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Driving in

Driving in Edinburgh

City of Edinburgh, Scotland. What is different here rather than what is the same everywhere.
531,370
Population, City of Edinburgh
Office for National Statistics, Population estimates, local authority based by single year of age (mid-2025) (as of 30 June 2025)
Edinburgh Low Emission Zone
Charging or low emission zone
The City of Edinburgh Council, Low emission zone (as of 1 June 2024)
EH
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 Edinburgh Low Emission Zone

Exempt

2004 petrol car: Edinburgh Low Emission Zone does not charge cars, whatever they are registered as.

Exempt

2012 diesel car: Edinburgh Low Emission Zone does not charge cars, whatever they are registered as.

Exempt

2018 diesel car: Edinburgh Low Emission Zone does not charge cars, whatever they are registered as.

Edinburgh Low Emission Zone: the essentials
Operated byThe City of Edinburgh Council
In force since1 June 2024
Hours24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
AreaThe city centre, ringed by Palmerston Place in the west, Queen Street and Picardy Place in the north, Abbeyhill, Holyrood Road and the Pleasance in the east, and Tollcross and the Meadows in the south. The boundary roads themselves are outside the zone.
Penalty for non payment£60, reduced to £30 if you pay within 14 days. The amount doubles for each further contravention by the same vehicle in the same zone within 90 days, capped at £480 for a car or light goods vehicle and £960 for a minibus, bus, coach or HGV. Once 90 days pass with no contravention the rate resets to £60.

Edinburgh's scheme came into force on 31 May 2022 but ran a two year grace period, so the first penalty charge notices were issued on 1 June 2024. The boundary roads are deliberately left outside the zone, which means a non-compliant car can follow Queen Street, Palmerston Place or the Meadows past the centre without penalty. Motorcycles and mopeds are outside every Scottish LEZ, so a rider has nothing to check here at all.

Full detail on the Edinburgh Low Emission Zone

What is different about driving in Edinburgh?

Edinburgh is covered by the Edinburgh Low Emission 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 Edinburgh

  • Edinburgh started issuing penalty charge notices for its low emission zone on 1 June 2024, and the zone runs 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
  • Motorcycles and mopeds are exempt from the Edinburgh zone, so a rider is unaffected while a car owner is not.
  • About 182,100 licensed cars were recorded in the council area at the end of March 2026.
  • The city had 1,076 public chargers at 1 April 2026, up from 1,001 in January, which is 202.8 per 100,000 people.

The numbers behind those lines

Official statistics for City of Edinburgh
MeasureFigure
Vehicle fleetMotorcycles and mopeds are exempt from the Edinburgh zone, so a rider is unaffected while a car owner is not.
Public chargingEdinburgh started issuing penalty charge notices for its low emission zone on 1 June 2024, and the zone runs 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Common questions

Is there a clean air zone in Edinburgh?
Yes. Edinburgh is covered by the Edinburgh Low Emission Zone, run by The City of Edinburgh Council, in force since 1 June 2024. It operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year..
What does a car pay to drive in Edinburgh?
Edinburgh Low Emission Zone does not charge cars, whatever they are registered as.
How many public chargers are there in Edinburgh?
Edinburgh started issuing penalty charge notices for its low emission zone on 1 June 2024, and the zone runs 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Are motoring rules different in Scotland?
The low emission zones are. A Scottish zone has no daily charge: a non compliant vehicle is barred and the first camera capture is a penalty that doubles for each repeat inside 90 days. Vehicle tax and speeding law are set nationally.

Sources

Related pages