London ULEZ and Clean Air Zones
Is my car ULEZ compliant?
Type the registration. We read the fuel type and first-registration date from the vehicle’s MOT record, apply TfL’s rules and tell you whether it’s likely to clear the bar.
The standards
| Vehicle | Standard | TfL rule of thumb |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol car | Euro 4 | Registered after 2005 (some from 2001) |
| Diesel car | Euro 6 | Registered after September 2015 |
| Petrol van or minibus | Euro 4 | Registered from January 2006 |
| Diesel van or minibus | Euro 6 | Sold from September 2016 |
| Motorcycle, moped, trike, quad | Euro 3 | Registered after July 2007 |
| Electric | Meets it | Any age |
Source: Transport for London, ULEZ vehicle standards pages, read 6 September 2026.
Questions
What standard does ULEZ require?
Petrol cars and vans must be Euro 4 or better. Diesel cars and vans must be Euro 6. Motorcycles, mopeds and trikes must be Euro 3. Electric vehicles meet it by definition. The same thresholds are used by most Clean Air Zones outside London.
Does the year of my car decide it?
Not on its own. The charge is based on the emissions standard the vehicle was type-approved to, which is printed on the V5C. As a rule of thumb TfL says petrol cars registered after 2005 and diesels registered after September 2015 are usually fine, but there are compliant petrols back to 2001 and some early diesels that scrape in.
How does this check decide?
From the fuel type and first-registration date on the vehicle's DVSA record, using TfL's own rule of thumb for each fuel. That gives a likely answer, and the result says so. The Euro status on the V5C is the final word, so check it or TfL's own checker before you drive in.
What does it cost if I'm not compliant?
TfL listed £12.50 a day for cars, vans and motorcycles on 25 September 2026, for every day you drive inside the zone, paid by midnight on the third day after. Missing it means a penalty charge notice.
Is the ULEZ the same as the Congestion Charge?
No. They are separate charges with separate boundaries. ULEZ covers all London boroughs since August 2023; the Congestion Charge is central London only and applies whatever the vehicle's emissions.
Clean air zones outside London
The same Euro 4 petrol and Euro 6 diesel bar applies in every English clean air zone and Scottish low emission zone, so one result covers them. Private cars pay or are fined in Birmingham, Bristol, Oxford, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee. In Bath, Bradford, Portsmouth, Sheffield and Newcastle they don’t. Oxford is the odd one out: it charges every vehicle that isn’t fully electric. See every zone.
- Birmingham Clean Air Zone: cars pay if they miss the standard
- Bristol Clean Air Zone: cars pay if they miss the standard
- Bath Clean Air Zone: cars don't pay
- Bradford Clean Air Zone: cars don't pay
- Portsmouth Clean Air Zone: cars don't pay
- Sheffield Clean Air Zone: cars don't pay
- Newcastle and Gateshead Clean Air Zone: cars don't pay
- Oxford Zero Emission Zone: cars pay unless zero emission
- Glasgow Low Emission Zone: cars fined if they miss the standard
- Edinburgh Low Emission Zone: cars fined if they miss the standard
- Aberdeen Low Emission Zone: cars fined if they miss the standard
- Dundee Low Emission Zone: cars fined if they miss the standard
The result sits on the same report as the MOT history check, so you get the MOT record, recalls and ULEZ from one search.