ULEZ & Clean Air Zone Checker
Find out whether a car would be charged to drive into London, Birmingham or Bristol — and what it would cost you over a year. Most UK clean air zones do not charge private cars at all.
Eight UK cities have a clean air zone. Only three of them charge private cars.
Zones are graded A to D and only Class D includes cars. In Bath, Bradford, Portsmouth, Sheffield and Tyneside a private car drives through free — however old it is, whatever it burns. The charge you have heard about applies to buses, taxis, vans and lorries.
Check a car
A daily commute is roughly 250 working days.
Every UK zone, and who pays
Charges private cars
Covers all London boroughs, up to but not including the M25. Runs 24 hours a day, every day except Christmas Day. Separate from the Congestion Charge, which you may also pay in central London.
Transport for LondonSmall central zone. Fully electric and hydrogen cars are exempt. Charged per day, not per entry.
Bristol City CouncilCovers the area inside the A4540 Middleway ring road. Charged per day, not per entry.
Birmingham City CouncilDoes not charge private cars
Cars free, any age
Cars free, any age
Cars free, any age
Cars free, any age
Cars free, any age
Likely to be charged
Diesels must meet Euro 6 — generally cars registered from roughly September 2015 onwards. A 2014 diesel almost certainly does not.
What it would cost
A year of charges — often more than the difference in price between this car and a compliant one.
For guidance only. Compliance is set per model at type approval, so registration year is a strong indicator rather than a guarantee — always confirm a specific vehicle on the official GOV.UK clean air zone checker or TfL's ULEZ checker before travelling. Charges verified against council and TfL sources on 28 July 2026.