ULEZ & clean air charge checker
The Ultra Low Emission Zone charge, set by Transport for London, is £12.50 a day for a non-compliant car, van or motorcycle up to 3.5 tonnes, applied every day except Christmas Day. A compliant car pays nothing. Enter your typical week to see the annual cost this produces.
How does the ULEZ charge work?
The Ultra Low Emission Zone charges older, more polluting vehicles a flat daily fee to drive inside it, set by Transport for London. For a car the fee is £12.50, and it applies every day of the year bar Christmas Day. The figure that decides whether a car pays is not its age but its Euro emissions standard. Petrol cars meeting Euro 4, which covers most cars registered from 2006, are compliant and pay nothing. Diesel cars meeting Euro 6, most registered from September 2015, are also compliant. Everything below that standard pays the full charge on any day it enters the zone. A single day covers unlimited trips, but crossing midnight starts a new charge.
Several other UK cities run Clean Air Zones on the same principle set out on gov.uk, but the rules vary by city. Many charge only older taxis, vans, buses and lorries and let private cars through free. The specific city and the vehicle's own registration should always be checked, because compliance in one zone does not guarantee it in another.
What would ULEZ cost me, as a worked example?
Suppose a non-compliant car drives into the zone 5 days a week for 48 weeks of the year. That is 240 charged days. Each day is charged at £12.50 by Transport for London, giving £3,000 over the year, or about £250 a month. A car entering the zone on fewer days a year produces a correspondingly smaller annual total. If the same car were compliant, the estimated cost would be zero no matter how often it entered the zone.
Common questions
How much is the ULEZ charge?
The London Ultra Low Emission Zone charge is £12.50 a day for cars, motorcycles and vans up to 3.5 tonnes. It runs every day except Christmas Day, and it is separate from the Congestion Charge, so in central London a non-compliant car can pay both.
Does my car have to pay ULEZ?
Only if it does not meet the emissions standard. The broad rule is petrol cars meeting Euro 4, most registered from 2006, and diesel cars meeting Euro 6, most registered from September 2015, are exempt. A compliant car pays nothing, however often it drives in the zone.
How do I check if my car is compliant?
Use the official vehicle checker on the TfL website with your registration, or look at the Euro emissions standard on the V5C logbook. Do not rely on the registration year alone, because some earlier cars already met the standard and some later ones did not.
What counts as a day in the zone?
A single charge covers one day, midnight to midnight, no matter how many times you enter or how far you drive inside the zone. Two trips in one day is one charge. Driving across midnight counts as two days.
Are other cities the same as London?
The idea is shared but the detail differs. Several UK cities run Clean Air Zones with their own charges and rules, and many only charge older vans, taxis, buses and lorries rather than private cars. Check the specific city, because a car that pays in one zone may be free in another.
Is it cheaper to change the car than to keep paying?
For a car that drives in the zone most days, the annual charge adds up to an amount that can be similar to the cost of a compliant used car. For a car that only enters occasionally, the yearly total from paying per day is smaller. This tool produces the yearly estimate so the two figures can be compared.
How does the ULEZ charge work?
A daily charge of £12.50, set by Transport for London, applies to a car, van or motorcycle up to 3.5 tonnes that does not meet the Euro 4 (petrol) or Euro 6 (diesel) emissions standard. The charge runs every day except Christmas Day and covers unlimited trips within that day. A compliant vehicle is not charged at all, regardless of how often it enters the zone.
What would ULEZ cost me, as a worked example?
Entering the zone on a set number of days a week for a set number of weeks a year gives a total number of charged days, each billed at £12.50 by Transport for London. Multiplying the charged days by the daily rate gives the estimated annual cost, which this tool then divides by twelve for a monthly figure. Changing the days per week or weeks per year changes the total in proportion.
Sources & Rate Verification
Rates verified against official statutory guidance on 6 September 2026.