Portsmouth Clean Air Zone

Where does Portsmouth's Clean Air Zone begin?

Portsmouth's zone occupies the south west of Portsea Island around the centre. The council's map gives its definitive line. Check routes on the A3 with care: the modelling behind the scheme found the forecast exceedances on Alfred Road and Commercial Road, both on that route. Entry signs have a white background, a cloud symbol and the letter B. The council also publishes a list of the postcodes inside the zone, so a Portsmouth address alone does not settle it.

Portsmouth International Port and Portico are outside. The M275 approach avoids the CAZ, but an onward city route may enter it. Portico advises non-compliant hauliers to turn left at the Flathouse Road and Princess Royal Road junction. Continuing on Flathouse Road leaves no turn around before the Hope Street entry. The M27 and A27 are also outside the city zone.

1. 1Locate the actual Portsmouth destination on the council's Clean Air Zone map.
2. 2Trace the intended road approach, especially the M275, Hope Street and A3 connections.
3. 3For a potentially charged vehicle, check the official registration result before relying on a detour.

Does a car, van or taxi pay in Portsmouth?

Portsmouth's Class B zone charges non-compliant buses, coaches, HGVs, taxis and private hire vehicles. Private passenger cars, motorcycles and vans are free regardless of age. A diesel family car and a licensed diesel taxi can therefore have different results. Some large motorhomes are classified as HGVs and can fall into the £50 group despite private use.

Chargeable classes normally need Euro 6 diesel or Euro 4 petrol compliance. The government checker decides each UK registration. Where a V5C records the Euro status, it is the entry at V.9. Neither a registration year nor a vehicle's appearance proves its checker result.

How do you check a Portsmouth registration?

Use Cleaner Air Portsmouth's checker link or GOV.UK's Drive in a clean air zone service. Enter the plate, choose Portsmouth and inspect that city's result. Another zone's verdict cannot decide this one. A local exemption may require separate approval if the national result initially shows a charge; Portsmouth says it starts only when confirmed.

The GOV.UK checker cannot assess foreign registrations. Ask clean air zone support about such vehicles before travel, with emissions documents ready. If a UK result appears wrong, seek a correction and retain proof of its standard or retrofit. Portsmouth's cameras recognise number plates, and the checker's result for that plate is what decides the Portsmouth charge.

When and where do you pay the Portsmouth charge?

A liable vehicle pays once per midnight to midnight date, however many times it enters. Crossing after midnight can create a second charging day. GOV.UK takes payment from six days before travel until 11:59pm on the sixth day after. Portsmouth sends no entry reminder; a camera sighting is not an invoice.

Save the official payment reference and selected date. Businesses can upload several UK plates through a central account. The government support line helps with payment difficulties. A later council PCN has its own payment route, stated on the notice.

1. 1Run the registration through the official checker and confirm that Portsmouth shows a charge.
2. 2Choose each calendar date that the vehicle will actually enter the mapped area.
3. 3Pay through GOV.UK and save the confirmation with the route or job record.

What does a missed Portsmouth CAZ payment cost?

An unpaid journey can result in a PCN for £120 plus the original charge. The penalty falls to £60 if paid within its first fourteen days; the £10 or £50 daily fee remains due. You can challenge within twenty eight days. Compare the plate, travel date, vehicle class, exemption and payment reference with the notice before submitting evidence.

Pay the PCN online, by phone, in person at the Civic Offices or a housing office, or by cheque or postal order. Do not send cash. If contesting it, follow the notice's challenge instructions promptly and keep copies. Ignoring it can lead to further enforcement costs.

Which Portsmouth vehicles can get a local exemption?

Portsmouth's exemptions page distinguishes national non-chargeable vehicles from local approvals. Its local lifetime categories include certain emergency service and specialist heavy vehicles. A specialist applicant supplies the V5C, views of the vehicle from all sides, and evidence that retrofit is unavailable or replacement unaffordable. Although the award lasts while the CAZ operates, the council says it must be renewed at least yearly. Volunteer vehicles supporting emergency services need a request on the service's headed paper alongside their V5C. Apply on the Portsmouth exemption form and wait for confirmation before treating any journey as free.

A non-commercial vintage bus first registered twenty to thirty nine years ago can receive up to ten free dates a year. An HGV classified horse transporter can receive a similar allowance, a provision especially useful for Isle of Wight trips to mainland equine services. Owners must tell the council their actual travel dates before using these allowances. By contrast, the former wheelchair accessible taxi and school or community transport sunset periods have ended and accept no new applications. Unplanned rail replacement vehicles have a separate short exception: the operator must notify Portsmouth on the travel day or the day after and provide the requested evidence. A planned replacement service cannot rely on it.

Can Portsmouth operators still ask for upgrade funding?

Portsmouth's Clean Air Fund helped operators replace or retrofit affected vehicles. The council's review says the HGV, bus and coach funds became fully subscribed. Its current FAQ suggests some directly affected taxi and private hire operators may still receive help, but gives no live balance. Ask the CAZ helpdesk before committing to a purchase.

What does a 2014 diesel commuter pay in Portsmouth?

A commuter drives a 2014 diesel private car from Cosham towards an office near Portsmouth and Southsea station on five days in a week. Even if the route enters the mapped CAZ and the engine is below Euro 6, Portsmouth charges no private car. The week's Portsmouth CAZ total is £0. This conclusion comes from the scheme's Class B vehicle list, not from assuming that a 2014 diesel is compliant. If the commuter sometimes drives a licensed private hire vehicle instead, the answer must be checked again: the taxi class can attract £10 per charging day when the particular vehicle fails the emissions standard.

How would a 2005 petrol visitor and an HGV driver differ?

A visitor arriving in a 2005 petrol passenger car to see the Historic Dockyard owes no Portsmouth CAZ payment. The vehicle type is outside the charging list, and the year does not change that. Now consider a haulage driver in a non-compliant HGV bound for Portico. Arriving and leaving by the M275 can stay outside the CAZ because the port and Portico are outside. If the return journey goes beyond the Flathouse Road and Princess Royal Road junction towards Hope Street, the port warns there is no turn around before entering. That route would create a £50 day for the chargeable lorry, even though the delivery destination itself was outside the zone.

Has air quality improved since Portsmouth began charging?

The CAZ opened on 29 November 2021 after central government directed Portsmouth to address nitrogen dioxide exceedances. It targets a part of the city where the A3 corridor was an identified problem. The council's 2024 update said the government assessment had not yet found the required compliance, so the CAZ had to remain. Its later 2025 annual status summary reports actual monitoring for 2024 and shows a more detailed picture than a simple success or failure headline.

At the southbound Alfred Road diffusion tube identified as site 118, annual mean nitrogen dioxide measured 40.44 micrograms per cubic metre in 2024 against 43.72 in 2023. The other two diffusion tube sites that had exceeded the national objective in 2023 fell below it in 2024. The council cautions that different assessment regimes, monitor placement and earlier pandemic effects complicate interpretation. These are observed readings, not proof that the CAZ alone produced the change or that every legal test has been satisfied. Continue to follow the current charging rules until an official decision changes them.

What should ferry passengers and visiting drivers check?

A private car or van headed for a ferry pays no Portsmouth CAZ charge. A non-compliant coach, taxi or HGV must examine its route. The International Port and its M275 approach are outside; a city centre hotel may require entry. Compare the council's map with the actual route, not merely the destination postcode. Portsmouth's exemptions page lists no general allowance for visitors.

Can you reclaim a Portsmouth charge if the trip is cancelled?

Portsmouth offers a refund when you paid in advance but decide not to enter the CAZ on that date. Its deadline is 6pm on the day before the booked journey, and it deducts a £3 administration fee. The money goes back by the original payment method. Use the refund link on Cleaner Air Portsmouth or call its City Help Desk. If a business paid through the multiple vehicle account, or you paid although you believe the vehicle was exempt, the council directs you to its separate online contact form instead of the ordinary refund tool.