Ultra Low Emission Zone
Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ), London
Covers cars, vans, minibuses and motorbikes across Greater London. You may pay the charge and drive in.
Local detail
What is specific to London
The ULEZ started in central London in April 2019, reached the North and South Circular roads in October 2021 and covered every borough from August 2023. The £12.50 charge has not moved in that time, so what changed for most drivers was the map rather than the price. The usual mistake is judging a car by its age: it is the Euro standard on the type approval that counts, so a 2014 diesel is normally Euro 5 and pays, while a 2006 petrol can be Euro 4 and pays nothing.
4 vehicle types
What each vehicle pays
| Vehicle | Daily charge | Standard that avoids it |
|---|---|---|
| Car or van up to 3.5 tonnes | £12.50 | Euro 4 (petrol) or Euro 6 (diesel) |
| Minibus up to 5 tonnes | £12.50 | Euro 4 (petrol) or Euro 6 (diesel) |
| Motorcycle, moped or motor tricycle | £12.50 | Euro 3 |
| Lorry over 3.5 tonnes, bus or coach over 5 tonnes | No charge exists | Euro VI, otherwise the LEZ charge applies instead |
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, vans and minibuses: Euro 4.
- Diesel cars, vans and minibuses: Euro 6, broadly a diesel first registered from September 2015.
- Motorcycles, mopeds and motor tricycles: Euro 3.
- Lorries, buses and coaches: Euro VI, the same standard the LEZ uses, so they pay the LEZ charge rather than a second ULEZ charge.
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
- Every London borough and the City of London, out to the Greater London boundary. The M25 is not in the zone, so a journey that stays on the motorway is not charged even where the M25 runs inside Greater London.
- Hours of operation
- 24 hours a day, every day of the year except Christmas Day.
- Enforcement since
- 8 April 2019
7 exemptions and discounts
Who does not pay
- Vehicles registered with the DVLA in the disabled or disabled passenger vehicle tax class do not pay until 24 October 2027.
- Drivers receiving qualifying disability benefits, and wheelchair accessible vehicles, have a grace period to 25 October 2027, one vehicle per applicant.
- Not-for-profit community transport minibuses of 5 tonnes or less carrying 9 to 16 passengers have a 100 per cent discount until 24 October 2027.
- Wheelchair accessible private hire vehicles have a grace period to 24 October 2027 while on a private hire booking.
- Historic vehicles built before 1 January 1973, and any vehicle over 40 years old registered in the DVLA historic vehicle tax class.
- Showman's vehicles, specialist agricultural vehicles, military vehicles, mobile cranes and other non road going vehicles.
- NHS patients assessed as too ill to travel by public transport can claim the charge back.
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
£180 for each day of contravention, reduced to £90 if you pay within 14 days.
Questions about this zone
Does a car pay in the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ)?
Yes, if it misses the standard. A car that does not meet the published standard pays £12.50 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 of the year except Christmas Day. Enforcement started on 8 April 2019, and those hours have applied since, unless the operator has published a change.
Where does the zone start and end?
Every London borough and the City of London, out to the Greater London boundary. The M25 is not in the zone, so a journey that stays on the motorway is not charged even where the M25 runs inside Greater London. 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?
£180 for each day of contravention, reduced to £90 if you pay within 14 days.
Who is exempt?
7 exemptions and discounts are published for this zone, including: Vehicles registered with the DVLA in the disabled or disabled passenger vehicle tax class do not pay until 24 October 2027; Drivers receiving qualifying disability benefits, and wheelchair accessible vehicles, have a grace period to 25 October 2027, one vehicle per applicant; Not-for-profit community transport minibuses of 5 tonnes or less carrying 9 to 16 passengers have a 100 per cent discount until 24 October 2027. Most have to be applied for in advance, so read the full list before you travel.