To try and help our planet, CAZ, LEZ and ULEZ zones have popped up all around the UK over the years.
But what do these terms mean, and how do they affect you and your vehicle?
What is the ULEZ?
ULEZ stands for Ultra Low Emission Zone. It’s a clean air zone that covers most of Greater London.
It requires all vehicles inside it or passing through to meet the exhaustion emission standards that have been set.
This includes motorbikes, hybrids, vans and lorries.
London uses the ULEZ to lower the level of emissions released into the environment.
How to comply with ULEZ
To be ULEZ-compliant, petrol cars must meet Euro 4 emissions standards.
That means a car has to produce no more carbon monoxide than 1.0g/km. Most petrol cars registered after January 2006 are ULEZ-compliant.
Petrol cars that meet Euro 5 and Euro 6 standards are exempt from paying charges.
To be ULEZ-compliant, diesel cars must meet Euro 6 standards. The UK government has a PDF document explaining these.
What is the LEZ?
LEZ stands for Low Emission Zone. Like the ULEZ, it covers most of Greater London.
You can also find the LEZ in some parts of Scotland, including Aberdeen, Dundee and Edinburgh.
Unlike the ULEZ, the London LEZ only targets larger diesel vehicles over 3.5 tonnes, like lorries and buses.
In London, vehicles must meet the Euro 6 emission standards to drive in the LEZ without paying a charge.
In Scotland, the LEZ targets all kinds of vehicles, and there are different standards for different vehicles:
- Euro 4 for petrol cars and vans
- Euro 6 for diesel cars and vans
- Euro VI for buses, coaches and HGVs
How do I check to see if my vehicle is LEZ or ULEZ compliant?
You can check if your vehicle meets the LEZ requirements on:
- the Transport for London webpage if you’re in London
- the Low Emission Zone Scotland webpage if you’re in Scotland
What if my car doesn’t meet the ULEZ or LEZ limits?
If your car isn’t London ULEZ compliant or exempt, you’ll need to pay a charge of £12.50 for each day you’re in or passing through the zone.
You can pay this charge using Transport for London’s payment portal. There’s also a separate LEZ Transport for London payment page.
Scotland’s LEZ doesn’t have a daily charge for vehicles that don’t meet the requirements. But you need to register your vehicle on Scotland’s LEZ webpage.
If it isn’t compliant with the emission standards, you may not be allowed to drive in that area.
There are some exemptions, which you can find on Scotland’s LEZ exemptions section.
Is ULEZ the same as a Congestion Charge zone?
No. The ULEZ and Congestion Charge zones aren’t the same thing.
Congestion Charge zones apply to anyone driving through certain areas of London.
You can head to the Transport for London webpage to see which parts of London are Congestion Charge zones.
What is a clean air zone?
There are other kinds of low emission zones in England outside of London, though they’re known as clean air zones (CAZ) instead of the ULEZ or LEZ.
There are clean air zones in:
- Bristol
- Bath
- Birmingham
- Sheffield
- Norwich
- Portsmouth
- Newcastle
- Gateshead
- Bradford
Each city has its own rules for their clean air zones, so it’s best to check before heading off.
Oxford has the ZEZ (Zero Emission Zone), which is different to the CAZ, ULEZ and LEZ. It operates between 7am and 7pm daily. You can learn more about the charges on Oxford’s ZEZ webpage.
Brighton also has its own LEZ in certain parts of the city, but it mostly only applies to buses, taxis and coaches.
Check out our clean air zones explainer to learn more about CAZ.
Are there low emission zones in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland?
Both Scotland and Wales have some form of low emission zones. As we’ve mentioned, Scotland has its own LEZ rules, charges and fines.
On the other hand, Wales doesn’t have any vehicle requirements for its low emission zones, but there can be fines for going over the low emission speed limit.
For example, Wales has camera-monitored low emission zones near Port Talbot’s steelworks, where all cars must drive at a maximum of 50mph through the zone.
The lower speeds mean lower emissions, improving the air quality in the area.
What happens if I don’t follow LEZ, ULEZ or CAZ rules?
If your vehicle doesn’t meet the relevant requirements and you try to avoid paying the fee or drive where you’re not supposed to, you’ll probably be charged a much larger fine.
Many of these zones have cameras that keep track of cars that don’t meet the emission requirements, so they’ll know if someone tries to dodge the fee or driving limits.
For example, you can be fined up to £180 if you drive in London’s ULEZ if your car doesn’t meet the requirements and you haven’t paid the relevant charge.
For larger vehicles like HGVs that don’t meet the requirements, this fine can shoot up to £1,000.
