMRC Approved Mileage Allowance Payments (AMAP). Checked against that source.
For 15 years the first 10,000 business miles of a tax year were worth 45p each. From 6 April 2026 they are worth 55p. The other vehicle rates did not move: motorcycles at 24p and bicycles at 20p.
| Period | First 10,000 | After that |
|---|---|---|
| 6 April 2011 to 5 April 2026 | 45p | 25p |
| 6 April 2026 onwards | 55p | 25p |
What a tax year's business driving comes to, before and after the change.
| Business miles a year | Before | Now | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2,000 | £900 | £1,100 | £200 |
| 5,000 | £2,250 | £2,750 | £500 |
| 10,000 | £4,500 | £5,500 | £1,000 |
| 12,000 | £5,000 | £6,000 | £1,000 |
The gain stops there. Only the first 10,000 miles moved, so everything beyond them is still worth 25p, exactly as before. The most the change can be worth in a tax year is £1,000.
The rate in force on the day of the journey, not the day you send the claim. A drive from before 6 April 2026 is worth 45p a mile on a claim you send today, and a claim spanning the change carries both figures. That matters if you are working back through an old logbook, or amending a return.
Reclaim keeps every rate against the dates it applied, so a trip is priced at the rate for the day it happened and stays priced that way.
It is the HMRC approved rate for using your own car or van for business driving: 55p a mile for the first 10,000 business miles of the tax year, then 25p a mile after that.
On 6 April 2026. The 45p rate had applied since 6 April 2011.
The rate in force on the day of the journey, not the day you claim. A journey driven before 6 April 2026 is worth 45p a mile even on a claim you send today.
General information about published rates, not tax advice. The figures above come from HMRC Approved Mileage Allowance Payments (AMAP).
All UK mileage rates, including company car fuel rates.
Reclaim