ULEZ and Clean Air Zones UK 2026: Who Pays What

Quick answer

UK Clean Air Zones (CAZ) and London's Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) charge older, more polluting vehicles for entering. The rates and rules differ by city:

Compliance is based on Euro emission standards. Compliant vehicles pay nothing.

What counts as a compliant vehicle

For most schemes:

• Petrol cars and vans: Euro 4 or better — typically registered on or after January 2006.
• Diesel cars and vans: Euro 6 or better — typically registered on or after September 2015.
• Motorcycles: Euro 3 — typically registered on or after July 2007.
• HGVs / buses: Euro 6 (diesel).

You can confirm via the DVLA registration — these dates are approximate; engine variant matters.

Easiest check: TfL's vehicle compliance checker at tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/ulez — enter your registration and it tells you instantly.

Worked example — Mark, 2009 diesel BMW, commuter

Mark drives a 2009 diesel BMW 3 Series (Euro 5) from Watford to a client office in central London 3 days a week. He doesn't have a CC charge issue (the central CCZ is separate), but he hits ULEZ.

Daily ULEZ: £12.50. Weekly: £12.50 × 3 = £37.50. Annual (50 weeks): £1,875/year.

If he doesn't pay within the deadline (midnight the day after travel), penalty is £180 per offence.

His options:

1. Pay the daily charge — most flexible.
2. Upgrade to a Euro 6 diesel or any Euro 4+ petrol — £0 ULEZ. Capital cost of a used compliant car: ~£5,000+.
3. Switch to public transport for those 3 days.
4. Buy an EV via salary sacrifice — see our EV salary sacrifice case study.

For Mark, ULEZ alone justifies upgrading the car within 2-3 years.

London ULEZ — the big one

The London ULEZ expanded to cover all 32 boroughs in August 2023, making it the largest urban air-quality zone in the world.

Operates: 24 hours a day, every day except Christmas Day. Charge: £12.50 per day per non-compliant vehicle. Penalty: £180, reduced to £90 if paid within 14 days.

Compliance facts:

• Roughly 95%+ of vehicles entering Greater London are now compliant (TfL data, 2025).
• Most non-compliant vehicles are pre-2015 diesels and pre-2006 petrols.

Discounts:

• Blue Badge holders automatically exempt (registration required with TfL).
• Vehicles built before 1 Jan 1973 ("historic") exempt.
• NHS staff exemption ended in 2023.
• TfL scrappage scheme (£2,000 for cars) closed in 2024 — no current scheme.

Birmingham CAZ

Active since June 2021. Class D — all vehicles charged including private cars.

Zone: within Birmingham's A4540 inner ring road. Hours: 24/7. Charge:

• Cars / vans (Euro 4 petrol / 6 diesel): £8/day
• HGVs (Euro 6 diesel): £50/day
• Buses / coaches: £50/day

Exemptions: Birmingham city residents at certain addresses qualified for temporary exemptions that have mostly ended. Worker exemptions ended in 2024.

Bristol CAZ

Active since November 2022. Class D — private cars charged.

Zone: Bristol city centre (small area). Hours: 24/7. Charge:

• Cars / vans: £9/day
• HGVs / buses: £100/day

Bath, Sheffield, Tyneside — Class C only

Bath, Sheffield, Tyneside (Newcastle/Gateshead) operate Class C CAZ — only buses, coaches, taxis, HGVs and vans are charged. Private cars are exempt.

Daily charges in these zones:

• Vans / taxis: £9 (Bath, Sheffield), £12.50 (Tyneside)
• HGVs / buses: £50-£100

If you drive a private car through Bath, Sheffield or Newcastle, no charge regardless of vehicle age.

Scottish LEZs

Different system to England:

• Glasgow LEZ (live since 2022 expanded 2024): non-compliant vehicles pay a £60 penalty (rising on repeat offence) per breach.
• Edinburgh LEZ (active 2024): similar penalty-based system.
• Aberdeen and Dundee LEZs (active 2024): penalty system.

Scottish LEZs are stricter on enforcement but not based on daily charges — you simply shouldn't drive a non-compliant vehicle inside the zone. Penalties escalate with repeat offences (£60 → £120 → £240 → £480 within 90 days).

What's coming

• Manchester CAZ indefinitely deferred — the city council is reviewing alternative approaches.
• Oxford ZEZ (Zero Emission Zone, expanded post-2024) — only EVs and very low-emission cars allowed without charge.
• More cities likely to adopt some form of zone post-2027 as legal air quality deadlines bite.

Practical implications by household

If you live inside London (the M25)

• ~95% of vehicles compliant. Check yours.
• If non-compliant, the daily ULEZ over a year usually exceeds the value of upgrading.

If you commute into central London

• ULEZ is unavoidable if you drive in.
• Park-and-ride options at TfL stations outside the zone can save the charge.

If you visit London occasionally

• Pay daily — no annual permits available.
• Pre-pay via TfL website or auto-pay (Auto Pay subscription).

If you live in Birmingham city centre

• Residents had time-limited exemptions; check current status.

If you live elsewhere

• Most UK locations have no Clean Air Zone effecting private cars.
• Check before travelling to other major cities.

How to pay

• TfL site / app for London ULEZ.
• gov.uk Clean Air Zone service for English CAZ (Birmingham, Bristol, Sheffield, Bath, Tyneside).
• Glasgow / Edinburgh / Aberdeen — penalties only, paid via separate council systems.

Auto Pay subscriptions available for ULEZ and English CAZ — you set up a Direct Debit and the system auto-charges when you drive in.

Common mistakes

1. Paying after the deadline — ULEZ payment is due by midnight the day after travel. Late = £180 penalty.
2. Assuming any new car is compliant — small / cheap modern cars may still be non-compliant if engine variant is older Euro spec.
3. Forgetting motorhomes / classic cars — different rules. Pre-1973 vehicles usually exempt.
4. Disabled drivers not registering — you must register your Blue Badge with TfL specifically for ULEZ exemption.

Try the numbers

Sources

• TfL: Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ)
• gov.uk: Drive in a clean air zone
• Birmingham City Council: Brum Breathes / CAZ
• Transport Scotland: Low Emission Zones
• DEFRA: Air quality plan for nitrogen dioxide (NO2)