Is there a clean air zone in Bristol?

Yes. Bristol is covered by the Bristol Clean Air Zone, run by Bristol City Council, in force since 28 November 2022. It operates 24 hours a day, every day. one payment covers a whole day however many times you enter or leave..

How many public chargers are there in Bristol?

Bristol runs one of only two class D clean air zones in England, which means private cars are charged as well as vans, taxis and lorries. The other is Birmingham's.

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.

Driving in

Driving in Bristol

City of Bristol, England. What is different here rather than what is the same everywhere.

495,260

Population, City of Bristol

Office for National Statistics, Population estimates, local authority based by single year of age (mid-2025) (as of 30 June 2025)

Bristol Clean Air Zone

Charging or low emission zone

Bristol City Council, Bristol's Clean Air Zone charges and vehicle checker (as of 28 November 2022)

Postcode areas

Office for National Statistics, Population estimates, local authority based by single year of age (mid-2025) (as of 30 June 2025)

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 Bristol Clean Air Zone

Charged

£9.00 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 Bristol Clean Air Zone asks of a petrol car, so the daily charge of £9.00 applies.

Charged

£9.00 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 Bristol Clean Air Zone asks of a diesel car, so the daily charge of £9.00 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. Bristol Clean Air Zone asks Euro 6 of a diesel car, so there is nothing to pay.

Bristol Clean Air Zone: the essentials

Operated by	Bristol City Council
In force since	28 November 2022
Hours	24 hours a day, every day. One payment covers a whole day however many times you enter or leave.
Area	A compact part of central Bristol covering the old city, the harbourside and Redcliffe. Large parts of the city, including much of the inner suburbs, sit outside it.
Penalty for non payment	£120, reduced to £60 if you pay within 14 days of the date of service. The daily charge is payable on top, and you have 28 days in total to settle both.

Bristol started charging on 28 November 2022 and is the smaller of the two class D zones, so a private car that drives free through Bath or Sheffield pays £9 here. The council reported that more than 71 per cent of vehicles in the city already met the standard when the zone opened, which is why most drivers never see a charge. The common error is treating the zone as the whole city: it covers a small part of the centre, and one payment covers unlimited entries that day, so a delivery round inside the zone costs £9 rather than £9 a trip.

Full detail on the Bristol Clean Air Zone

What is different about driving in Bristol?

Bristol is covered by the Bristol 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 Bristol

Bristol runs one of only two class D clean air zones in England, which means private cars are charged as well as vans, taxis and lorries. The other is Birmingham's.
The zone covers 1.18 square miles and operates 24 hours a day, with the charge avoided by Euro 6 diesels and Euro 4 petrol cars.
About 186,600 licensed cars were on the books in the Bristol council area at the end of March 2026.
26.2% of Bristol households had no car or van at the 2021 census.
Public charger numbers jumped from 310 in January 2026 to 413 by 1 April 2026, taking the city to 83.5 chargers per 100,000 people.

The numbers behind those lines

Official statistics for City of Bristol
Measure	Figure
Vehicle fleet	Bristol runs one of only two class D clean air zones in England, which means private cars are charged as well as vans, taxis and lorries. The other is Birmingham's.
Public charging	Bristol runs one of only two class D clean air zones in England, which means private cars are charged as well as vans, taxis and lorries. The other is Birmingham's.
Car ownership	26.2% of Bristol households had no car or van at the 2021 census.

Common questions

Is there a clean air zone in Bristol?: Yes. Bristol is covered by the Bristol Clean Air Zone, run by Bristol City Council, in force since 28 November 2022. It operates 24 hours a day, every day. one payment covers a whole day however many times you enter or leave..
What does a car pay to drive in Bristol?: 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 Bristol Clean Air Zone asks of a diesel car, so the daily charge of £9.00 applies.
How many public chargers are there in Bristol?: Bristol runs one of only two class D clean air zones in England, which means private cars are charged as well as vans, taxis and lorries. The other is Birmingham's.
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.