Clean air and low emission zones
Which UK clean air zones charge cars?
Cars pay or are restricted in London, Birmingham, Bristol, Oxford, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee. The other zones leave private cars alone. Type a registration to see whether a vehicle meets the standard.
Every zone, and whether cars pay
| Zone | Cars | Local vehicles before the cut-off dates |
|---|---|---|
| London ULEZ | Pay if they miss the standard | See the ULEZ page |
| Birmingham Clean Air Zone | Pay if they miss the standard | 25.6% |
| Bristol Clean Air Zone | Pay if they miss the standard | 23.9% |
| Bath Clean Air Zone | Don't pay | 32.5% |
| Bradford Clean Air Zone | Don't pay | 31.8% |
| Portsmouth Clean Air Zone | Don't pay | 31.6% |
| Sheffield Clean Air Zone | Don't pay | 30.4% |
| Newcastle and Gateshead Clean Air Zone | Don't pay | 24.7% |
| Oxford Zero Emission Zone | Pay unless zero emission | 29.8% |
| Glasgow Low Emission Zone | Fined if they miss the standard | 16.6% |
| Edinburgh Low Emission Zone | Fined if they miss the standard | 17.9% |
| Aberdeen Low Emission Zone | Fined if they miss the standard | 20.5% |
| Dundee Low Emission Zone | Fined if they miss the standard | 20.9% |
The last column is our measurement: the share of cars and light vans MOT-tested in the zone’s postcode area in 2025 that were petrol vehicles first registered before 2006 or diesels before September 2015. Across Great Britain it was 26.7%. Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test results, one count per vehicle.
Questions
Which UK clean air zones charge cars?
London's ULEZ, plus Birmingham, Bristol, Oxford, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee. The Scottish zones don't charge: a non-compliant car isn't allowed in, and driving in brings a penalty. In Bath, Bradford, Portsmouth, Sheffield and Newcastle, private cars don't pay; those zones charge taxis, buses, coaches and lorries, and every one of them except Portsmouth charges vans too.
Is the standard the same everywhere?
Almost. Every zone that uses Euro standards asks for Euro 4 petrol and Euro 6 diesel, the same as London's ULEZ, so one check covers them. Outside London, motorcycles aren't charged. Oxford works differently: it's a zero emission zone, so every vehicle that isn't fully electric pays something, and Euro 4 or Euro 6 only earns a lower rate.
Is there a clean air zone in Manchester?
No. Greater Manchester's charging zone never went ahead. The government approved a plan without charges in 2025, and there are no clean air charges anywhere in Greater Manchester.
Are there any clean air zones in Wales?
None operating. In July 2026 Cardiff Council's cabinet said it doesn't back a congestion charge and prefers a workplace parking levy, which charges businesses for parking spaces rather than drivers.
How does the registration check decide?
From the vehicle's first registration date, using the rule of thumb that petrol cars from January 2006 and diesels from September 2015 generally meet the standard. It says so on the result. Some older petrol cars comply too, and the V5C is the final word.
Zone rules checked against each operator’s own site on 25 Sep 2026; each zone page lists the pages we read. Manchester’s status is from Clean Air Greater Manchester and Cardiff’s from the Cardiff Council newsroom.