As of August 29th 2023, London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) expanded to cover ALL boroughs of the capital.
And here’s everything you need to know about how the ULEZ extension might affect you.
The ULEZ expansion was spearheaded by the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, who warned that while the scheme was controversial, it could makes lives in the city better in the long term. He said: "It’s really important that we don’t dither or delay and take action to clean up the air. We’ve seen the benefits in central and inner London. Thousands made the transition to not using vehicles or going to cleaner vehicles.”
Even if you don’t live in London, the new ULEZ area might still affect you - particularly if you’re visiting family or friends, or just planning a trip to the capital.
And here’s our ULEZ guide to help guide you in your choices.
What is the London ULEZ?
The Ultra Low Emission Zone is designed to remove older, more polluting petrol and diesel vehicles from the road.
It was first introduced in 2019 - but at that point only covered Central London, the same area as the congestion charge.
At the end of August this year, 2023, the ULEZ grew to cover all of Greater London.
And it’s in operation 24/7, year round. The only day you won’t be charged is Christmas day.
What cars and vans have to pay the ULEZ charge?
This is where things get tricky. And some explanation is in order.
The ULEZ charge is based on how polluting your car is. And the authorities decide on how dirty or clean your car is based on what comes out of the exhaust.
You’ve probably heard of a vehicle’s ‘CO2 emissions’ figure - this is, obviously, how much CO2 your car puts into the air, and the greater the emissions, the higher your road tax bill.
But it’s another metric that ULEZ is more concerned about - and that’s ‘Euro Emissions Standards’.
As you might have guessed from the name, this concerns regulations introduced by the European Union back in the early 1990s. If a car or van failed to meet the standard at the time, the vehicle wasn’t allowed to be sold in the EU.
And it’s a measurement of how much other noxious stuff - carbon monoxide, oxides of nitrogen, hydrocarbons and particulate matter - besides CO2 is belched from an exhaust.
What Sadiq Khan is saying is that to enter ULEZ free of charge, a vehicle must meet a certain ‘Euro’ standard.
Here’s the breakdown:
Euro 3 for motorcycles, mopeds, motorised tricycles and quadricycles (L category)
Euro 4 (NOx) for petrol cars, vans, minibuses and other specialist vehicles
Euro 6 (NOx and PM) for diesel cars, vans and minibuses and other specialist vehicles
How do you know if your vehicle meets the standard?
As a rough rule of thumb, most petrol vehicles under 16 years old, or diesel vehicles under 6 years old, already meet the emissions standards.
Electric cars are exempt from the London ULEZ. The vast majority of hybrid cars will also already meet the standards demanded by ULEZ, so they’re safe, too.
But your best bet is to use this Transport for London (TfL) checker to find your precise car, and see if you’ll have to pay.
Are there exceptions to the rule?
There are, yes.
Some petrol cars older than 16 years old, and some diesel vehicles more than 6 years old, will still comply with the relevant Euro Emissions Standards, particularly cars and vans at the more premium end of the spectrum.
Again, if you’re in doubt, use the TfL checker.
And what about larger vans and lorries?
Lorries, vans and specialist heavy vehicles (all over 3.5 tonnes Gross Vehicle Weight) and buses, minibuses and coaches (all over 5 tonnes GVW) do NOT need to pay the ULEZ charge.
But they WILL need to pay the London Low Emission Zone (LEZ) charge if they do not meet the LEZ emissions standard.
This covers everything from vans and lorries to fire engines and concrete mixers, so check the tool to see what you might have to pay.
How much will the charge be?
The ULEZ zone isn’t cheap - with a daily cost of £12.50 for cars, motorcycles, vans and specialist vehicles (up to and including 3.5 tonnes) and minibuses (up to and including 5 tonnes).
You’ve got until midnight on the third day following the journey to cough up, or you can pay up to 90 days in advance.
But if you FORGET to pay, the bill is pricey - it’s a £180 charge, which is reduced to £90 if you pay the bill within 14 days.
Is there a way to set up an account so I don’t have to worry about remembering to pay?
There is, yes. It’s similar to how a lot of toll bridges now operate.
Your best bet is to set up ‘Auto Pay’. It’s free to register and there are no renewal fees.
And it automatically bills you for what you owe every month.
There’s also a ‘Fleet Auto Pay’ for business customers using more than five vehicles.
What if I’m parked in the ULEZ but don’t actually drive my car?
This is an important distinction, especially if you’re visiting friends or family.
You ONLY need to pay the ULEZ if you make a journey within it.
If you, say, turn up on the Friday, park up, and leave your vehicle stationary until you leave the ULEZ on the Monday, you’ll only have to pay for TWO days (because you haven’t actually driven anywhere on the Saturday or Sunday).
How do the authorities know that I’ve driven into the area?
Cameras - hundreds of them - keeping an eye on every route into the ULEZ zone. If you cross the boundary, you’ll be liable to pay the charge.
Anti-ULEZ 'Blade Runner' vigilantes have been vandalising cameras and boxing-in enforcement vans in an effort to scupper the charge, but there's no way around the fact that you'll need to pay if you enter the zone.
Is there a scrappage scheme?
There is - but it’s slightly limited in scope.
It only applies to Londoners who are regarded as low-income or who claim disability benefits.
The website explains:
“The ULEZ car and motorcycle scrappage scheme is for Londoners on certain low income or disability benefits with cars, motorcycles and wheelchair accessible vehicles that do not meet the ULEZ emissions standard.”
And what about businesses?
Well, there’s also an ULEZ van and minibus scrappage scheme, which is there to help sole traders, micro businesses or charities with a registered address in London, to scrap or ‘retrofit’ a van or minibus that does not meet the ULEZ emissions standard.
For a regular car, you can receive a grant of up to £2,000.
For vans and minibuses, it’s between £5,000 and £9,500.
And taxis?
London-licensed taxis are exempt from ULEZ charges. Older, more polluting taxis are subject to a 12 year age limit, with newer, cleaner taxis extended to 15 years.
All newly licensed taxis must be zero emission capable (ZEC) vehicles.
How can Select help you with your ULEZ woes?
If you drive an older vehicle and you're being impacted by ULEZ, now could be the time to consider leasing a new, modern, and much less-polluting car or van.
As the TfL website points out, if you were to drive a vehicle that doesn’t meet the emissions standards in the ULEZ zone once a week, it’d cost you as much as £650 per year.
That money might be better spent on a new car or van lease.
And what about an electric vehicle?
You might be thinking to yourself, ‘With the rising price of electricity, it’s cheaper to stick with a petrol or diesel car’.
Well, we’ve run the numbers on this (and we continue to do so) and we’re confident you can still make significant savings on your fuel bill by switching to a battery electric vehicle.
As it stands, if you drive 10,000 miles per year, the savings you could make with an EV compared with a traditionally-fuelled vehicle stands at more than £960 for the year. That’s based on average petrol/diesel prices being around £1.58 per litre, and when charging your EV at home 30p per kWh Energy Price Cap rate, which is set until October 2023.
You also get all of the other benefits that come with an EV - brisk acceleration, smooth drivetrain, and all the bells and whistles that come with a state-of-the-art vehicle, including all of the latest driver assistance and safety technology.
Not sure what sort of vehicle you want? A good place to start is our ‘Guides’ section, which covers pretty much all you need to know.
(Article updated 21st September 2023)
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