Emissions standard
Euro 5
Checked on 20 June 2007.EUR-Lex, Regulation (EC) No 715/2007, Annex I tables 1 and 2: Euro 5 and Euro 6 emission limits (as of 20 June 2007)
Clean air zone verdict for a car at this standard
Compliant
A petrol car at Euro 5 meets the Euro 4 pass mark every UK zone applies to petrol.
Charged
A diesel at Euro 5 is below the Euro 6 pass mark, so it pays the daily charge.
What is Euro 5?
The stage that made the diesel particulate filter unavoidable, cutting particulates by four fifths and adding a particle number limit for diesel. It also set the first ever particulate limit for petrol, and only for direct injection engines. The particulate figure was revised from 5.0 to 4.5 mg/km when the measurement protocol changed in 2011.
Euro 5 limits, in g/km
| Pollutant | Petrol | Diesel | Change from Euro 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carbon monoxide (CO) | 1 | 0.5 | 0 per cent lower on diesel |
| Hydrocarbons (HC) | 0.1 | No limit set | |
| Hydrocarbons and NOx combined | No limit set | 0.23 | 23 per cent lower on diesel |
| Nitrogen oxides (NOx) | 0.06 | 0.18 | 28 per cent lower on diesel |
| Particulate matter (PM) | 0.005 | 0.005 | 80 per cent lower on diesel |
This stage also sets a particle number limit of 6e+11 particles per kilometre, which counts the particles rather than weighing them. A filter can pass on mass and still fail on number, which is why the second limit was added.
Common questions
- When did Euro 5 come in?
- It applied to new car registrations from 1 January 2011, having applied to new type approvals from 1 September 2009. 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 5 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 5 petrol car drives in free while a diesel of the same stage pays.
- What does Euro 5 actually limit?
- The stage that made the diesel particulate filter unavoidable, cutting particulates by four fifths and adding a particle number limit for diesel. It also set the first ever particulate limit for petrol, and only for direct injection engines. The particulate figure was revised from 5.0 to 4.5 mg/km when the measurement protocol changed in 2011.
- 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.