Everything you need to know about Low Emission Zones

Do you know your Clean Air Zones from your Ultra Low Emission Zones?

Air quality is becoming an increasingly big – and political – issue.

The government has highlighted Low Emission Zones (as part of its air quality plan) as a way for local authorities to tackle air pollution and reduce harmful emissions in specific areas, in a bid to improve public health.

These zones either ban non-compliant vehicles completely, or charge a set fee per day to enter the zone to discourage more polluting vehicles, and encourage people into greener modes of transport.

But what exactly is a Low Emission Zone, and will you be charged for driving into your local city centre?

What is a Low Emission Zone?

The Low Emission Zones – otherwise known as LEZ - are schemes that cover specific areas (normally in bigger cities) to tackle the ongoing issue of air pollution. They mainly affect bigger vehicles, like HGVs and buses, and discourage certain types of vehicles from entering that specific zone unless they meet certain standards.

While these higher-emission vehicles are not entirely banned from the Low Emission Zones, the aim is to reduce their presence in highly populated areas.

If a vehicle doesn’t meet the minimum emission standard for that zone, there will be a charge to pay – and failure to pay these charges can result in some hefty financial penalties.

Initially, private cars weren’t affected by the schemes, but they’ve been widened in recent years, so you might now be affected in some areas.

The criteria for entering the LEZ is set based on Euro emission standards. 

Is there a difference between Low Emission Zones and Clean Air Zones?

There is no difference between a Low Emission Zone and a Clean Air Zone (CAZ) other than the name. 

A Low Emission Zone is automatically a Clean Air Zone – it just depends on what the specific city has decided to name their iteration of the scheme.

There is, however, a difference between a LEZ/CAZ, and the London Ultra Low Emission Zone – more on that later.

Why have Low Emission and Clean Air Zones been introduced?

Over the last two decades or so, it’s become more apparent than ever that air quality has a direct impact on the health of the people who live, work and visit crowded cities. 

The nitrogen oxides and particulate matter (basically microscopic bits of soot) in the exhaust fumes that older diesel cars in particular release have been linked to everything from heart diesel to asthma, though high levels of emissions from any vehicle can be harmful to our health when breathed in.

The NHS considers air pollution to be the biggest environmental threat to our health here in the UK, with over 30,000 deaths a year linked to air quality.

Since 2016, diesel cars – by law – must have diesel particulate filters to trap the tiny particles of soot in the fumes. Manufacturers also use selective catalytic reduction (SCR), also known as AdBlue, to reduce diesel emissions. 

Many diesels need AdBlue to meet Euro 6 emissions, which is why the Government and local authorities use Euro emissions standards to determine which vehicles can enter a LEZ and which ones need to pay.

Ironically, petrol cars actually emit more CO2 than diesel cars do, but less of the more harmful nitrogen oxide and basically no particulate matter, which is why petrol cars only have to meet the earlier Euro 4 standards. 

What are the benefits of Low Emission Zones?

Low Emission Zones have numerous benefits. These include:

• Improving public health by improving air quality
• Encouraging the use of shared/public transport and ‘active travel’ options (such as walking and cycling)
• Accelerating the adoption of lower (or zero) emission vehicles, like hybrids and full EVs

Where are the Low Emission Zones in the UK?

There are Clean Air Zones in many of the UK’s major cities, including places like London, Aberdeen, Bath and Newcastle.

Each city approaches their LEZ slightly differently, with different applicable charges and restrictions. 

• Aberdeen: LEZ introduced in 2022 – pre-Euro 6 diesel and pre-Euro 4 petrol cars prohibited from entering.
• Bath: LEZ introduced in 2021 – doesn’t charge private cars to enter, but does charge larger vehicles like buses and coaches, LGVs and HGVs
• Bradford: Like Bath, private cars aren’t charged, but taxis, vans, buses and HGVs are if they don’t meet the emission standards.
• Birmingham: LEZ introduced in 2021 – all non-compliant vehicles (pre-Euro 6 diesels, pre-Euro 4 petrols) are charged between £8 and £50 to drive in the zone.
• Bristol: The Bristol Clean Air Zone was introduced in 2022 – non-compliant private cars are charged £9 to enter the zone in the city centre.
• Dundee: LEZ was introduced in 2022, but wasn’t enforced until earlier this year, and follows the same rules as the Aberdeen CAZ.
• Edinburgh: Enforcement in the Edinburgh LEZ began in June 2024, with non-compliant vehicles prohibited from entering, in line with the other Scottish cities.
• London: London is a slightly different beast, with three different low emission areas – the Low Emission Zone, the Ultra Low Emission Zone and the Congestion Charge Zone. All three have their own criteria, as explained below.
• Glasgow: LEZ was introduced in 2023, and like the other Scottish cities, prohibits non-compliant vehicles from entering the zone – there’s a £60 penalty for breaching the rules.
• Manchester: Unlike most major cities, Manchester hasn’t yet introduced a CAZ. It was planned to come into effect in 2022, but Mayor Andy Burnham – in light of the cost-of-living crisis – scrapped the plan in favour of investing in zero-emission buses and taxis, along with traffic management systems.
• Newcastle and Gateshead: CAZ was introduced in 2023 – private cars aren’t charged, but drivers of older taxis, vans, buses and HGVs may need to pay to enter.
• Oxford: The Oxford Zero Emission Zone (ZEZ) is very small, with all private cars (full electric being the only exemption) having to pay between £2 and £10 to enter. The more polluting cars (like non-Euro 6 diesels) pay the higher charge.
• Portsmouth: CAZ was introduced in 2021 – non-compliant taxis, private hire vehicles and larger vehicles like HGVs, buses and coaches pay a fee to enter.
• Sheffield: CAZ was introduced in 2023 – buses, taxis, vans and lorries are charged to drive in the zone, with costs between £10 and £50 a day.

What are the different types of Clean Air Zone?

There are four different types of Clean Air Zone, ranging from Class A to Class D. Each one has slightly different rules around which vehicles need to pay the LEZ charge to enter the zone.

Class A is the most lenient, allowing the majority of vehicles into the CAZ, while a Class D zone will require most vehicles to pay a fee.

The class is determined by the local authority that has implemented the LEZ, but they are regulated by a national Clean Air Zone framework, which the government outlined in February 2020.

These four types are:

• A: Buses, coaches, taxis, private hire vehicles
• B: Buses, coaches, taxis, private hire vehicles, heavy goods vehicles
• C: Buses, coaches, taxis, private hire vehicles, heavy goods vehicles, vans, minibuses
• D: Buses, coaches, taxis, private hire vehicles, heavy goods vehicles, vans, minibuses, cars – and the local authority can include motorbikes, if they want

What are the minimum emission standards?

To avoid the LEZ charge – or even to be allowed to drive in them at all, as is the case with the Scottish LEZs – your car needs to meet the minimum emissions standards.

If you drive a diesel, it must meet Euro 6 standards as minimum, while petrol cars need to be Euro 4 or above. 

Most new cars registered after September 2015 will meet Euro 6 standards, so if you’re leasing a brand-new car, you should have no issues. 

If in doubt, you can find your vehicle’s emission standard in your vehicle logbook, or from your vehicle’s manufacturer.

Low Emission Zone exemptions

As with everything in life, there are exemptions to the LEZ rules – some local and some national.

You’re automatically entitled to a CAZ exemption, and don’t have to pay the charge, if you have a:

• Disabled passenger tax class vehicle
• Disabled tax class vehicle
• Military vehicle
• Historic vehicle
• Vehicle retrofitted with technology accredited by the Clean Vehicle Retrofit Accreditation Scheme
• Some agricultural vehicles

Ultra-low emissions vehicles – like full electric cars – are also automatically exempt from the LEZ charges, so if you’re often driving through these zones (or the London Congestion Charge Zone), it can be worth looking at electric car leasing to save a bit of cash.

How much does it cost to enter a Low Emission Zone?

How much you’ll have to pay to enter a Low Emission Zone, if your car isn’t compliant, depends on where you are and which zone you’re driving in.

Each LEZ will have different charges, based on what the local authority have set up.

The London ULEZ is one of the more expensive, at £12.50 for non-compliant cars, while the Oxford ZEZ can be as little as £2 (though it does charge every car to drive through it, not just non-compliant cars). Birmingham costs £8, while Bristol’s charge is set at £9 a day.

Non-compliant larger vehicles, like buses, coaches and HGVs, often have to pay more, which could be as high as £300 for the largest, most polluting vehicles.

If you’re setting off on a journey through a CAZ, it’s worth having a look online to see what the daily charge is for that particular zone.

How do I pay the LEZ charge?

Every LEZ will have its own system, but it’s reasonably simple for all of them, and you can pay online.

The ULEZ charge is most easily paid online through Transport for London’s own website, or you can use the TfL app or call a telephone hotline. If you regularly drive through the ULEZ, it’s worth setting up an auto-pay account (it can detect when you enter the zone and take payment directly from your bank account).

Payment for other Clean Air Zones, like Bristol and Birmingham, are easily made through the government’s online portal.

Be careful if you go online to pay – there are a number of scam websites popping up that can look like official payment channels. These scams will take your money but not pay the charge, leaving you out of pocket for both the LEZ fee and any penalties. 

Look at the web address of whichever website you’ve clicked on. The TfL and government pages have gov.uk at the end of their URLs. 

What are London’s Low Emission Zones?

London, unsurprisingly, was the first place to start implementing Clean Air Zones, and now has three different areas spiralling out of the City of London, where traffic congestion tends to be the worst. 

The London Low Emission Zone was first introduced in 2008, and covers most of Greater London, including parts of the M1 and M4 motorways. It applies to HGVs, lorries, vans and any vehicle over 3.5 tonnes.

Then there’s the London Ultra Low Emission Zone, or ULEZ. 

It originally covered the Congestion Charge Zone and most of central London, before it was expanded to cover the Greater London boroughs, too. All cars within the boundary have to pay the fee, even those who live in the area.

You don’t have to pay on days that your car is parked within the ULEZ boundary, but you’re not driving.

If your vehicle isn’t compliant – Euro 4 for petrol and Euro 6 for diesel, in line with the other Low Emission Zones – then you’ll have to pay a daily fee of £12.50 for cars, motorcycles and vans.

Larger vehicles aren’t affected by the ULEZ charge, but do have to pay the LEZ charge.

Separate to the ULEZ and LEZ is the Congestion Charge Zone, which covers the City of London.

Is the London Congestion Charge Zone different?

Yes, the London Congestion Charge Zone is different to the ULEZ or LEZ zone, so even if you’ve paid the ULEZ charge, you will still have to pay the Congestion Charge if you enter the zone.

The Congestion Charge Zone covers of central London – roughly from Kings Cross in the north to Vauxhall in the south, and Paddington in the west to Whitechapel in the east. The roads around the perimeter are monitored by Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras.

Unlike most Clean Air Zones, the Congestion Charge Zone only applies at certain times of the day – 7am to 6pm during the week, and 12pm to 6pm on weekends and bank holidays. 

Rather than trying to improve air quality, the Congestion Charge aims to reduce traffic congestion in central London by charging people to drive into central, trying to get them onto public transport instead.

If you pay ahead of time, it’s £15 per day, with the fee increasing to £17.50 if you pay by midnight on the third day after your journey. You can either pay online or at selected newsagents and petrol stations, or at the blue and red self-service machines in car parks inside the zone.

Residents inside the Congestion Charge Zone can get a 90% discount, while there are some who are exempt from the charge completely (other than a £10 annual registration fee). The Congestion Charge Exemptions are:

• Disabled drivers with a Blue Badge
• Euro 5 or 6 petrol cars
• Electric vehicles (until December 2025)
• Cars with nine or more seats
• Motorised tricycles
• Motorbikes

If you drive a car that’s either a Euro 4 petrol or Euro 6 diesel (which are normally compliant with LEZ guidelines), you will still have to pay the Congestion Charge.