Is your car ULEZ compliant?

What makes a car ULEZ compliant?

A car is ULEZ compliant if it meets Euro 4 for petrol or Euro 6 for diesel. As a rule of thumb, most petrol cars registered after January 2006 and most diesels registered after September 2015 meet the standard.

The deciding factor is the engine's Euro emissions standard, not simply the car's age. The registration date is a reliable guide, but the only way to be certain for a specific vehicle is to check its emissions standard directly.

How do you check if a car is ULEZ compliant?

You check ULEZ compliance by entering the registration into a ULEZ checker, which looks up the vehicle's recorded emissions standard and tells you whether the daily charge applies.

Transport for London also publishes an official compliance checker. Confirming a car's status before you buy means a daily charge never comes as a surprise.

1. Enter the registration into the ULEZ checker above.
2. The report confirms whether the car meets the Euro 4 (petrol) or Euro 6 (diesel) standard.
3. If it is not compliant, you see the £12.50 daily charge that would apply.

How much is the ULEZ charge and the penalty?

The ULEZ charge is £12.50 a day for a non-compliant car. Failing to pay leads to a Penalty Charge Notice of up to £180, reduced to £90 if paid within 14 days.

For someone driving into the zone regularly, £12.50 a day adds up to thousands of pounds a year, which is why ULEZ status is a real cost to factor into the price of a used car.

Where does the ULEZ apply?

Since 29 August 2023 the ULEZ covers all 32 London boroughs, the whole of Greater London out to the boundary. The M25 itself is not included. It is the largest zone of its kind in the world, covering around nine million people.

The 2023 expansion extended the zone well beyond the old North and South Circular boundary, from Hayes in the west to Hornchurch in the east and Enfield in the north to Biggin Hill in the south.

Which vehicles are exempt from the ULEZ?

Historic vehicles in the "historic" tax class (currently those over 40 years old on a rolling basis) are exempt, as are certain disabled-related vehicles until October 2027. Fully electric cars meet the standard and pay nothing.

Exemptions are limited and time-bound, so do not assume an older or unusual vehicle is exempt. The ULEZ scrappage scheme that helped Londoners replace polluting vehicles closed to new applicants on 8 September 2024.

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

ULEZ is London's scheme. Other UK cities run their own Clean Air Zones with different rules on which vehicles are charged, so a car that is free in one city may be charged in another.

Cities including Birmingham, Bristol, Bradford and Sheffield operate their own Clean Air Zones. If you are buying or driving outside London, check the relevant zone too, because compliance is not automatically the same across schemes.

Why does ULEZ matter when buying a used car?

A non-compliant car costs £12.50 every day it enters the zone, which can run into thousands a year and also drags down resale value. Checking before you buy lets you negotiate or avoid the cost entirely.

Even if you do not live in London, a non-compliant car is harder to sell to anyone who does, and more cities are introducing charging zones. ULEZ status is now a genuine factor in a car's running cost and value.