The London Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ): what you need to know

Managed by Transport for London (TfL), ULEZ covers central London. On 29 August 2023, it was expanded to include almost all of Greater London, with millions of car and van drivers impacted by the changes. But why does the ULEZ exist and how will it affect you when you drive into London? 

Read our in-depth guide to get up to speed with the latest 2024 ULEZ rules and changes.

The London ULEZ was introduced in April 2019 to discourage drivers of high-polluting vehicles from using roads in central London.

The scheme was launched by Boris Johnson when he was Mayor of London and initially covered the same area as the Congestion Zone.

From October 2021, the ULEZ was expanded 18 times the size of the Congestion Zone to include everything within the North Circular Road (A406) and South Circular Road (A205). Research in 2020 found the daily charge has helped to reduce roadside nitrogen dioxide levels by 44%.¹

Six months after the expansion, almost 94% of vehicles driving in the zone met the strict emission standards on an average day - up from 87% before the zone grew, and 39% from 2017 when ULEZ-associated impacts began. There are 54% fewer high-polluting vehicles in the zone on a typical day when compared to the period just before the ULEZ expansion.²

• Euro 1 to Euro 6 guide - find out your vehicle's emissions standard
• Clean Air Zones - what are they and where are they?
• Diesel particulate filters - what you need to know

Drivers of all cars, motorcycles and vans (up to and including 3.5 tonnes) that don’t meet the minimum ULEZ emissions standards must pay a £12.50 daily charge.

London ULEZ rules for cars

Euro 6 emission standards for diesels and Euro 4 emission standards for petrol-powered cars. Petrol cars that meet the ULEZ standards are generally those registered with the DVLA after 2006 while diesels are those vehicles first used after September 2015.

London ULEZ rules for vans

Euro 6 emission standards for diesels and Euro 4 emission standards for petrol-powered vans. 

Vans, lorries and HGVs weighing more than 3.5 tonnes do not need to pay the ULEZ charge.³

London ULEZ rules for motorcycles and mopeds

All motorcycles and mopeds will need to meet Euro 3 emissions standards. Again, the London ULEZ will be enforced based on the declared emissions of the vehicle rather than its age – but generally speaking, Euro 3 engines are those first registered with the DVLA after July 2007.

London ULEZ rules for HGVs

If you drive an HGV over 12 tonnes in Greater London at any time, you will need an HGV Safety Permit to show that your vehicle meets the Direct Vision Standard (DVS). Vehicles without a permit will be subject to a penalty charge notice. Applying for a permit is free.

On 29 August 2023, the ULEZ expanded across all of London’s boroughs.

As you can see from the TfL map above, the new London ULEZ includes almost all of Greater London and spans from Enfield in the north to Croydon in the south. 

This means you must pay a daily charge of £12,50 when you enter any of these areas if your car, van or motorcycle doesn’t meet the ULEZ emission standards.

The ULEZ is designed to limit the number of older, high-polluting vehicles from entering London - this means diesel cars and vans are penalised more than petrol vehicles.

Diesel cars that meet the ULEZ standard are generally those first registered with the DVLA after September 2015, while compliant petrols tend to be vehicles first used after 2006. Owners of vehicles that don’t meet the following emissions standards have to pay the daily ULEZ charge.

• Find a ULEZ compliant car with RAC car reviews
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• Exhaust repair

The London ULEZ applies 24 hours a day, every day of the year, except Christmas Day (25 December).

The Transport for London (TfL) vehicle checker will tell you if you need to pay the ULEZ charge, the London Low Emission Zone, and the Congestion Charge.

All you need is your vehicle registration number and country details.

TfL’s full list of discounts and exemptions can be accessed here. 

Keepers of vehicles registered with a ‘disabled’ or ‘disabled passenger vehicles’ tax class will be exempt until 24 October 2027 as long as their vehicle doesn’t change tax class.⁴

Yes, the charge is in addition to the Congestion Charge and applies irrespective of whether your vehicle is ULEZ compliant.

Yes, TfL uses Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras to detect entry to the zone. If your vehicle does not meet the ULEZ emission standards, failure to pay will result in a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) of £180, or £90 if paid within 14 days.

TfL offers a variety of payment methods which will suit different drivers depending on how frequently they drive into Central London:

• TfL website – where you can register your vehicle for Auto Pay to pay the charge automatically. There is an annual £10 admin fee per vehicle. A Fleet Auto Pay service is also available to business customers using more than five vehicles.
• The TfL Pay to drive in London smartphone app
• By phone: UK: 0343 222 2222 (TfL call charges)
• By setting up a London Road User Charging account. This allows you to set up Auto Pay for up to five vehicles to pay ULEZ charges automatically, make faster payments, and the option to give up to five people access to your London Road User Charging account.

​

The TfL ULEZ scrappage scheme opened on 29 August 2023. The £160 million assistance program provides financial assistance for drivers on lower-incomes and disabled Londoners, as well as London-based registered charities, micro-businesses (up to 10 employees) and sole traders.

The ULEZ scrappage scheme provides up to £2,000 for scrapping a car or up to £1,000 for scrapping a motorcycle. Disabled Londoners with a wheelchair accessible vehicle can apply for up to £10,000 to scrap their vehicle or £6,000 to retrofit it to ULEZ standards.

Only people living within one of the 32 London boroughs or the City of London are eligible for the ULEZ scrappage scheme.

Currently, charities, sole traders, and businesses with 10 or fewer employees registered in London can apply to scrap a van (£5,000 grant) or a minibus (£7,000 grant), retrofit certain vans or minibuses (£5,000 grant) or scrap and replace a van or minibus with a fully electric vehicle (£7,500 or £9,500 grant respectively). After the ULEZ expansion is in place businesses registered in London with fewer than 50 employees can also apply.

• Before driving into London you should check whether you’ll need to pay the ULEZ charge using the TfL vehicle checker.
• You should also check if your destination falls within the expanded ULEZ using TfL’s postcode and map search tool. This will also tell you if you have to pay the Congestion Charge.
• Remember the ULEZ operates 24 hours a day, every day of the year (except for Christmas Day) and will also operate at times when the Congestion Charge may not. When the Congestion Charge is in operation, you will be charged for both. Don’t forget the ULEZ daily charge runs from midnight to midnight, so if you drive within the zone across two days (e.g. before and after midnight), you need to pay two daily charges.
• If you are going to London on a day-trip, check alternatives such as train and tube travel, which may work out cheaper than ULEZ, Congestion Charge and parking options.
• Plan your route carefully – if you are crossing London from north to south, east to west or any direction in-between, you should set your sat-nav to avoid local charge/toll areas. 

^{1 https://www.london.gov.uk/WHAT-WE-DO/environment/environment-publications/central-london-ulez-ten-month-report}

^{2 https://www.london.gov.uk/WHAT-WE-DO/environment/environment-publications/expanded-ultra-low-emission-zone-six-month-report}

^{3 https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/ultra-low-emission-zone/larger-vehicles?intcmp=52206}

^{4 https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/ultra-low-emission-zone/discounts-and-exemptions}