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Places

Driving in a UK town or city

What does this guide cover? What changes from one British town to the next is not the tax or the fine, which are national. It is whether a charging zone covers the place, what it costs, and how much of the local fleet is old enough to be caught by it.

45
Places covered
Office for National Statistics, Population estimates, local authority based by single year of age (mid-2025) (as of 30 June 2025)
18
Covered by a charging or low emission zone
Office for National Statistics, Population estimates, local authority based by single year of age (mid-2025) (as of 30 June 2025)
27
With no zone in force
Office for National Statistics, Population estimates, local authority based by single year of age (mid-2025) (as of 30 June 2025)

London

Places in London, and whether a charging zone covers them
PlaceCountyPopulationZone
LondonGreater London9,122,909Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ)
CroydonGreater London410,085Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ)
EalingGreater London387,072Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ)
EnfieldGreater London329,400Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ)
BromleyGreater London336,048Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ)
BarnetGreater London408,087Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ)

West Midlands

Places in West Midlands, and whether a charging zone covers them
PlaceCountyPopulationZone
BirminghamWest Midlands1,176,960Birmingham Clean Air Zone
CoventryWest Midlands364,766None
Stoke-on-TrentStaffordshire272,282None
WolverhamptonWest Midlands281,434None

North West

Places in North West, and whether a charging zone covers them
PlaceCountyPopulationZone
ManchesterGreater Manchester588,256None
LiverpoolMerseyside507,915None

Yorkshire and The Humber

Places in Yorkshire and The Humber, and whether a charging zone covers them
PlaceCountyPopulationZone
LeedsWest Yorkshire840,550None
SheffieldSouth Yorkshire579,517Sheffield Clean Air Zone
BradfordWest Yorkshire557,758Bradford Clean Air Zone
YorkNorth Yorkshire209,118None
HullEast Riding of Yorkshire273,257None

South West

Places in South West, and whether a charging zone covers them
PlaceCountyPopulationZone
BristolCity of Bristol495,260Bristol Clean Air Zone
PlymouthDevon271,361None
BathSomerset200,898Bath Clean Air Zone

North East

Places in North East, and whether a charging zone covers them
PlaceCountyPopulationZone
Newcastle upon TyneTyne and Wear320,838Tyneside Clean Air Zone
SunderlandTyne and Wear287,070None

East Midlands

Places in East Midlands, and whether a charging zone covers them
PlaceCountyPopulationZone
NottinghamNottinghamshire325,765None
LeicesterLeicestershire383,116None
DerbyDerbyshire275,344None

South East

Places in South East, and whether a charging zone covers them
PlaceCountyPopulationZone
SouthamptonHampshire259,230None
PortsmouthHampshire211,475Portsmouth Clean Air Zone
Milton KeynesBuckinghamshire308,866None
BrightonEast Sussex284,170None
OxfordOxfordshire165,940Oxford Zero Emission Zone pilot
ReadingBerkshire183,762None

East of England

Places in East of England, and whether a charging zone covers them
PlaceCountyPopulationZone
NorwichNorfolk145,676None
LutonBedfordshire236,380None

Wales

Places in Wales, and whether a charging zone covers them
PlaceCountyPopulationZone
CardiffCardiff381,516None
SwanseaSwansea249,429None
NewportNewport168,584None
WrexhamWrexham137,977None

Scotland

Places in Scotland, and whether a charging zone covers them
PlaceCountyPopulationZone
GlasgowGlasgow City654,330Glasgow Low Emission Zone
EdinburghCity of Edinburgh531,370Edinburgh Low Emission Zone
AberdeenAberdeen City230,180Aberdeen Low Emission Zone
DundeeDundee City148,390Dundee Low Emission Zone
InvernessHighland237,260None
StirlingStirling94,040None

Northern Ireland

Places in Northern Ireland, and whether a charging zone covers them
PlaceCountyPopulationZone
BelfastCounty Antrim352,390None
DerryCounty Londonderry152,383None

Common questions

Which UK cities charge cars to drive in?
London through the ULEZ and the Congestion Charge, the class D clean air zones, and Oxford through its Zero Emission Zone. Most other cities either run a class B or class C zone that never touches a private car, or have no zone at all.
Do the Scottish cities charge?
No, and that is the point people miss. Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen operate low emission zones with no charge at all: a non compliant vehicle is barred, and the first camera capture is a penalty.
Where do the local figures come from?
Population from the ONS mid year estimates, car counts from Department for Transport table VEH0105, charger counts from table EVCI0102 and no car households from the 2021 census. Every page names the table it used.

Sources