Complete guide to ULEZ: expansion, maps, costs & criticisms
Since it was first introduced in 2017, the London ULEZ has been controversial for many. Here’s how it works and the impact its having...
If you live or work in Greater London, it’s now far more expensive to drive an older car than it once was. The London Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) covers almost all of the area inside the M25 motorway, encompassing around 600 square miles of territory and all 32 London boroughs.
Owners of cars that don’t meet the required emissions standards – broadly speaking, most diesels registered before September 2015 and petrols sold before January 2006 – have to pay £12.50 a day to drive in the zone.
The London ULEZ is the largest clean air zone in Europe. However, the roll-out of the scheme was heavily criticised by motorists, businesses and some local authorities, with many fearing it has put an extra financial burden on those who can’t afford it.
Has London’s air quality improved since the ULEZ was first introduced in 2019, and who really needs to pay the charge to drive on the capital’s roads?
What is the ULEZ and LEZ?
The ULEZ represents the next step after the Low Emission Zone (LEZ) was introduced across Greater London in 2008, penalising higher-polluting vehicles weighing more than 3.5 tonnes. The Government introduced the ULEZ in April 2019 in the wake of a 2017 court case brought by environmental lawyer group ClientEarth concerning poor air quality in British cities.
Expanded ULEZ map: where does ULEZ cover?
Initially, the ULEZ covered only the City of London and parts of the city centre – the same area as the Congestion Charge zone. It was expanded in October 2021 to include everything inside the North Circular and South Circular roads. At 236 square miles, London is home to 3.8 million people and its ULEZ is the largest zone of its kind in Europe.
ULEZ expansion in 2023
Since its expansion on 29 August 2023, the ULEZ covers the majority of land within the M25 (including Heathrow Airport). It stretches as far north as Enfield, east to Rainham, west to Uxbridge and south to Croydon, but some areas, such as Chigwell, Epsom and Watford, aren’t affected.
London isn’t the only British city to levy a fee to deter more polluting vehicles from using its roads. Eleven other clean air zones are already in operation around England and Scotland, with at least two more in the pipeline.
Because road transport is among the biggest sources of air pollution, the Government’s long-term aim is to minimise the number of polluting vehicles in towns and cities to improve the health of those living and working in them.
How much does driving into the ULEZ cost?
Since 2008, large diesel vehicles that don’t meet Euro 6 emissions standards have been charged a daily fee of £100 to enter the original LEZ by Transport for London (TfL).
Under ULEZ restrictions, a daily fee of £12.50 is levied on all diesel cars that don’t meet Euro 6 exhaust emissions standards and petrols that don’t comply with Euro 4. As a guide, most diesel cars registered before September 2015 will have to pay the fee, along with petrols sold before January 2006.
However, there are some exceptions. Some petrol cars have met Euro 4 since the emissions standards were introduced in 2001 and can still be used in the ULEZ without a charge. If you’re unsure about whether your vehicle complies with the rules, you can use the dedicated TfL vehicle checker.
If you’re planning to enter the London ULEZ in a car that isn’t compliant, you can make a payment up to 90 days in advance, or up to midnight on the third day after you’ve driven in the zone. There are three payment options: pay online via tfl.gov.uk, use the TfL Pay to Drive in London app, or set up an Auto Pay account via TfL.
The ULEZ operates for 24 hours a day, every day of the year except Christmas Day, unlike the Congestion Charge zone, which doesn’t impose restrictions at night. The ULEZ fee applies in addition to the £15 Congestion Charge, so if you have an older car and want to drive it into Westminster during the day, you’ll have to pay a total of £27.50.
What is poor air quality doing to our health?
The World Health Organization estimates that poor air quality leads to more than four million premature deaths worldwide each year, and in the UK that figure is around 36,000. The air in many UK cities regularly exceeds the legal limits for harmful gases, such as NOx (nitrogen oxide), which can aggravate breathing and lung problems, such as asthma, and can cause chronic lung disease and cancer after long-term exposure.
According to Transport for London (TfL), expanding the ULEZ across the capital was considered vital in tackling the triple challenges of air pollution, climate change and congestion. TfL’s director of transport strategy and policy, Christina Calderato, said: “Thousands of people die prematurely each year as a result of toxic pollution, and it causes children to grow up with stunted lungs and increases the risk of dementia in older people, meaning we can’t afford to delay this essential expansion.”
Is the ULEZ working?
According to official figures from the Greater London Authority, 97.4% of all cars being used in London during September 2024 were compliant with ULEZ restrictions – an increase of 53.4% since the zone was first proposed in 2017. The city has also seen a significant rise in the number of compliant vans, rising from 12% to 90.7% in the same period.
This has resulted in a substantial drop in the level of NOx measured in roadside air. According to TfL, between 2019 and 2024, the average roadside NOx emissions recorded fell by 27% across the area and 54% in central London alone.
That said, the expansion of the ULEZ across outer London could have been a contributing factor in a decline in economic activity in outer London, with TfL recording a 3.17% fall in spending.
What’s being done to help drivers of older cars?
Prior to the expansion of the ULEZ across outer London, TfL introduced a scrappage scheme which offered residents up to £2,000 for their non-compliant car. The scheme ended in September 2024 with more than 54,000 older vehicles scrapped or donated to Ukraine.
The scrappage scheme has not been replaced, resulting in many residents wishing to sell their non-compliant model in favour of a more recent alternative. If you have an older car, and are thinking of selling it, one option is to let dealers bid for it online at websites such as motorway.co.uk.
A small number of petrol cars that predate the introduction of Euro 4 emission standards can be made ULEZ compliant if the owner can prove that it does not exceed the stringent emission standards. This can be done by checking the car’s emission figures, which should be printed under the ‘vehicle details’ section of its V5 document.
Many manufacturers can also supply you with a Certificate of Conformity (CoC), which states that your car meets Euro regulations. The document is supplied with all new cars, but a number of brands will offer replacements for those looking to make their car compliant. That said, not all carmakers are able to supply CoCs for vehicles over a certain age, and many charge more than £100 for the document.
ULEZ discounts and exemptions
Unlike the Congestion Charge, you can’t apply for a discount if you’re a local resident. That said, several types of vehicles benefit from temporary grace periods, discounts or even full exemption. Here are a few examples:
- Vehicles for disabled people – Vehicles that are in specialised disabled vehicle tax classes may be eligible for a grace period that will last until 24 October 2027. Wheelchair-accessible private hire vehicles can also take advantage of this.
- London-licensed taxis – Any car registered as a taxi in London is exempt from the charge. The maximum age of a taxi is already restricted, and all new taxis must be zero-emissions capable.
- Historic vehicles – Private cars that are more than 40 years old can be put into the historic vehicle tax class, which grants them ULEZ exemption. Additionally, all vehicles built before 1 January 1973 are fully ULEZ exempt, regardless of their use.
- Minibuses used for community transport – Not-for-profit organisations can apply for a temporary 100% ULEZ charge discount, which will remain in place until 24 October 2027.
- Specialist vehicles – Certain other vehicle types may be exempt from the ULEZ charge, depending on specific circumstances. These include agricultural vehicles, military vehicles, excavators, mobile cranes and showman's vehicles.
Views on the ULEZ expansion
The London ULEZ has divided the opinions of residents since it was introduced in 2017 and remains controversial. Critics say it’s simply a cash-raising exercise that was introduced alongside the rising cost of living, and that it is unlikely to bring significant improvements in air quality.
According to TfL, the London ULEZ and LEZ generated a combined net income of £170m during 2024. Whilst this is £37.4m less than what the restriction made one year earlier, some remain critical that the scheme continues to penalise many of the capital’s most vulnerable residents who can’t afford to upgrade their older car. TfL has argued that, as non-compliant models become older and are replaced by cleaner alternatives, the revenue generated by the ULEZ will fall.
