Emissions standard
Euro 6
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 6 meets the Euro 4 pass mark every UK zone applies to petrol.
Compliant
A diesel at Euro 6 meets the Euro 6 pass mark every UK zone applies to diesel.
What is Euro 6?
The diesel pass mark for every UK clean air zone. Diesel nitrogen oxides fell from 180 to 80 mg/km, which is the change the whole zone system is built on, and a particle number limit reached direct injection petrol for the first time. That petrol particle limit only became binding for new registrations on 1 September 2018, three years after the main stage.
Euro 6 limits, in g/km
| Pollutant | Petrol | Diesel | Change from Euro 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 0.17 | 26 per cent lower on diesel |
| Nitrogen oxides (NOx) | 0.06 | 0.08 | 56 per cent lower on diesel |
| Particulate matter (PM) | 0.0045 | 0.0045 | 10 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 6 come in?
- It applied to new car registrations from 1 September 2015, having applied to new type approvals from 1 September 2014. 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 6 car allowed in a clean air zone?
- A petrol car meets the Euro 4 pass mark and a diesel meets the Euro 6 pass mark, so a Euro 6 car of either fuel drives in free.
- What does Euro 6 actually limit?
- The diesel pass mark for every UK clean air zone. Diesel nitrogen oxides fell from 180 to 80 mg/km, which is the change the whole zone system is built on, and a particle number limit reached direct injection petrol for the first time. That petrol particle limit only became binding for new registrations on 1 September 2018, three years after the main stage.
- 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.