To help improve air quality, an Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year, except Christmas Day (25 December), within the same area of central London as the Congestion Charge.
Most vehicles, including cars and vans, need to meet the ULEZ emissions standards or their drivers must pay a daily charge to drive within the zone.
From 1 March 2021 Heavy vehicles including lorries, buses, coaches and specialist vehicles will need to meet Euro VI (NOx and PM) emissions standards or pay a daily charge to drive within the Greater London area. This is known as the Low Emission Zone (LEZ).
From 25 October 2021, the ULEZ is expanding from central London to create a single, larger zone up to, but not including, the North Circular Road (A406) and South Circular Road (A205). Find out how to prepare for the ULEZ expansion.
Low Emission Zone
The London Low Emission Zone (LEZ) was introduced in 2008 to help improve the air quality in London by preventing the most polluting vehicles from being driven into the Greater London area. A charge is payable for older, diesel lorries, buses/coaches, larger vans and minibuses that do not meet the required emission standards when they are driven in the zone. The LEZ applies irrespective of whether vehicles are used for commercial or private use.
From 1 March 2021 heavy vehicles including lorries, buses, coaches and specialist vehicles will need to meet Euro VI (NOx and PM) emissions standards or pay a daily charge to drive within the Greater London area. This includes:
- Lorry, heavy van or specialist heavy vehicle over 3.5 tonnes gross vehicle weight
- Bus/minibus or coach over 5 tonnes
If you drive a HGV, lorry, van or other specialist heavy vehicle over 3.5 tonnes gross vehicle weight or a bus/minibus or coach over 5 tonnes gross vehicle weight within the LEZ and it does not meet Euro VI (NOx and PM), you will need to pay the daily LEZ charge.
If your vehicle:
- Meets Euro IV or V (PM) - you will need to pay a daily charge of £100
- Does not meet Euro IV (PM) - you will need to pay a daily charge of £300
Full details of the operation of the scheme and details of penalty charges for non-compliance are available on the TfL website.
Retrofit options
If your vehicle does not meet the above standards it might be possible to retrofit emissions reduction technology to it which will make it compliant.
Emissions reduction technologies include:
- Selective catalytic reduction, which reduces NOx emissions
- Replacement Euro VI engines
- Converting a vehicle to electric power
Retrofit technologies need to be approved by the Clean Vehicle Retrofit Accreditation Scheme (CVRAS). This government scheme, funded by Defra, establishes common standards for all Clean Air Zone cities.
Information about the retrofit process and a list of suppliers is on the CVRAS website.
LEZ Retrofit Grace Period
TfL have introduced a three-month grace period for vehicles that have a confirmed booking with a Clean Vehicle Retrofit Accreditation Scheme (CVRAS) approved fitter for a CVRAS-approved retrofit solution. During this three-month grace period, these vehicle owners will not need to pay the LEZ daily charge if driving in the zone.
The three-month period starts from the date TfL are notified of the booking by the retrofit manufacturer and they have updated the vehicle record in their system. During the grace period, the vehicle checker will show your vehicle(s) as compliant. After this period, if your vehicle has not been retrofitted, the vehicle checker will return the vehicle to its non-compliant status.
You must continue to pay the LEZ daily charge when driving in the zone until the TfL vehicle checker shows your vehicle as compliant. These charges are non-refundable.
It may take up to seven days for the TfL system to update. If seven days have elapsed since your booking was confirmed and the vehicle checker returns a non-compliant status, please check with your retrofit manufacturer that they have notified TfL of the booking. If they have notified TfL, please ask them to re-send the information using the email address provided.
After 28 February 2022, the grace period will no longer be offered. Vehicle owners that book a retrofit solution beyond this date will need to pay the LEZ daily charge until their vehicle has been fitted and complies with the LEZ emissions standards.
Ultra Low Emission Zone
To help improve air quality, an Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) began operating in central London from 8 April 2019. Most vehicles including cars and vans need to meet tighter exhaust emission standards (ULEZ standards) or pay a daily charge to travel within the area of the ULEZ.
From 25 October 2021, ULEZ is expanding from central London to create a single, larger zone up to the North Circular Road (A406) and South Circular Road (A205). The North and South Circular roads themselves are not in the zone.
The charges and penalties for non-compliance vary depending on the vehicle type. We advise reviewing the information on the TfL website depending on the types of vehicles you operate. At a high level the following is applicable:
|
|
Euro Standard |
Daily Charge |
Penalty |
|
Cars |
Petrol: Euro 4 Diesel: Euro 6 |
£12.50 |
£160 (reduced to £80 if paid within 14 days) |
|
Vans up to 3.5 tonnes gross vehicle weight and minibuses |
Petrol: Euro 4 Diesel: Euro 6
|
£12.50 |
Penalty charge: £160 (reduced to £80 if paid within 14 days) |
|
Lorries, coaches and larger vehicles |
Euro VI |
£100 |
£1,000 (reduced to £500 if paid within 14 days) |
Charges are in addition to the London Congestion Charge and any Low Emission Zone charges which are applicable.
