Skip to content

Driving in

Driving in Derry

County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. What is different here rather than what is the same everywhere.
152,383
Population, County Londonderry
Office for National Statistics, Population estimates, local authority based by single year of age (mid-2025) (as of 30 June 2025)
No zone
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)
BT
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)

No charging zone here

Derry has no clean air zone, low emission zone or congestion charge. Nothing about the age or fuel of your car changes what it costs to drive into the city, and the only motoring charges that apply are the national ones.

What is different about driving in Derry?

Very little, in charging terms. Derry runs no zone, so the national rules are the whole story. What is local is the shape of the fleet and the charging network, which the figures below describe.

Local figures for Derry

  • As everywhere in Northern Ireland, the first test falls due at four years rather than three, and only the Driver and Vehicle Agency can carry it out, at one of its 15 test centres.
  • The figure of 152,383 is the mid-2024 estimate for the Derry City and Strabane council area, which covers Strabane and the BT82 postcodes as well as the city.
  • About 81,400 licensed cars were recorded in the council area at the end of March 2026, roughly one for every 1.9 residents.
  • Charging is scarce: 57 public chargers at 1 April 2026, or 37.4 per 100,000 people, the lowest figure of any place on this site.

The numbers behind those lines

Official statistics for County Londonderry
MeasureFigure
Vehicle fleetAbout 81,400 licensed cars were recorded in the council area at the end of March 2026, roughly one for every 1.9 residents.
Public chargingCharging is scarce: 57 public chargers at 1 April 2026, or 37.4 per 100,000 people, the lowest figure of any place on this site.

Common questions

Is there a clean air zone in Derry?
No. Derry has no charging or low emission zone, so no daily charge applies to driving there. The nearest zone, if any, is in a different authority area.
What does a car pay to drive in Derry?
Nothing. There is no zone charge in Derry. The only motoring charges that apply are the national ones: vehicle excise duty, fuel duty and any local parking scheme.
How many public chargers are there in Derry?
Charging is scarce: 57 public chargers at 1 April 2026, or 37.4 per 100,000 people, the lowest figure of any place on this site.
Are motoring rules different in Northern Ireland?
Yes in places. Northern Ireland has no clean air zones, runs its own vehicle testing service, and some driving licence rules differ. Vehicle tax is the same as the rest of the UK.

Sources

Related pages