Clean Air Zone, class C
Bath Clean Air Zone
Adds vans and minibuses to the class B list. Private cars are still outside it.
Local detail
What is specific to Bath
Bath was the first charging zone outside London, live from 15 March 2021. Private cars and motorbikes have never been charged here, which is the biggest source of confusion: a resident with a 2009 diesel car pays nothing, while the same engine in a van pays £9. Motorhomes are the other trap, because one over 3.5 tonnes is treated as a heavy goods vehicle at £100 a day unless the keeper registers it with the council for the £9 rate.
8 vehicle types
What each vehicle pays
| Vehicle | Daily charge | Standard that avoids it |
|---|---|---|
| Car | Not charged | No standard is published for this row |
| Motorcycle | Not charged | No standard is published for this row |
| Taxi or private hire vehicle | £9 | Euro 4 (petrol) or Euro 6 (diesel) |
| Van or light goods vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes | £9 | Euro 4 (petrol) or Euro 6 (diesel) |
| Minibus up to 5 tonnes | £9 | Euro 4 (petrol) or Euro 6 (diesel) |
| Bus or coach | £100 | Euro VI |
| HGV over 3.5 tonnes | £100 | Euro VI |
| Private HGV such as a motorhome or horsebox over 3.5 tonnes | £100 | Euro VI, or £9 instead of £100 once registered with the council |
One daily charge covers however many times you enter and leave in the same day. It does not cover any other scheme that overlaps the same streets.
What the vehicle has to meet
Emissions standards
- Cars, taxis, private hire vehicles, vans and minibuses: Euro 4 for petrol, Euro 6 for diesel. Anything from Euro 1 to Euro 5 diesel, or Euro 1 to Euro 3 petrol, is charged.
- Buses, coaches and HGVs: Euro VI.
- Private cars and motorcycles are never charged, whatever their age, unless the car is a taxi or private hire vehicle.
The Euro standard is recorded on the vehicle's type approval rather than worked out from its age, so a car built in the year a standard came in can fall either side of it. Check the registration date on the V5C against the operator's own vehicle checker before relying on either.
Where and when
Boundary and hours
- Boundary
- The city centre of Bath. It is a compact area, so much of the wider district including the outer suburbs sits outside it.
- Hours of operation
- Midnight to midnight, seven days a week, all year round.
- Enforcement since
- 15 March 2021
4 exemptions and discounts
Who does not pay
- Private cars and motorcycles, including older SUVs, four by fours and campervans registered as cars.
- Fully electric and hydrogen vehicles.
- A registered private heavy vehicle, such as a motorhome, pays £9 rather than £100.
- The council runs local exemptions and discounts, and refunds where a charge was paid in error.
Most of these have to be applied for, and several are time limited. An exemption you have not registered is not an exemption the cameras know about.
If you do not pay
Penalty charge
£120, reduced to £60 if you pay within 14 days of the date of service. The unpaid daily charge, £9 or £100, is still owed on top of the penalty.
Questions about this zone
Does a car pay in the Bath Clean Air Zone?
No. A private car is never charged in this zone, however old it is, unless it is licensed as a taxi or private hire vehicle. Other vehicle types are charged from £9 a day, so check the charge table for the exact type.
When does the zone operate?
Midnight to midnight, seven days a week, all year round. Enforcement started on 15 March 2021, and those hours have applied since, unless the operator has published a change.
Where does the zone start and end?
The city centre of Bath. It is a compact area, so much of the wider district including the outer suburbs sits outside it. The cameras belong to the operator, so treat that description as the route to plan around rather than a guess at where enforcement begins.
What is the penalty if I do not pay?
£120, reduced to £60 if you pay within 14 days of the date of service. The unpaid daily charge, £9 or £100, is still owed on top of the penalty.
Who is exempt?
4 exemptions and discounts are published for this zone, including: Private cars and motorcycles, including older SUVs, four by fours and campervans registered as cars; Fully electric and hydrogen vehicles; A registered private heavy vehicle, such as a motorhome, pays £9 rather than £100. Most have to be applied for in advance, so read the full list before you travel.