London, Bath, Birmingham and Bristol all have Ultra Low Emission Zones or Clean Air Zones. They’re all slightly different with regards to charges and the amount of square miles they cover, but one thing is consistent, if you have anything other than a low or zero-emission vehicle, the charges can become substantial quite quickly.
To check if your car is ULEZ compliant, you can use Regit’s tool for free here.
London
The London ULEZ charge applies 24 hours a day 7 days a week with Christmas Day being the only exception. The charge is £12.50 per day for most vehicles. This includes a car, van, motorbike, or van up to 3.5 tonnes. The charge rises to £100 for heavier vehicles such as a lorry over 3.5 tonnes, a bus over 5 tonnes, or a coach over 5 tonnes.
Bath
The Bath Clean Air Zone is monitored by a system that reads your vehicle’s number plate. It then calculates its emissions and charges if required. The price is £9 for a small vehicle such as a taxi or £100 for a large vehicle, such as a lorry over 3.5 tonnes. Motorists pay on the day of the trip, up to six days before, or up to six days after on the internet.
Birmingham
Birmingham Clean Air Zone charges apply 24 hours a day, every day of the year. You pay if your car, taxi, van, coach, bus, lorry or other motorised vehicle cannot meet its applicable emission standard which is Euro 4 for a petrol car, for or Euro 6 for a diesel car. The cost is £8 a day for a car, taxi, or small van rising to £50 for a larger vehicle such as a coach over 3.5 tonnes.
Bristol
In Bristol, the cost will be £9 a day for smaller vehicles such as your car rising to £100 per day for a heavy goods vehicle, bus, or coach. However, you might not have to pay even if your vehicle does not meet its emission standard. Although unconfirmed, you might be exempt for a year if you live in the city but earn less than £24,000, for example. Such details will be confirmed in due course.