Emissions standard
Euro 4
Compulsory for new car registrations from 1 January 2006.
1 January 2006
0.25 g/km
0.025 g/km
Checked on 13 October 1998.EUR-Lex, Directive 98/69/EC, table at section 5.3.1.4: Euro 3 (row A) and Euro 4 (row B) limit values (as of 13 October 1998)
Clean air zone verdict for a car at this standard
Compliant
A petrol car at Euro 4 meets the Euro 4 pass mark every UK zone applies to petrol.
Charged
A diesel at Euro 4 is below the Euro 6 pass mark, so it pays the daily charge.
What is Euro 4?
The petrol pass mark for almost every clean air zone in the country. Nitrogen oxides on petrol fell by nearly half again and diesel particulates halved. A petrol car first registered from January 2006 meets this by law, which is where Transport for London's rule of thumb about petrol cars registered after 2005 comes from.
Euro 4 limits, in g/km
| Pollutant | Petrol | Diesel | Change from Euro 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carbon monoxide (CO) | 1 | 0.5 | 22 per cent lower on diesel |
| Hydrocarbons (HC) | 0.1 | No limit set | |
| Hydrocarbons and NOx combined | No limit set | 0.3 | 46 per cent lower on diesel |
| Nitrogen oxides (NOx) | 0.08 | 0.25 | 50 per cent lower on diesel |
| Particulate matter (PM) | No limit set | 0.025 | 50 per cent lower on diesel |
Common questions
- When did Euro 4 come in?
- It applied to new car registrations from 1 January 2006, having applied to new type approvals from 1 January 2005. The registration date is the one that matches a DVLA record, so it is the one to use when reading a car's age against a standard.
- Is a Euro 4 car allowed in a clean air zone?
- A petrol car meets the Euro 4 pass mark and a diesel does not meet the Euro 6 pass mark, so a Euro 4 petrol car drives in free while a diesel of the same stage pays.
- What does Euro 4 actually limit?
- The petrol pass mark for almost every clean air zone in the country. Nitrogen oxides on petrol fell by nearly half again and diesel particulates halved. A petrol car first registered from January 2006 meets this by law, which is where Transport for London's rule of thumb about petrol cars registered after 2005 comes from.
- Where is the standard written on my car?
- Section D.2 of the V5C. It is also on the certificate of conformity the manufacturer issued, which is the document an operating authority will accept if a zone has the wrong figure on record for your car.