Driving in
Driving in Bath
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 Bath Clean Air Zone
Exempt
2004 petrol car: Bath Clean Air Zone does not charge cars, whatever they are registered as. The charge here applies to taxi or private hire vehicle, van or light goods vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes, minibus up to 5 tonnes, bus or coach, hgv over 3.5 tonnes and private hgv such as a motorhome or horsebox over 3.5 tonnes.
Exempt
2012 diesel car: Bath Clean Air Zone does not charge cars, whatever they are registered as. The charge here applies to taxi or private hire vehicle, van or light goods vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes, minibus up to 5 tonnes, bus or coach, hgv over 3.5 tonnes and private hgv such as a motorhome or horsebox over 3.5 tonnes.
Exempt
2018 diesel car: Bath Clean Air Zone does not charge cars, whatever they are registered as. The charge here applies to taxi or private hire vehicle, van or light goods vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes, minibus up to 5 tonnes, bus or coach, hgv over 3.5 tonnes and private hgv such as a motorhome or horsebox over 3.5 tonnes.
| Operated by | Bath and North East Somerset Council |
| In force since | 15 March 2021 |
| Hours | Midnight to midnight, seven days a week, all year round. |
| Area | The city centre of Bath. It is a compact area, so much of the wider district including the outer suburbs sits outside it. |
| Penalty for non payment | £120, reduced to £60 if you pay within 14 days of the date of service. The unpaid daily charge, £9 or £100, is still owed on top of the penalty. |
Bath was the first charging zone outside London, live from 15 March 2021. Private cars and motorbikes have never been charged here, which is the biggest source of confusion: a resident with a 2009 diesel car pays nothing, while the same engine in a van pays £9. Motorhomes are the other trap, because one over 3.5 tonnes is treated as a heavy goods vehicle at £100 a day unless the keeper registers it with the council for the £9 rate.
What is different about driving in Bath?
Bath is covered by the Bath Clean Air Zone, 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 Bath
- Bath's clean air zone is a class C scheme covering 1.2 square miles of the city centre. Private cars are never charged, but vans, minibuses, taxis, private hire vehicles, lorries and coaches can be.
- The population figure of 200,898 covers the Bath and North East Somerset council area, which also takes in Keynsham and the Midsomer Norton area, not just the city.
- 19.9% of households in the council area had no car or van at the 2021 census, below the England figure of 23.5%.
- About 93,000 licensed cars were recorded in the council area at the end of March 2026, with 180 public chargers at 1 April 2026, or 90.0 per 100,000 people.
The numbers behind those lines
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Vehicle fleet | Bath's clean air zone is a class C scheme covering 1.2 square miles of the city centre. Private cars are never charged, but vans, minibuses, taxis, private hire vehicles, lorries and coaches can be. |
| Public charging | Bath's clean air zone is a class C scheme covering 1.2 square miles of the city centre. Private cars are never charged, but vans, minibuses, taxis, private hire vehicles, lorries and coaches can be. |
| Car ownership | 19.9% of households in the council area had no car or van at the 2021 census, below the England figure of 23.5%. |
Common questions
- Is there a clean air zone in Bath?
- Yes. Bath is covered by the Bath Clean Air Zone, run by Bath and North East Somerset Council, in force since 15 March 2021. It operates midnight to midnight, seven days a week, all year round..
- What does a car pay to drive in Bath?
- Bath Clean Air Zone does not charge cars, whatever they are registered as. The charge here applies to taxi or private hire vehicle, van or light goods vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes, minibus up to 5 tonnes, bus or coach, hgv over 3.5 tonnes and private hgv such as a motorhome or horsebox over 3.5 tonnes.
- How many public chargers are there in Bath?
- Bath's clean air zone is a class C scheme covering 1.2 square miles of the city centre. Private cars are never charged, but vans, minibuses, taxis, private hire vehicles, lorries and coaches can be.
- 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)
- GOV.UK, Driving in a clean air zone (as of 30 July 2026)
- Bath and North East Somerset Council, Find out about charges in Bath's Clean Air Zone (as of 15 March 2021)
- Bath and North East Somerset Council, Pay a Clean Air Zone fine (as of 30 July 2026)
- Bath and North East Somerset Council, Bath's Clean Air Zone (as of 15 March 2021)
- GOV.UK, Clean Air Zones (as of 12 February 2026)