Clean air zones: everything you need to know
Regional clean air zones are being introduced around the UK to cut pollution. Is one coming to a city near you soon?...
Twelve clean air zones (CAZs) are in operation around England and Scotland, with at least two more in the pipeline. Their introduction stems from a 2017 court case that ordered London and 33 other local authorities to investigate how best to improve air quality. London responded with the introduction of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) in 2019, and the other areas have also been working solutions to the problem of air pollution.
Like the ULEZ, CAZs impose restrictions on petrol vehicles that don’t meet Euro 4 emissions standards and diesels that don’t meet Euro 6; in general terms, that's most diesel cars registered before September 2015 and petrols sold before January 2006.
Unlike with the ULEZ, each local authority can choose to introduce one of four levels of restrictions, and it can set the cost of the daily fees it charges for non-compliant vehicles.
Most clean air zones apply 24 hours a day every day of the year, effectively banning the use of non-compliant vehicles within the area. You can pay to drive in a CAZ at gov.uk/clean-air-zones or via the relevant local authority website. You can pay to drive in the Oxford zone only by going to oxford.gov.uk or oxfordshire.gov.uk.
In England, there are four classes of clean air zones:
Class A imposes restrictions on non-compliant buses, coaches, minicabs and taxis.
Class B imposes the same restrictions as Class A, but also includes heavy goods vehicles (HGVs).
Class C imposes the same restrictions as Class B, but also includes light commercial vehicles (LCVs).
Class D imposes the same restrictions as Class C, but also includes privately owned cars, plus the local authority has the option to include motorcycles.
Current clean air zones in England
Bath
Zone type Class C
Start date 15 March 2021
Fees £9 a day for taxis, minibuses and LCVs; £100 a day for HGVs
Birmingham
Zone type Class D
Start date 1 June 2021
Fees £8 a day for cars; £50 a day for buses, coaches, HGVs and LCVs
Bradford
Zone type Class C
Start date 26 September 2022
Fees £7 a day for taxis; £9 a day for LCVs; £50 a day for buses, coaches and HGVs
Bristol
Zone type Class D
Start date 28 September 2022
Fees £9 a day for cars, taxis and LCVs; £100 a day for buses, coaches and HGVs
Oxford
Unlike other regional zones, Oxford’s is a zero-emissions area that aims to discourage all non-pure electric vehicles, so it only allows electric cars and vans to travel through the zone for free. A fee applies to all other vehicles between 7am and 7pm, seven days a week.
Zone type Zero Emission Zone
Start date 28 February 2022
Fees £2 a day for cars with CO2 emissions below 75g/km, rising to £4 in 2025; £4 a day for Euro 4-compliant petrol vehicles and Euro 6-compliant diesels, rising to £8 in 2025; £10 a day for all other vehicles, rising to £20 from 2025
Portsmouth
Zone type Class B
Start date 29 November 2021
Fees £10 a day for taxis; £50 a day for buses, coaches and HGVs
Tyneside (Newcastle and Gateshead)
Zone type Class C
Start date 30 January 2023
Fees £12.50 a day for taxis and LCVs; £50 a day for buses, coaches and HGVs
Sheffield
Zone type Class C
Start date 27 February 2023
Fees £10 a day for LCVs and taxis; £50 a day for buses, coaches and HGVs, with penalties deferred until 5 June 2023 for some LCVs and taxis
England clean air zone going live soon
Manchester
This zone was due to go live in May 2022, but the council has proposed a Clean Air Plan instead, which it says will ensure the region meets the legal limits for nitrogen dioxide on local roads by 2025. At the time of writing the government is considering the proposal put forward by the local authority.
Clean air zones in Scotland
Scotland is doing things differently from England. Instead of charging owners of more polluting vehicles a daily fee to enter a zone, it’s trying to force them to stay out of it altogether.
It’s doing this by issuing a fixed penalty notice fine of £60 the first time any non-compliant vehicle enters the zone – halved if it’s paid within 14 days. If the same vehicle enters the zone for a second time within 90 days, the penalty doubles to £120, and if the vehicle enters a third time within the same 90 days, it increases to £240.
The penalty charges are capped at £480 for cars and LCVs and £960 for buses and HGVs. Although the schemes were introduced in June 2022, no fines were issued before 1 June 2024 to give residents and those travelling in the areas time to alter their transport plans where necessary.
Aberdeen
Zone type Low Emission Zone
Start date 1 June 2024
Fees £60 fine for all non-compliant vehicles
Dundee
Zone type Low Emission Zone
Start date 1 June 2024
Fees £60 fine for all non-compliant vehicles
Edinburgh
Zone type Low Emission Zone
Start date 1 June 2024
Fees £60 fine for all non-compliant vehicles
Glasgow
Zone type Low Emission Zone
Start date 1 June 2024
Fees £60 fine for all non-compliant vehicles
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