The London ULEZ – or Ultra Low Emission Zone – is an area of the UK’s capital city where the highest-polluting private vehicles cannot travel, unless a daily charge is paid. The aim is to help improve the air quality in the most polluted parts of London, which often exceeds the limits of toxic air pollution recommended as safe by the World Health Organisation.
The initial ULEZ was introduced by the administration of London Mayor Sadiq Khan in April 2019 and covered only a small part of central London. But the Mayor of London’s expansion of the ULEZ means it now covers a much wider area – effectively almost everywhere within the M25 motorway. Here’s everything you need to know about the ULEZ.
If you need to change cars to a ULEZ-compliant vehicle, don’t miss our guide to the Best ULEZ-Compliant Cars for all Budgets.
London Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) Explained
- What is the ULEZ?
- Why Does the ULEZ Exist?
- What Areas Does the ULEZ Cover?
- What Times Does the ULEZ Operate?
- How Do I Know if My Car is ULEZ Compliant?
- How Much Will I Get Charged if My Car Does Not Comply with ULEZ Standards?
- Are there Any ULEZ Exemptions?
- What’s the LEZ and How is it Different from the ULEZ?
- What Other ULEZ-Style Areas are there?
What is the ULEZ?
The ULEZ is London’s scheme to improve London’s air quality by effectively banning older, more polluting vehicles from central areas of the city and surrounding areas. It is a daily charge levied at diesel and petrol vehicles – both private and commercial – that don’t meet certain sets of emissions regulations. Various ULEZ expansions have been implemented. The first was in Ocotber 2021, and the most recent in August 2023.
In the case of diesel cars, this means that any car not meeting Euro 6 emissions regulations is deemed as non-ULEZ complaint. For petrol-powered cars to meet ULEZ requirements, they must meet Euro 4 emissions regulations. For more information about what the Euro 6 and Euro 4 standards mean, see our guide: Euro Emissions Standards: What Do They Mean?
Why Does the ULEZ Exist?
The aim of the ULEZ is to reduce the level of harmful particulate matter in the air of the capital, particularly certain nitrous oxides (NOx) emitted by vehicles. These are known to cause respiratory issues and it’s been estimated that more than 9,000 deaths every year in London can be linked to poor air quality.
The ULEZ is part of a wider range of policies aimed at improving air quality, including removing diesel-powered buses from the most polluted routes, banning the sale of diesel-powered cabs (most new London taxis now sold are range-extender hybrid electric vehicles) and increasing dedicated cycle lane space to encourage bicycle journeys.
It’s estimated that 80% of cars are unaffected by the ULEZ, but that the measures reduce carbon emissions in London by up to 100 tonnes per day.
What Areas Does the ULEZ Cover?
Up to August 2023, the ULEZ covered everywhere in London inside the ring formed by the North and South Circular roads. This meant it extended out to Wood Green and Tottenham in the north, Wanstead and Woolwich in the east, Clapham and Lewisham in the south and Chiswick and Acton in the west. In August 2023 the ULEZ zone was expanded to cover the outer London Boroughs. This means that most areas within the M25 motorway now fall within the ULEZ zone.
If you’re unsure whether or not a particular area falls within the zone, Transport for London (TfL) has a handy postcode checker so you can ensure you know whether or not you’re heading into the ULEZ before you start your journey.
You should also look out for the distinctive ULEZ signs, which feature a green upright rectangle with a white circle in the middle - and wording telling you that you’re about to enter the ULEZ area.
What Times Does the ULEZ Operate?
One of the key differences between the London Congestion Charge Zone and the ULEZ is that the low-emissions zone isn’t particularly aimed at reducing the amount of traffic – it’s about reducing pollution levels. For this reason it’s in operation 24 hours a day, whereas the Congestion Charge only runs from 7am to 10pm. The ULEZ area also operates every day of the year, except for Christmas Day.
It’s important to remember that the expanded ULEZ operates on calendar days, so if you enter the zone in an affected vehicle before midnight one day and leave after midnight, you’ll have to pay two days’ worth of charges.
How Do I Know if My Car is ULEZ Compliant?
For motorists, one of the easiest ways to find out whether or not your car can enter the ULEZ area without you having to pay is by using TfL’s own vehicle checker and entering the number plate of the car you want to check. In more general terms, however, whether or not your car is liable to pay the ULEZ depends to a certain extent on the age of your car and what sets of emissions regulations it adheres to. In order to avoid the ULEZ charge, a petrol car must conform to Euro 4 emissions regulations, while diesel cars must adhere to Euro 6 emissions standards.
In the case of petrol cars, Euro 4 became mandatory for most petrol models from 2005, though many manufacturers introduced Euro 4-compliant models several years before this – as early as 2001. In the case of Euro 6 regs for diesel models, any diesel car registered after September 2015 will comply, but again some older diesel models may be Euro 6-compliant. If you are at all unsure what the situation is for your car, then it’s best to check via the TfL website.
How Much Will I Get Charged if My Car Does Not Comply with ULEZ Standards?
If your car doesn’t comply with the correct emissions regulations, the charge for entering the ULEZ is £12.50 per day. And if you are also entering the congestion charge area, then you’ll need to pay the £15 for that on top.
If you are driving a heavy commercial vehicle that doesn’t meet the emissions requirements, then the charge is a whopping £100 per day. So if you drive a van or lorry that weighs more than 3.5 tonnes or a bus or coach rated at more than 5 tonnes, be extra-sure it’s ULEZ-compliant or you could end up with a big bill.
Fail to pay the charge and you’ll be hit with an extra fine of £160, though this can be reduced to £80 if you pay it quickly.
Are there Any ULEZ Exemptions?
Any petrol or diesel plug-in hybrids with an electric range of at least 20 miles, as well as full battery electric vehicles, are exempt from the ULEZ charge. These categories of cars are also exempt from the Congestion Charge.
Cars that are over 40 years old are exempt from the ULEZ charge, too, but not from the Congestion Charge.
Other exemptions include owners of vehicles registered in the 'disabled' or 'disabled passenger vehicles' tax class (which get an exemption until the end of October 2025) and minibuses used for community transport (exempt until the end of October 2023). London Taxis (but not mini cabs or Ubers) up to 15 years old also currently qualify for an exemption, although all newly registered taxis are required to be zero-emissions capable (ZEC). If you think one of these exemption categories might be relevant to your vehicle, it’s worth checking the TfL website for precise details of discounts and exemptions.
What’s the LEZ and How is it Different from the ULEZ?
The Low Emissions Zone is different to ULEZ, and only applies to commercial vehicles, not private cars. If you do need to enter, the area covered is pretty much the whole of Greater London – effectively most of the places inside the M25 orbital motorway.
The cost to enter the zone ranges from £100 per day up to £300 for the heaviest and most polluting vans, trucks and HGVs. If you do enter the zone and fail to pay, you have to pay a penalty charge. The fine for this is £500, reduced to £250 if you pay within 14 days. If you have a commercial vehicle and you want to check whether or not it meets the requirements for the LEZ area, you can check it via the TfL website.
What Other ULEZ-Style Areas are there?
Several other cities in the UK have introduced or are planning to introduce Clean Air Zones (CAZs) or Low Emissions Zones (LEZs), but many will not (yet) affect private car drivers. Of those that do, Birmingham introduced its CAZ in June 2021, with non-compliant vehicles incurring an £8 charge, while Bristol followed in summer 2022 with a £9 daily charge.
Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee and Aberdeen also have clean air zones that apply to private cars. Oxford, meanwhile, is piloting a ZEZ (zero-emissions zone), where it charges all cars entering the city unless they are fully electric cars.