Clean air zones
Every UK zone charge, compared
Fifteen schemes, four different designs, and only some of them reach a private car. This is the whole matrix in one place.
15
4
Source not published
£300.00
Source not published
Checked on 7 September 2026.Transport for London, Ultra Low Emission Zone (as of 8 April 2019)
How much do UK clean air zones charge?
A private car pays nothing in most of them. Where a car is charged the figure is set by the operating authority rather than nationally, so the same non compliant car pays a different amount in each city it drives into, and nothing at all in several.
What a car pays, zone by zone
| Zone | Country | Car, a day | Highest in the zone | In force since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) | England | £12.50 | £12.50 | 8 April 2019 |
| Low Emission Zone (LEZ) | England | Not charged | £300.00 | 4 February 2008 |
| Congestion Charge | England | £18.00 | £18.00 | 17 February 2003 |
| Bath Clean Air Zone | England | Not charged | £100.00 | 15 March 2021 |
| Birmingham Clean Air Zone | England | £8.00 | £50.00 | 1 June 2021 |
| Bristol Clean Air Zone | England | £9.00 | £100.00 | 28 November 2022 |
| Bradford Clean Air Zone | England | Not charged | £50.00 | 26 September 2022 |
| Portsmouth Clean Air Zone | England | Not charged | £50.00 | 29 November 2021 |
| Sheffield Clean Air Zone | England | Not charged | £50.00 | 27 February 2023 |
| Tyneside Clean Air Zone | England | Not charged | £50.00 | 30 January 2023 |
| Glasgow Low Emission Zone | Scotland | Entry refused | No charge exists | 1 June 2023 |
| Edinburgh Low Emission Zone | Scotland | Entry refused | No charge exists | 1 June 2024 |
| Aberdeen Low Emission Zone | Scotland | Entry refused | No charge exists | 1 June 2024 |
| Dundee Low Emission Zone | Scotland | Entry refused | No charge exists | 30 May 2024 |
| Oxford Zero Emission Zone pilot | England | Cars not in scope | £10.00 | 28 February 2022 |
Four designs, not one scheme
- London ULEZ: a daily charge on any vehicle below the standard, across every borough, all day every day except Christmas Day.
- English clean air zones: classes A to D, where only class D reaches a private car. A council can add motorbikes to class D but most have not.
- Scottish low emission zones: no charge exists. A non compliant vehicle is barred, and the first capture is a penalty that doubles on each repeat inside 90 days.
- Oxford Zero Emission Zone: priced by what the vehicle emits rather than by what type it is, so a newer vehicle is not automatically the cheaper one.
Does paying the charge mean I can drive anywhere in the zone?
Yes, for that day. A daily charge is not a permit for a route or a number of entries: it covers every journey inside the zone between midnight and midnight. Missing the payment deadline turns it into a penalty many times larger.
Common questions
- Which UK zones charge private cars?
- The London ULEZ, the London Congestion Charge, the class D clean air zones and the Oxford Zero Emission Zone. Class B and class C zones cover buses, taxis, vans and lorries but never private cars, and the London Low Emission Zone has never covered cars at all.
- Why do the Scottish zones show no charge?
- Because there is not one. A Scottish low emission zone is a ban rather than a charge: a non compliant vehicle is not allowed in, and the first camera capture is a penalty. The penalty then doubles for each repeat inside 90 days.
- Can I pay a charge for several zones at once?
- The English clean air zones share the central GOV.UK payment service, so you can pay for more than one there. London is separate and is paid through Transport for London, and the Scottish zones have nothing to pay in the first place.
- Is the charge per day or per entry?
- Per day, in every UK zone. Driving in and out four times on one day costs the same as driving in once. The day runs midnight to midnight in most zones, so an overnight journey can cross into a second charging day.
Sources
Each figure comes from the operating authority for that zone.
- Transport for London, Ultra Low Emission Zone (as of 8 April 2019)
- Transport for London, ULEZ: where and when (as of 30 July 2026)
- Transport for London, Ways to meet the ULEZ standard (as of 8 April 2019)
- Transport for London, Penalty charges for ULEZ (as of 30 July 2026)
- Transport for London, ULEZ discounts and exemptions (as of 30 July 2026)
- Transport for London, Low Emission Zone (as of 4 February 2008)
- Transport for London, How to pay a LEZ charge (as of 1 March 2021)
- Transport for London, HGVs, lorries, vans, buses, minibuses, coaches and specialist heavy vehicles (as of 1 March 2021)
- Transport for London, Vans, minibuses and specialist diesel vehicles (as of 30 July 2026)
- Transport for London, Penalty charges for the LEZ (as of 30 July 2026)
- Transport for London, Congestion Charge (as of 2 January 2026)
- Transport for London, Congestion Charge discounts and exemptions (as of 2 January 2026)
- Transport for London, Congestion Charge: penalties and enforcement (as of 30 July 2026)
- Greater London Authority, Congestion Charge (boundary and exemptions) (as of 17 February 2003)
- Bath and North East Somerset Council, Find out about charges in Bath's Clean Air Zone (as of 15 March 2021)
- Bath and North East Somerset Council, Pay a Clean Air Zone fine (as of 30 July 2026)
- Bath and North East Somerset Council, Bath's Clean Air Zone (as of 15 March 2021)
- GOV.UK, Clean Air Zones (as of 12 February 2026)
- Birmingham City Council, Paying the clean air zone (CAZ) daily charge (as of 14 June 2021)
- Birmingham City Council, Clean Air Zone (CAZ) penalty charge notices (as of 30 July 2026)
- Brum Breathes (Birmingham City Council), Where is the Zone? (as of 1 June 2021)
- Bristol City Council, Bristol's Clean Air Zone charges and vehicle checker (as of 28 November 2022)
- Bristol City Council, Pay a Clean Air Zone Penalty Charge Notice (as of 30 July 2026)
- Bristol City Council, Bristol's Clean Air Zone (as of 28 November 2022)
- City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council, List of daily charges (as of 26 September 2022)
- City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council, Where is the Clean Air Zone? (as of 26 September 2022)
- City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council, What will happen if I do not pay (as of 30 July 2026)
- Portsmouth City Council, Penalty charge for Clean Air Zone (as of 30 July 2026)
- Cleaner Air Portsmouth (Portsmouth City Council), Clean Air Zone (as of 29 November 2021)
- Portsmouth City Council, Air quality in Portsmouth (as of 29 November 2021)
- Sheffield City Council, Clean Air Zone charges and how to pay (as of 27 February 2023)
- Sheffield City Council, Information about the Clean Air Zone (as of 27 February 2023)
- Sheffield City Council, Clean Air Zone charging begins one week today (as of 20 February 2023)
- BREATHE Clean Air (Newcastle City Council and Gateshead Council), Charges (as of 30 January 2023)
- BREATHE Clean Air (Newcastle City Council and Gateshead Council), Payments (as of 30 July 2026)
- Gateshead Council, The Clean Air Zone is now live (as of 30 January 2023)
- Newcastle City Council, Clean Air Zone grants scheme to end next year (as of 30 January 2026)
- Glasgow City Council, Glasgow's Low Emission Zone (as of 1 June 2023)
- Glasgow City Council, Pay or appeal a LEZ penalty charge (as of 1 June 2023)
- mygov.scot, Check if you can drive a vehicle in a Low Emission Zone (as of 26 June 2026)
- mygov.scot, Fines for Low Emission Zones (as of 26 June 2026)
- mygov.scot, Vehicle exemptions for Low Emission Zones (as of 26 June 2026)
- mygov.scot, About Low Emission Zones in Scotland (as of 26 June 2026)
- The City of Edinburgh Council, Low emission zone (as of 1 June 2024)
- The City of Edinburgh Council, How the Low Emission Zone works, including the boundary (as of 1 June 2024)
- Aberdeen City Council, Roads within the low emission zone boundary (as of 1 June 2024)
- Aberdeen City Council, Cleaner air for city centre as LEZ enforcement is two months away (as of 1 June 2024)
- Dundee City Council, Dundee Low Emission Zone Scheme (LEZ) (as of 30 May 2024)
- Dundee City Council, Low Emission Zone (LEZ) Penalty Charge Notices (as of 30 May 2024)
- Oxfordshire County Council, Charges for Oxford's zero emission zone (ZEZ) (as of 28 February 2022)
- Oxfordshire County Council, About Oxford's zero emission zone (ZEZ) (as of 28 February 2022)
- Oxfordshire County Council, Fines for non-payment of zero emission zone (ZEZ) charges (as of 30 July 2026)
- Oxfordshire County Council, Apply for a zero emission zone discount (as of 30 July 2026)
- Oxford City Council, Oxford Zero Emission Zone (ZEZ) Pilot (as of 28 February 2022)