Clean Air Zone, class C
Sheffield Clean Air Zone
Adds vans and minibuses to the class B list. Private cars are still outside it.
Local detail
What is specific to Sheffield
Charging began at midnight on 27 February 2023 and covers the city centre inside the inner ring road. The ring road is outside the zone, so a non-compliant van can cross Sheffield without paying as long as the driver stays on it, which is the single most useful thing to know here. Sheffield also lets a campervan or motorhome pay the £10 light vehicle rate rather than the £50 heavy rate, which is worth checking if the plated weight is over 3.5 tonnes.
6 vehicle types
What each vehicle pays
| Vehicle | Daily charge | Standard that avoids it |
|---|---|---|
| Private 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 | £10 | Euro 4 (petrol) or Euro 6 (diesel) |
| Van or light goods vehicle | £10 | Euro 4 (petrol) or Euro 6 (diesel) |
| Campervan or motorhome | £10 | Euro 4 (petrol) or Euro 6 (diesel) |
| Bus, coach or HGV | £50 | Euro VI |
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
- Taxis, private hire vehicles and light goods vehicles: Euro 4 for petrol, Euro 6 for diesel.
- Buses, coaches and HGVs: Euro VI.
- Private cars and motorbikes are never charged, whatever their emissions.
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 inside the inner ring road. The ring road itself is outside the zone, so through traffic that stays on it is not charged.
- Hours of operation
- 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
- Enforcement since
- 27 February 2023
5 exemptions and discounts
Who does not pay
- Private cars, except taxis and private hire vehicles, and all motorbikes.
- Vehicles in the disabled tax class.
- Historic vehicles.
- Vehicles retrofitted under an accredited scheme.
- Local exemptions and discounts are applied for through Sheffield City Council.
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 receiving the notice. Unpaid after 28 days it rises to £180.
Questions about this zone
Does a car pay in the Sheffield 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 £10 a day, so check the charge table for the exact type.
When does the zone operate?
24 hours a day, seven days a week. Enforcement started on 27 February 2023, and those hours have applied since, unless the operator has published a change.
Where does the zone start and end?
The city centre inside the inner ring road. The ring road itself is outside the zone, so through traffic that stays on it is not charged. 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 receiving the notice. Unpaid after 28 days it rises to £180.
Who is exempt?
5 exemptions and discounts are published for this zone, including: Private cars, except taxis and private hire vehicles, and all motorbikes; Vehicles in the disabled tax class; Historic vehicles. Most have to be applied for in advance, so read the full list before you travel.