Will this car be charged in a Clean Air Zone?

What are the Clean Air Zone classes (A to D)?

Clean Air Zones come in four classes, A to D, each covering more vehicle types. Only Class D zones charge private cars; classes A to C charge buses, taxis, HGVs and vans but not ordinary cars.

The class decides whether your car is affected at all:

• Class A — buses, coaches, taxis and private-hire vehicles.
• Class B — Class A plus heavy goods vehicles (HGVs).
• Class C — Class B plus vans and minibuses.
• Class D — Class C plus private cars (and, optionally, motorcycles).

Which UK cities have a Clean Air Zone?

Several English cities run Clean Air Zones, but only Birmingham and Bristol (both Class D) charge private cars. Bradford, Sheffield, Newcastle/Tyneside, Portsmouth and others are lower classes that do not charge ordinary cars.

In a Class C city such as Bradford, Sheffield or Tyneside, a private car pays nothing, while the same car may be charged in Birmingham or Bristol. This is exactly why a car that is free to drive in one city can cost you in another.

What makes a car Clean Air Zone compliant?

The standard is the same as ULEZ: Euro 4 for petrol and Euro 6 for diesel. Most petrol cars registered after January 2006 and most diesels after September 2015 meet it and pay nothing, even in a Class D zone.

Compliance comes down to the engine's Euro emissions standard, which on a newer car is listed in section D.2 of the V5C logbook. A compliant car is not charged regardless of the zone class.

How much does a Clean Air Zone cost?

For a non-compliant car the daily charge is typically £7 to £12.50 depending on the city — for example, Bristol charges £9 a day for cars. Heavier vehicles such as HGVs pay far more, often around £100 a day.

As with ULEZ, the charge applies for every day you drive a non-compliant vehicle within the zone, so for regular trips into a charging city it adds up quickly.

How do you check if a car is Clean Air Zone compliant?

You check CAZ compliance by entering the registration into a checker, which looks up the vehicle's emissions standard and tells you whether it is charged and in which zones.

The Government also runs an official Clean Air Zone checker at gov.uk. Confirming status before you buy means a charge never comes as a surprise.

1. Enter the registration into the Clean Air Zone checker above.
2. The report confirms whether the car meets the Euro 4 (petrol) or Euro 6 (diesel) standard.
3. It shows whether a charge applies and where.

What is the difference between a Clean Air Zone and ULEZ?

ULEZ is London's single, city-wide scheme that charges cars across all of Greater London. Clean Air Zones are the equivalent in other English cities, but with classes that mean many of them do not charge private cars at all.

The emissions standards are the same, but the coverage and which vehicles are charged differ. London runs the ULEZ instead of a CAZ — check that separately with our ULEZ check.

Why does a Clean Air Zone matter when buying a car?

If you live in or near a Class D city, a non-compliant car costs you every day you drive into the zone and is harder to resell. Checking before you buy lets you factor the cost in or avoid it.

With more cities considering charging zones, CAZ compliance is an increasingly real factor in a used car's running cost and resale value, not just a London concern.