Driving in
Driving in Barnet
Checked on 30 June 2025.Office for National Statistics, Population estimates, local authority based by single year of age (mid-2025) (as of 30 June 2025)
The Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ)
Charged
£12.50 a day
2004 petrol car: No Euro figure is recorded, so we have read it from the first registration date of 1 January 2004. New cars had to meet Euro 3 from 1 January 2001, below the Euro 4 that Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) asks of a petrol car, so the daily charge of £12.50 applies.
Charged
£12.50 a day
2012 diesel car: No Euro figure is recorded, so we have read it from the first registration date of 1 January 2012. New cars had to meet Euro 5 from 1 January 2011, below the Euro 6 that Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) asks of a diesel car, so the daily charge of £12.50 applies.
Compliant
2018 diesel car: No Euro figure is recorded, so we have read it from the first registration date of 1 January 2018. New cars had to meet Euro 6 from 1 September 2015. Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) asks Euro 6 of a diesel car, so there is nothing to pay.
| Operated by | Transport for London |
| In force since | 8 April 2019 |
| Hours | 24 hours a day, every day of the year except Christmas Day. |
| Area | 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. |
| Penalty for non payment | £180 for each day of contravention, reduced to £90 if you pay within 14 days. |
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.
What is different about driving in Barnet?
Barnet is covered by the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ), so an older car pays a daily charge that the same car would not pay in most of the country. Vehicle tax, fuel duty and speeding penalties are national and identical everywhere.
Local figures for Barnet
- Barnet is inside the Ultra Low Emission Zone and, at 408,087 residents in mid-2025, is one of the two largest London boroughs on this site.
- 29.9% of Barnet households had no car or van at the 2021 census, well below the London figure of 42.1%.
- About 139,900 licensed cars were recorded in the borough at the end of March 2026.
- The borough had 1,164 public chargers at 1 April 2026, or 287.4 per 100,000 people, more than four times the Bromley figure.
The numbers behind those lines
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Vehicle fleet | 29.9% of Barnet households had no car or van at the 2021 census, well below the London figure of 42.1%. |
| Public charging | The borough had 1,164 public chargers at 1 April 2026, or 287.4 per 100,000 people, more than four times the Bromley figure. |
| Car ownership | 29.9% of Barnet households had no car or van at the 2021 census, well below the London figure of 42.1%. |
Common questions
- Is there a clean air zone in Barnet?
- Yes. Barnet is covered by the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ), run by Transport for London, in force since 8 April 2019. It operates 24 hours a day, every day of the year except christmas day..
- What does a car pay to drive in Barnet?
- No Euro figure is recorded, so we have read it from the first registration date of 1 January 2012. New cars had to meet Euro 5 from 1 January 2011, below the Euro 6 that Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) asks of a diesel car, so the daily charge of £12.50 applies.
- How many public chargers are there in Barnet?
- The borough had 1,164 public chargers at 1 April 2026, or 287.4 per 100,000 people, more than four times the Bromley figure.
- Are motoring rules different in England?
- Vehicle tax, speeding penalties and licensing are set nationally, so they are the same everywhere in Great Britain. What varies locally is whether a charging zone applies and what it costs.
Sources
- Office for National Statistics, Population estimates, local authority based by single year of age (mid-2025) (as of 30 June 2025)
- Office for National Statistics, Population estimates for England and Wales: mid-2025 (as of 29 July 2026)
- Office for National Statistics, Census 2021, TS045 car or van availability (as of 21 March 2021)
- Department for Transport, Vehicle licensing statistics, table VEH0105 (2026 Q1) (as of 31 March 2026)
- Department for Transport, Electric vehicle charging infrastructure statistics, table EVCI0102 (as of 1 April 2026)
- Transport for London, Ultra Low Emission Zone (as of 30 July 2026)
- 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)