Clean Air Zones

The UK is on a path to zero-emission transport, but it has some challenges to address in the meantime. There are almost nine million (28%) more vehicles on our roads than there were 20 years ago [1] and, coupled with the increase in diesel cars and vans during that period, they around a sixth of the country’s nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions [2]. NOx is a major cause of lung and heart disease [3], and the highest concentrations are often found in busy urban areas.

This hasn’t escaped the government’s attention. The UK committed to legally binding pollution limits as a member of the EU in 2010 [4], but 80 local authorities (including six in Scotland and Wales) still had at least one road with excess NOx emissions five years later [5]. In 2017, the 29 councils identified as unlikely to be compliant by 2021 were instructed to develop plans to bring pollution back under control. Following a High Court ruling that the government still wasn’t doing enough, a further 33 authorities were given the same instructions in 2018 [6].

Delegating those plans has resulted in a patchwork of approaches across the country, tailored to authorities’ unique road and traffic conditions. However, several identified a need to take direct action influencing the way vehicles use their most polluted roads and these clean air zones are now going live. Whether you’re driving for work, visiting a city or live there, it’s important to be aware of these differing rules to avoid getting charged.

A clean air zone (CAZ) is an area where local authorities are taking direct action to reduce NO2 emissions, and they fall into two categories.

• Non-charging CAZs do not impose fees on vehicles entering the zone. Instead, local authorities could implement measures to improve public transport, change road layouts and introduce cycle lines to reduce traffic.
• Charging CAZs may also have measures to encourage public and active transport, but also include a daily fee for vehicles that don’t meet minimum emission standards. It’s this type of CAZ that drivers need to be more aware of.

We’ll be focusing on charging CAZs for the rest of this guide.

Charging CAZs are designed to discourage drivers from using older and more polluting vehicles in specific areas. There is a national framework for fees based on vehicles’ compliance with the progressively stricter ‘Euro’ emissions standards, and specifically the point at which NO2 limits align.

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This tends to allow much older petrol vehicles into the zone without being charged, as they have lower NO2 emissions and have faced tighter legal limits for longer. Fees typically apply to:

• Diesel vehicles that don't meet Euro 6 (phased in since September 2014)
• Petrol vehicles that don't meet Euro 4 (introduced in January 2005)

Battery-electric vehicles are exempt, but charges may apply to plug-in hybrids if they have a combustion engine that doesn’t meet the standards set out above. National exemptions also apply to vehicles which are adapted for disabled occupants, used by the military or for agriculture, or historically significant.

Local authorities can also be selective about which vehicles they want to charge. The government’s framework sets out four types of charging CAZ, as follows:

• Class A: buses and coaches
• Class B: Class A vehicles, plus heavy goods vehicles (HGVs)
• Class C: Class B vehicles, plus taxis, private hire vehicles (PHVs), vans and minibuses
• Class D: Class C vehicles, plus cars

There are currently 12 CAZs live in the UK, located between the south coast and Scotland, while London has three separate schemes in operation and doesn’t conform with the framework used elsewhere. Unless otherwise noted, charges in the following zones apply to vehicles that don’t meet Euro 4 (petrol) and Euro 6 (diesel) standards.

The Aberdeen Low Emission Zone went live in May 2022, spanning an area north and west of the city’s train station. Fees will apply 24 hours a day from 1 June 2024, including local residents and businesses, and will double for repeat offenders within a 90-day period.

Fees: £60 (halved if paid within 14 days)

More information: Aberdeen Low Emission Zone

Bath’s Clean Air Zone covers most of the city centre. Drivers have 28 days to pay any fees to avoid an additional £120 penalty charge, and the council offers discounts for privately-owned vehicles over 3.5 tonnes (such as motor homes or horse transporters) if they register.

Fees: £9 (taxis and PHVs, LCVs, private HGVs), £100 (HGVs, buses, coaches)

More information: Bath Clean Air Zone

Introduced in June 2021, Birmingham’s Clean Air Zone affects the area within the A4540 Middleway and operates 24 hours a day. Drivers have six days to pay any fees to avoid a £120 penalty charge, while residents’ exemptions expire in June 2023. Fees: £8 (cars, LCVs, taxis and PHVs), £50 (HGVs, buses and coaches)

More information: Brum Breathes

The Bradford CAZ covers the area within the outer ring road (including the road itself) and the Aire Valley corridor including Shipley and Saltaire. Single-vehicle exemptions are available to residents, for privately-owned commercial and specialist vehicles (such as motorhomes) purchased before 26 September 2022.
Fees: £7 (taxis and PHVs), £9 (LCVs), £50 (HGVs, buses and coaches)

More info: Breathe Better Bradford

The Bristol Clean Air Zone went live in November 2022. It’s noteworthy for including not only the area west of Temple Meads station, but part of the Portway – a busy route in and out of the city centre – and also applying to residents. Fees: £9 (cars, LCVs, taxis and PHVs), £100 (HGVs, buses and coaches)

More info: Clean Air for Bristol

Most of the area within the A991 Inner Ring Road (excluding the car parks) is included within Dundee’s Low Emission Zone. Introduced in May 2022, fees apply 24 hours a day and are doubled for repeat breaches within a 90-day period. This includes residents. Fees: £60 (halved if paid within 14 days)

More info: Dundee Low Emission Zone Scheme

Edinburgh introduced its Low Emission Zone in May 2022. It covers an area spanning between Queen Street and Melville Drive in the north and south, Tollcross in the west and Canongate in the east. Fees apply 24 hours a day and are doubled for each subsequent breach within a 90-day period. Fees: £60 (halved if paid within 14 days)

More info: Edinburgh Low Emission Zone

The Glasgow Low Emission Zone launched on 1 June 2023, but with a 12-month grace period for residents and local businesses. It’s bordered by the M8 in the north and west, River Clyde in the south and Saltmarket and High Street in the west, and operates 24 hours a day. Penalties are doubled for repeat breaches within a 90-day period Fees: £60 (halved if paid within 14 days)

More info: Glasgow Low Emission Zone

There are three zones in place across the Greater London area, each of which are enforced separately. This means some non-compliant vehicles can be charged more than once.

• The Low Emission Zone (LEZ) covers most of the area within the M25 and it’s enforced 24 hours a day (excluding Christmas Day). A £250 charge applies for LCVs that don’t meet Euro 3 particulate matter limits, and HGVs, buses or coaches that don’t comply with Euro 6. Heavier vehicles that don’t meet Euro 4 particulate matter limits are charged £500 [7, 8].
• The Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) covers the same area as the LEZ. Motorcycles, scooters and tricycles have to meet Euro 3 emission limits, while cars, vans (up to 3.5 tonnes) and minibuses (up to 5 tonnes) have to meet Euro 4 (petrol) or Euro 6 (diesel) to avoid being charged. A £12.50 daily fee applies 24 hours a day, except Christmas Day, with no exemptions for residents [9].
• The Congestion Charge operates between 7am and 6pm (12pm and 6pm on weekends) within an area at the centre of London. Only electric or hydrogen fuel cell vehicles or locally-licensed taxis are exempt from the £15 fee, but residents get a 90% discount [10].

More info: https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/

Oxford has been piloting a Zero Emission Zone within a small area at the centre of the city since February 2022. A £10 charge applies between 7am to 7pm, with discounts for cleaner vehicles and exemptions for residents and businesses within the zone. Drivers are charged a £60 penalty if they do not pay the charge within 28 days.
Fees: £0 (zero-emission vehicles), £2 (two/three wheelers, vehicles emitting less than 75g/km CO2), £4 (Euro 4 petrol/Euro 6 diesel vehicles), £10 (all other vehicles)

More info: Oxford Zero Emission Zone

The Portsmouth CAZ launched in November 2021, covering the city centre south of the M275 motorway. Although it’s focused on taxis and PHVs, coaches, buses and HGVs, fees apply to some heavier motorhomes. Drivers have a six-day payment window, or a £120 penalty applies. Fees: £10 (taxis and PHVs), £50 (HGVs, buses and coaches)

More info: Cleaner Air Portsmouth

Sheffield introduced its Clean Air Zone in February 2023, but with temporary exemption until 5 June for local businesses. The zone covers the area within the A61 and part of the Sheffield Parkway, and drivers have six days to pay the fee or a penalty charge applies. Discounted rates are available for residents with large campervans or motorhomes. Fees: £10 (taxis, PHVs, LCVs and privately owned HGVs), £60 (HGVs, buses and coaches)

More info: Sheffield Clean Air Zone

The Tyneside CAZ spans most of Newcastle city centre as well as the Tyne, Swing, High Level and Redheugh Bridges to Gateshead. LCV operators have until July 2023 to upgrade their vehicles to meet Euro 4/6 requirements, while taxis and PHVs can apply for discounted rates if they are regularly entering the zone. Fees: £12.50 (taxis, PHVs, LCVs), £50 (HGVs, buses and coaches)

More info: Breathe Clean Air

[1] Department for Transport. (2024). VEH1103: Licensed vehicles at the end of the quarter by body type and fuel type: Great Britain and United Kingdom. [online] Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66437bb9993111924d9d343e/veh1103.ods [Accessed 20 June 2024].

[2] Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs. (2023). ENV0301: Air pollutant emissions by transport mode: United Kingdom [online] Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6579e2130467eb001355f78a/env0301.ods [Accessed 20 June 2024].

[3] Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs. (2024). Air quality statistics: Nitrogen dioxide. [online] Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/air-quality-statistics/ntrogen-dioxide [Accessed 20 June 2024].

[4] UK-AIR. (n.d.). UK Limits. [online] Available at: https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/air-pollution/uk-limits.php [Accessed 20 June 2024].

[5] Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs. (2017). Air quality plan for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in UK. [online] Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/633270/air-quality-plan-detail.pdf [Accessed 20 June 2024].

[6] ClientEarth. (2018). UK government loses third air pollution case as judge rules air pollution plans unlawful. [online] Available at: https://www.clientearth.org/latest/news/uk-government-loses-third-air-pollution-case-as-judge-rules-air-pollution-plans-unlawful/ [Accessed 20 June 2024].

[7] Transport for London. (n.d.). Your vehicle and LEZ. [online] Available at: https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/low-emission-zone/your-vehicle-and-lez [Accessed 20 June 2024].

[8] Transport for London. (n.d.). Penalty charges. [online] Available at: https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/low-emission-zone/penalty-charges [Accessed 20 June 2024].

[9] Transport for London. (n.d.). Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ). [online] Available at: https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/ultra-low-emission-zone [Accessed 20 June 2024].

[10] Transport for London. (n.d.). Congestion charge. [online] Available at: https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/congestion-charge [Accessed 20 June 2024].

This blog was originally published on leaseplan.com website. The views expressed may no longer be current and any reference to specific vehicles or products is for reference only. This information is not a personal recommendation for any particular vehicle, product or service - if you are unsure about the suitability of a product, you should consult with an expert.