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What are low emission zones?
Everything you need to know about LEZ and ULEZ
Ryan Barham
Last updated: 24/09/2025
Ryan Barham
Last updated: 24/09/2025
The UK government’s Clean Air Zone framework declared that ‘air pollution is the biggest environmental risk to human health’. The accompanying Clean Air Strategy set out plans for dealing with air pollution:
The first Low Emission Zone (LEZ) - an area where the most polluting vehicles are restricted or charged in an effort to improve air quality - was introduced in the UK in 2008. They have been growing more and more popular since.
In this post, we’ll help you understand the difference between LEZ and ULEZ and explain how to check if your car is compliant.
A Low Emission Zone, or LEZ, is a scheme aimed at improving air quality by discouraging more polluting vehicles from driving through a certain area. This normally means there will be a charge to drive vehicles that do not reach the minimum standards for emission in this zone.
LEZs tend to be focused on heavy commercial vehicles such as lorries or buses, but some cars may also be at risk of a penalty charge notice. Higher-emission vehicles are not banned from these roads, but daily charges upon entering the zone. If you don’t pay this charge, you could face higher fines.
According to the government’s clean air zones guidance, the current LEZ standards are:
The Ultra Low Emission Zone applies to cars, vans, minibuses, motorcycles, mopeds, lorries and larger vehicles driving through Greater London.
A stricter version of LEZ, a vehicle must meet the minimum required Euro standards - a range of emissions controls that set limits for air-polluting Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) and Particulate Matter (PM) from engines - to avoid the daily charge of £12.50.
The ULEZ standards are:
Lorries, vans and specialist heavy vehicles (all over 3.5 tonnes Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW)) and buses, minibuses and coaches (all over 5 tonnes GVW) do not need to pay the ULEZ charge.
Air pollution comes from many sources and the UK has set stringent targets to reduce the harm to human health from air pollution by half by 2030. The Clean Air Strategy’s Chapter 5: Action to reduce emissions from transport states that the government is committed to cutting air pollution from all forms of transport.
To improve air quality, some local authorities have introduced clean air zones: areas where targeted action is taken to improve air quality. There are four types of Clean Air Zones, classed A to D.
The government’s Clean Air Zone vehicle checker will confirm if you face a charge when driving in a specific zone.
Class | Vehicle type |
A | Buses, coaches, taxis, private hire vehicles |
B | Buses, coaches, taxis, private hire vehicles, heavy goods vehicles |
C | Buses, coaches, taxis, private hire vehicles, heavy goods vehicles, vans, minibuses |
D | Buses, coaches, taxis, private hire vehicles, heavy goods vehicles, vans, minibuses, cars, the local authority has the option to include motorcycles |
City | Class | Area (Square Miles) |
Bath | C | 1.2 |
Birmingham | D | 2.96 |
Bradford | C | 9.35 |
Bristol | D | 1.18 |
Portsmouth | B | 1.16 |
Sheffield | C | 0.9 |
Tyneside (Newcastle and Gateshead) | C | 0.94 |
Wales and Northern Ireland currently do not have any low emission zones, while Scotland has different rules. For example, non-compliant vehicles are banned entirely from LEZ roads and there is no option to pay the charge ahead of time.
Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras are used to monitor traffic and identify any vehicles that do not meet the minimum emission standards. If they do not, the owner of the vehicle is likely to receive a penalty charge notice (PCN).
These charges are daily, not one-off fees. They will apply to driving within a zone, not just when you have parked up.
There will be clear signage along the roads to let you know of any LEZ or ULEZ camera locations.
You can use the government’s air zone checker to see if your vehicle is compliant for use in both low emission zones and the ultra low emission zone. This and other vehicle checkers will confirm if your vehicle is compliant and how much you should expect to pay.
The daily charge for non-compliant cars, motorcycles, vans and specialist vehicles (up to 3.5 tonnes) and minibuses (up to 5 tonnes) driving in London’s ULEZ is £12.50. Heavier vehicles such as lorries weighing over 3.5 tonnes and buses and coaches over 5 tonnes face a charge of £100 per day.
Other zones might have different charges, but most of these apply to larger vehicles.
According to motorway.co.uk, the cost of entering Greater London’s ULEZ is:
In Scotland, the initial penalty charge for driving a non-compliant vehicle in a LEZ is £60. This is reduced by 50% if paid within 14 days.
This penalty doubles with each subsequent breach detected in the same area. There is a maximum cap of £480 for cars and light good vehicles and £960 for minibuses, buses, coaches and HGVs.
Although the price will depend on the low emission zone you are driving in, you’ll be able to pay a LEZ or CAZ charge either online at gov.uk/clean-air-zones or via the National Contact Centre on 0300 029 8888, Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm and Saturday, 8am to 4pm.
LEZ payments can generally be made six days either side of your visit. If you miss the payment after this time elapses, you’re likely to receive a penalty charge notice. Penalty fines vary from city to city so please check the local council websites.
Things are slightly different if driving in ULEZ in London. You can pay the daily charge online, over the phone or via the app by midnight on the third day following your journey or up to 90 days in advance. There is also an Auto Pay option available on the TFL website.
If you don’t pay the charge, you’re likely to receive a penalty charge notice. This could include additional penalties and fees on top of the original charge amount.
While low emission zone charges vary between cities, the ULEZ penalty charge is £90 if paid within 14 days and £180 if paid after. If you still do not pay this, you will be sent an Order for Recovery and potentially a warrant of execution from enforcement agents (bailiffs).
ULEZ-compliant cars include electric cars and low-emission petrol cars that meet Euro 4 standards (generally made after January 2006) are exempt from ULEZ charges.
Motorway.co.uk lists the following popular models as ULEZ compliant:
Hybrid cars must meet the same Euro standards as petrol or diesel cars.
Check if you can drive your car in a clean air zone without facing a charge on gov.uk’s checker. All you need is the vehicle’s registration (number plate).
The London congestion charge aims to reduce traffic in certain parts of the capital city at different times of the day, 7am to 6pm, Monday to Friday and midday to 6pm on Saturday, Sunday and any bank holiday (except Christmas Day or New Year’s Day).
In addition to cutting the number of cars on the road, it encourages people to use public transport or walk to their destination. It costs £15 per day or £17.50 if paid by midnight on the third day after your journey.
As discussed above, London’s ULEZ was brought in with the intention of reducing air pollution in the city. It is a separate charge for vehicles that do not reach the required emission standards.
Low emission zones are designed to improve air quality by lowering the amount of polluting vehicles driving in certain sections of the country.
Check your journey before setting off to see if you will be driving through a LEZ, ULEZ or CAZ. If so, you can pay in advance. If this is not possible, keep an eye out for the road signs and make sure you pay the charge as soon as possible.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/driving-in-a-clean-air-zone#cities-with-clean-air-zones
https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/ultra-low-emission-zone
https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/ultra-low-emission-zone/ways-to-meet-the-standard?intcmp=52221
https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9816/
https://tollwayr.com/en/low-emission-zones/united-kingdom/
https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/emissions/low-emission-zones-what-you-need-to-know/
https://motorway.co.uk/sell-my-car/guides/low-emissions-zones-guide
https://lowemissionzones.scot/about/how-lezs-work
https://www.drive-electric.co.uk/guides/general/guide-to-ulez/
https://www.byd.com/uk/electric-cars/guides/guide-to-low-emission-zones
https://www.webfleet.com/en_gb/webfleet/blog/uk-guide-to-low-emission-zones/
Zero-emission vehicles like fully electric or hydrogen-fuelled cars are exempt from paying the London congestion charge. This exemption ends on 25 December, 2025. All vehicles will be required to pay the daily charge from 26 December, 2025.
Yes, drivers of electric and low-emission vehicles have had to pay road tax from 1 April, 2025.
Look out for black or blue smoke coming from the exhaust, strange smells from the vehicle and keep an eye on dashboard lights. This could highlight issues like a faulty sensor or leak. If you see any of these, take your car to a professional as soon as possible.
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