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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.

8 charging zones operate in England. Only 3 of them charge private cars.

That is 7 Clean Air Zones plus London's separately run ULEZ. Zones are graded A to D and only Class D includes cars, so 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.

Scotland is a separate system again — see the Low Emission Zones below — and in central London the Congestion Charge is a second bill on top of the ULEZ that even a brand-new car pays.

One more outlier: Oxford runs a small Zero Emission Zone on a handful of central streets (7am–7pm daily). It is not a Clean Air Zone — even a modern Euro-compliant petrol or diesel car pays £4 a day there, rising to £10 for older vehicles; only fully zero-emission vehicles drive through free.

Check a car

A daily commute is roughly 250 working days.

Every English zone, and who pays

Charges private cars

London
ULEZ
£12.50 / day

Covers all London boroughs and the City of London, 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 London
Bristol
Class D
£9.00 / day

Small central zone. Fully electric and hydrogen cars are exempt. Charged per day, not per entry.

Bristol City Council
Birmingham
Class D
£8.00 / day

Covers the area inside the A4540 Middleway ring road. Charged per day, not per entry.

Birmingham City Council

Does not charge private cars

Bath
Class C

Cars free, any age

Bradford
Class C

Cars free, any age

Sheffield
Class C

Cars free, any age

Newcastle & Gateshead
Class C

Cars free, any age

Portsmouth
Class B

Cars free, any age

Central London: the Congestion Charge is separate

A ULEZ-compliant car still pays this. It is a different zone, a different scheme and a different bill, and it is charged on the fact that you drove in at all — not on what comes out of the exhaust. Passing the ULEZ check above does not get you out of it.

Congestion Charge

£18.00 / day

Since 2 January 2026. £21.00 if you pay late.

250 days would cost

£4,500

On top of any ULEZ charge, if those journeys are into the central zone.

Electric cars get 25% off through the Cleaner Vehicle Discount and electric vans 50%, but only if the vehicle is registered for Auto Pay. People living inside the zone get 90% off.

Zone boundary and hours on TfL

Scotland works differently

Scotland does not use the Clean Air Zone system. It runs Low Emission Zones, and all four are in force:

Glasgow

Enforced since June 2023

Edinburgh

Enforced since June 2024

Aberdeen

Enforced since June 2024

Dundee

Enforced since June 2024

The crucial difference: a Scottish LEZ has no daily charge you can choose to pay. A non-compliant vehicle entering the zone is issued a penalty charge instead. So the annual figures on this page do not translate — check the city's own LEZ checker before driving a non-compliant car into Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen or Dundee.

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

London£12.50 / day
Bristol£9.00 / day
Birmingham£8.00 / day
250 days in the priciest zone£3,125

A year of charges — often more than the difference in price between this car and a compliant one.

The rule of thumb

  • Petrol: Euro 4 — broadly 2006 onwards
  • Diesel: Euro 6 — roughly September 2015 onwards
  • Electric: always exempt

A late diesel is the one to watch. Diesels only cleared the bar in 2015 — nine years later than petrol.

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. Clean air zone charges verified against council and TfL sources on 28 July 2026; Congestion Charge rates and Scottish LEZ enforcement dates on 31 July 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which UK cities charge private cars in a clean air zone?
Three Clean Air Zone cities charge private cars: London (ULEZ, £12.50 a day), Bristol (£9 a day) and Birmingham (£8 a day). Bath, Bradford, Portsmouth, Sheffield and Tyneside all have clean air zones, but they are Class B or C, which means private cars are not charged at all regardless of age or fuel. Two separate systems also charge cars: Oxford's small Zero Emission Zone (central streets, 7am–7pm) charges every petrol and diesel car £4–£10 a day — even modern Euro-compliant ones — with only zero-emission vehicles free; and Scotland's Low Emission Zones in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee apply to cars but issue a penalty charge to non-compliant vehicles rather than offering a daily fee to pay.
Is the London Congestion Charge the same as the ULEZ?
No, they are two separate schemes with two separate zones and two separate bills, and you can pay both on the same journey. The ULEZ is £12.50 a day and only applies to vehicles that do not meet the emissions standard. The Congestion Charge is £18 a day in central London, raised on 2 January 2026, and applies whatever the car's emissions — a brand-new petrol car pays it. It rises to £21 if you pay late. Electric cars get 25 per cent off through the Cleaner Vehicle Discount and electric vans 50 per cent, but only if the vehicle is signed up to Auto Pay. Residents of the zone get 90 per cent off.
What makes a car ULEZ compliant?
Petrol cars must meet Euro 4, which broadly means registered from 2006 onwards. Diesel cars must meet Euro 6, which generally means registered from around September 2015. Fully electric cars are always exempt. The standard is set per model at type approval, so a car right on the changeover year should be checked individually.
How much is the London ULEZ charge?
It is £12.50 a day for a non-compliant car. The zone covers all London boroughs and the City of London, up to but not including the M25, and it runs 24 hours a day every day except Christmas Day. It is separate from the Congestion Charge, which you may also have to pay in central London.
Is a diesel car worth buying if I drive into a clean air zone?
Only if it is Euro 6, which in practice means registered from about September 2015. An older diesel driven into a charging zone on a daily commute can cost over £2,000 a year — usually far more than you saved buying the older car in the first place.