Is VED the same as car tax?

Yes — VED (Vehicle Excise Duty) is the official name for what's commonly called "car tax" or "road tax" in the UK. They all refer to the same annual charge you pay to legally keep a vehicle on public roads.

A quick note on terminology:

• VED is the formal, legal term used in government documents and legislation
• Car tax and road tax are the everyday terms most people use for the same thing
• You might also see it referred to as a "tax disc" historically — though the physical paper disc was scrapped in 2014, and everything is now managed electronically

So if you see "VED" on official paperwork or a vehicle check, it's referring to exactly the same tax as when someone asks "is this car taxed?" — there's no practical difference, just different levels of formality in the wording used.