Clean air zones: everything you need to know
Clean air zones (CAZs) are now enforced in a wide range of city centres across England and Scotland to cut pollution. Here are the cities affected and how much they charge non-compliant vehicles...
Much like London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ), clean air zones (CAZs) aim to improve the air quality in a wide range of cities across England, Scotland and Wales. Typically located in city centres, the zones try to discourage owners of older and more polluting vehicles from entering by charging them a daily fee.
The introduction of CAZs stems from a 2017 court case that ordered London and 33 other local authorities to investigate how best to improve air quality. There are currently twelve CAZs in operation across England and Scotland, with several more in the pipeline.
Here, we share the locations of each CAZ in the country, which vehicles are affected and how much you’ll be charged for entering a zone in a non-compliant model.
Which vehicles have to pay to enter a CAZ?
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 (although some models made as early as 2001 meet this standard).
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, discouraging the use of non-compliant vehicles within the area. You can pay to drive a non-compliant vehicle in a CAZ at gov.uk/clean-air-zones or via the relevant local authority website. For example, 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 August 2025; £4 a day for Euro 4-compliant petrol vehicles and Euro 6-compliant diesels, rising to £8 in August 2025; £10 a day for all other vehicles, rising to £20 from August 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
Proposed clean air zones in England
Cambridge
Although not strictly a CAZ, the Cambridge Greater Partnership (CGP) previously announced plans to introduce a congestion charge, called the Sustainable Travel Zone. Due to have been launched in 2027, the scheme would have charged £5 for cars, £10 for LCVs and £50 for HGVs entering the city between 7am and 7pm on a weekday. However, political support for the zone was withdrawn in 2023, with the CGP said to be considering other measures to improve air quality in the area.
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 the end of 2025. At the time of writing, the government is considering the proposal put forward by the local authority.
Alternative clean air zones in England and Wales
A number of other cities in the UK who were ordered to implement measures to improve air quality introduced different measures and restrictions. These don’t charge owners of non-compliant vehicles for entering the zone but encourage alternative forms of transportation, reducing traffic and pollution.
Basildon
Despite considering the introduction of a CAZ, Basildon instead chose to implement reduced speed limits on popular roads – lowering a five-mile section of the A127 from 70 to 50mph. More cycle lanes and toucan crossings have also been added to encourage cleaner forms of transport.
Cardiff
While Cardiff Council ruled out the introduction of a CAZ in 2023, the Welsh capital is exploring other ways to reduce traffic. One proposed method is a congestion charge for all non-residents, with visitors paying £2 to enter the city by car. The zone is still being considered, with Cardiff Council hoping to have made a decision by 2026.
Canterbury
Despite having no plans to launch a CAZ, Canterbury City Council’s Air Quality Action Plan aims to clamp down on vehicles idling unnecessarily. As a result, enforcement officers in the area can issue a £40 fine (halved if paid within 28 days) to anyone who does not switch off their stationary vehicle’s engine when asked to.
Southampton
Introduced in 2017, Southampton has operated a non-charging CAZ, meaning you won’t be charged for driving a non-compliant car into the city. Southampton City Council instead focuses on other measures to lower pollution, such as retrofitting buses with cleaner engines and introducing incentives for taxi drivers to switch to a hybrid or electric car.
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. Much like the CAZs in Birmingham, Bristol and the centre of Oxford, along with the London ULEZ, this includes petrol cars that aren’t Euro 4 compliant and diesel models that don’t meet Euro 6.
The cities are preventing drivers from entering in a non-compliant car 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. During June 2024, the first month in which fines were issued in the four largest Scottish cities, more than 6,000 fines were issued – 274 of which were given to second offenders.
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
Clean air zone exemptions and discounts
Much like the London ULEZ, a number of vehicles are exempt from having to pay to enter clean air zones across the country. Nationally exempt vehicles include:
- Agricultural vehicles
- Disabled passenger tax class vehicles (used by a Blue Badge holder)
- Historic vehicles that were first registered more than 40 years ago
- Military vehicles
- Vehicles retrofitted with technology accredited by the Clean Vehicle Retrofit Accreditation Scheme (CVRAS)
In addition to nationally exempt vehicles, many councils operating a CAZ will give discounts and exemptions to other types of vehicle. This may include vehicles being used by charities or as community transportation, buses and coaches used for educational purposes and large motorhomes that are designated as HGVs. To see whether you own a vehicle that qualifies for a discount or exemption, check your local council’s website.
For all the latest reviews, advice and new car deals, sign up to the What Car? newsletter here
