Glossary · UK
What is Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ)?
A charging zone, currently covering all of Greater London, where vehicles that do not meet minimum emissions standards must pay a daily charge to drive.
Full Definition
The Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) is an area -- expanded to cover the whole of Greater London in August 2023 -- within which most vehicles that do not meet minimum exhaust emissions standards must pay a daily charge to be driven, on top of (not instead of) the separate Congestion Charge that applies in central London. As of 2026/27 the standard ULEZ daily charge is £12.50 for cars, motorcycles and vans, and £100 for larger vans, minibuses, lorries, buses and coaches that do not meet the required Euro emissions standard (broadly Euro 6 for diesel vehicles and Euro 4 for petrol vehicles), charged for each day a non-compliant vehicle is driven within the zone, including weekends and bank holidays, with no discount for residents. Transport for London (TfL) enforces ULEZ using automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras, checking registrations against the DVLA database, and issues penalty charge notices to drivers of non-compliant vehicles who have not paid; a vehicle checker tool on the TfL website lets drivers confirm compliance before travelling. Similar low-emission or clean air zones with broadly comparable aims (though different rules, boundaries and charges) operate in several other UK cities, including Birmingham, Bristol, and Bath, so a vehicle compliant in one city's zone is not automatically compliant everywhere.