Clean Air Zone, class D
Bristol Clean Air Zone
The widest English class. It reaches private cars, and a council may add motorbikes to it.
Local detail
What is specific to Bristol
Bristol started charging on 28 November 2022 and is the smaller of the two class D zones, so a private car that drives free through Bath or Sheffield pays £9 here. The council reported that more than 71 per cent of vehicles in the city already met the standard when the zone opened, which is why most drivers never see a charge. The common error is treating the zone as the whole city: it covers a small part of the centre, and one payment covers unlimited entries that day, so a delivery round inside the zone costs £9 rather than £9 a trip.
8 vehicle types
What each vehicle pays
| Vehicle | Daily charge | Standard that avoids it |
|---|---|---|
| Private petrol car | £9 | Euro 4 |
| Private diesel car | £9 | Euro 6 |
| Taxi or private hire vehicle | £9 | Euro 4 (petrol) or Euro 6 (diesel) |
| Light goods vehicle under 3.5 tonnes | £9 | Euro 4 (petrol) or Euro 6 (diesel) |
| Heavy goods vehicle over 3.5 tonnes | £100 | Euro VI |
| Bus | £100 | Euro VI |
| Coach | £100 | Euro VI |
| Motorcycle | Not charged | No standard is published for this row |
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
- Petrol cars, taxis and light goods vehicles: Euro 4, which the council describes as roughly 2006 or newer.
- Diesel cars, taxis and light goods vehicles: Euro 6, roughly the end of 2015 or newer.
- Heavy goods vehicles, buses and coaches: Euro VI.
- Fully electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are compliant, as are vehicles modified under the Clean Vehicle Retrofit Accreditation Scheme.
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
- A compact part of central Bristol covering the old city, the harbourside and Redcliffe. Large parts of the city, including much of the inner suburbs, sit outside it.
- Hours of operation
- 24 hours a day, every day. One payment covers a whole day however many times you enter or leave.
- Enforcement since
- 28 November 2022
4 exemptions and discounts
Who does not pay
- Motorcycles.
- Fully electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.
- Vehicles retrofitted and registered under the Clean Vehicle Retrofit Accreditation Scheme.
- The council operates local exemptions and a refund route where a charge was paid but not due.
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 daily charge is payable on top, and you have 28 days in total to settle both.
Questions about this zone
Does a car pay in the Bristol Clean Air Zone?
Yes, if it misses the standard. A car that does not meet the published standard pays £9 for each day it is driven inside the zone, and a car that meets it pays nothing at all. One payment covers as many entries as you make that day.
When does the zone operate?
24 hours a day, every day. One payment covers a whole day however many times you enter or leave. Enforcement started on 28 November 2022, and those hours have applied since, unless the operator has published a change.
Where does the zone start and end?
A compact part of central Bristol covering the old city, the harbourside and Redcliffe. Large parts of the city, including much of the inner suburbs, sit 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 daily charge is payable on top, and you have 28 days in total to settle both.
Who is exempt?
4 exemptions and discounts are published for this zone, including: Motorcycles; Fully electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles; Vehicles retrofitted and registered under the Clean Vehicle Retrofit Accreditation Scheme. Most have to be applied for in advance, so read the full list before you travel.