What is ULEZ and what does it mean for me?

On 25th October, London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone – ULEZ – was extended. 

But what does this actually mean?

In this article we will answer the following questions about ULEZ:

• What and where is ULEZ?
• Is ULEZ the same as LEZ?
• Which vehicles are affected by ULEZ?
• How much do you have to pay to drive in ULEZ?
• Is there any help with the costs of driving in ULEZ?
• Do you still have to pay the Congestion Charge in central London?
• Will ULEZ extend to other cities in the UK?

What and where is ULEZ?

The aim of ULEZ is to help clean up London’s air. It requires drivers of cars and certain other vehicles that do not meet the required low emissions standards to pay a charge for bringing their vehicle into ULEZ.

ULEZ will operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year apart from Christmas Day.

ULEZ has already been in place in the existing Congestion Charge area of London since April 2019. However, since 25th October 2021, ULEZ has been extended to all areas within the North and South Circular roads. The North and South Circular roads themselves are not included in ULEZ.

You can check which areas are within ULEZ by entering a postcode or location on the Transport for London (TFL) website.

As well as the ULEZ, a Low Emission Zone – LEZ – has been in place in London since 2008. This is different from ULEZ. 

Let’s take a look.

Is ULEZ the same as LEZ?

No. 

LEZ is the Low Emissions Zone which has been in place across most of Greater London since 2008. It is aimed at large commercial diesel vehicles – such as buses, lorries and coaches – that do not meet low emissions standards.

LEZ uses ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) to track these vehicles and there is a £100 charge for using LEZ.

LEZ will remain in place alongside the extended ULEZ. 

Which vehicles are affected by ULEZ?

An estimated 100,000 cars, 35,000 vans and 3,000 lorries – around one in five vehicles using ULEZ – will be liable to pay the daily ULEZ levy because they do not meet TFL ULEZ emissions requirements. 

The levy is only payable on days when your car is driven within ULEZ. There is no charge if you are parked inside ULEZ but don’t drive. 

TFL uses EU-wide standards to measure emissions. Petrol vehicles require a Euro 4 engine, and diesel vehicles a Euro 6 engine. Motorbikes require a Euro 3 engine.

As a rough guide, petrol vehicles registered after 2005, and diesel vehicles registered after 2015, will meet these standards so will not have to pay to use ULEZ.

ULEZ charges apply to any of the following vehicles that do not meet the above emissions standards:

• Cars.
• Motorbikes.
• Lorries, vans and specialist vehicles up to and including 3.5 tonnes.
• Buses, minibuses and coaches up to and including 5 tonnes.

ULEZ charges do not apply to:

• Lorries, vans or specialist heavy vehicles over 3.5 tonnes.
• Buses, minibuses and coaches over 5 tonnes.

But, as we saw earlier, these vehicles will still need to pay the LEZ charge if they do not meet the LEZ emissions standards. 

You can check the emissions status of any vehicle by entering its registration number on the TFL website.

How much do you have to pay to drive in ULEZ?

The daily ULEZ charge is £12.50 for cars, vans and motorbikes and £100 for lorries and coaches. This payment covers 24 hours from midnight to midnight, no matter how many journeys you make or how long those journeys are.

There is no discount for residents who live in the extended ULEZ area. 

As with LEZ, TFL will use ANPR cameras to track entry to ULEZ and cross-reference vehicles with the ULEZ system. 

The penalty for failing to pay the ULEZ charge is £160 for cars, vans and motorbikes and £1,000 for lorries and coaches.

Is there any help with the costs of driving in ULEZ?

No. 

In advance of ULEZ, the Mayor of London provided a £52 million fund to help individuals, small businesses, and charities prepare for ULEZ. The fund finances three scrappage schemes which enabled around 10,000 vehicles to be either replaced or retrofitted with emission reduction technology.

However, most of the fund has now been used and motorists are being advised to replace their vehicles with something newer and ULEZ compliant.

Do you still have to pay the Congestion Charge in London?

Yes. 

Drivers of all vehicles entering the Congestion Charge Zone in London still have to pay the charge even if they have also paid the ULEZ charge. The Congestion Charge Zone includes most of central London. You can check whether a location is in the Congestion Charge Zone by entering its name or postcode on the TFL website.

The Congestion Charge currently operates between 07:00-22:00 every day of the year, except Christmas Day. The daily charge is £15.

The Congestion Charge also uses ANPR to track a vehicle’s entry to the Congestion Charge Zone and matches it to the Congestion Charge database. If payment has been made, details and images of the vehicle are removed, but if payment is not made within 3 days, a penalty charge of £160 will be issued.

Will ULEZ extend to other cities in the UK?

Several cities across the UK either already have ULEZ in place or are planning to introduce it in 2022. However, not all these ULEZ schemes will be applied to private cars. 

Birmingham currently has ULEZ and is charging non-compliant cars to enter. The cities where charges for non-compliant cars will be introduced during 2022 are Bristol, Oxford and – possibly – Liverpool.

Plans are also currently being drawn up for the four largest Scottish cities – Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee – to introduce LEZ during 2022. The intention is that all cars will be banned apart from electric cars, but the system will not be fully enforced until 2024.

However, it is extremely likely that more ULEZ and LEZ will gradually be implemented in various ways over the next few years so it’s always worth double checking the current situation before planning to drive into a city.

We hope that this article has given you some helpful information about the London ULEZ. If your finances are being affected by ULEZ and you realise that you need to replace or retrofit your car, a quick loan from Loans 2 Go may be the answer. Do get in touch with us to see how we can help.

Remember to check back here soon for more financial and lifestyle tips from Loans 2 Go.