ULEZ Frequently Asked Questions

It’s a £12.50 daily charge which is applicable to anyone driving a vehicle inside that zone that doesn’t meet with ULEZ emissions standards.

Currently, it covers all areas within the North Circular and South Circular Roads (but not the roads themselves).

From 29 August 2023, the zone will expand to encompass all London boroughs.

In order to be ULEZ compliant, your vehicle must be 100% electric or meet one of the following ULEZ standards:

• - Euro 4 (Nitrogen oxides (NOx)) for petrol cars, vans, minibuses and other specialist vehicles
• - Euro 6 (NOx and Particulate matter (PM)) for diesel cars, vans, minibuses and other specialist vehicles

(Vans or minibuses with a gross vehicle weight (GVW) of more than 3,500 kilograms, and minibuses with a GVW exceeding 5,000 kilograms are also exempt. However, if Low Emission Zone (LEZ) emissions standards are not met, a charge will apply – for full details, please visit: https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/low-emission-zone/your-vehicle-and-lez.)

You can pay online at https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/pay-to-drive-in-london or set up Auto Pay at https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/auto-pay.

Alternatively, you can use the Transport for London (TfL) Pay to Drive in London app, which is available to download for free from Google Play and the App store.

It encourages a greener, cleaner, more breathable city by exempting drivers of vehicles that produce low or zero emissions – and discouraging drivers of vehicles that don’t meet ULEZ standards. Indeed, following the implementation of ULEZ, it’s estimated that harmful emissions have been reduced by as much as 26%.

Any vehicle that doesn’t meet with following ULEZ standards:

• - Euro 4 (Nitrogen oxides (NOx)) for petrol cars, vans, minibuses and other specialist vehicles
• - Euro 6 (NOx and particulate matter (PM)) for diesel cars, vans and minibuses and other specialist vehicles
• - Vans or minibuses with a gross vehicle weight (GVW) of more than 3,500 kilograms, and minibuses with a GVW exceeding 5,000 kilogram (however, a charge will apply if LEZ emissions standards aren’t met)

Find out if your vehicle is affected by visiting: https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/check-your-vehicle/?intcmp=52335.​

Yes, exemptions include:

• - Vehicles for disabled people
• - Wheelchair-accessible private hire vehicles
• - Minibuses used for community transportation
• - NHS patient reimbursements
• - Taxis
• - Business and charities (short-term grace period)

Yes, you may be issued with a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN), which is applicable if, for instance, your vehicle fails to meet ULEZ emission standards (or you’re not exempt or registered for a full discount).

ULEZ standards are dependent on the type of vehicle driven:

• - ​Euro 4: Nitrogen oxides (NOx) – petrol automobiles, vans, minibuses and other specialist vehicles
• - ​Euro 6: NOx and particulate matter (PM) – diesel automobiles, vans, minibuses and other specialist vehicles

A 100% discount is available for some…

• - Not-for-profit organisations that run minibuses intended for community transportation use
• - Showman’s vehicles

Please visit https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/ultra-low-emission-zone/discounts-and-exemptions for full criteria details.

Currently, the North Circular Road and South Circular Road are not included as part of ULEZ. That is to say: these roads define ULEZ borders but are not part of ULEZ itself.

However, from 29 August 2023, the zone will expand to the point where it will touch upon parts of the M25. This means that the North and South Circular Roads will be included in ULEZ.

At the time of writing, London is the only ULEZ city and there are no known plans to include other cities. However, a number of Clean Air Zone cities across England and Scotland exist:

• - Aberdeen
• - Bath
• - Birmingham
• - Bradford
• - Bristol
• - Dundee
• - Edinburgh
• - Glasgow
• - Newcastle and Gateshead
• - Oxford
• - Portsmouth
• - Sheffield

Yes. Motorcycles, mopeds, motorised tricycles and quadricycles (L category) must meet with Euro 3 emissions standards in order to be exempt from ULEZ.

Absolutely, electric vehicles are not liable for ULEZ charges.

You can, but you will only have 28 days to do so; i.e. from the date the Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) was served.

For full details, please visit: https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/ultra-low-emission-zone/challenge-a-penalty-charge-notice.