Do I have to pay to drive in a Clean Air Zone?

For drivers of vehicles that don't meet emission standards in certain Clean Air Zones.

Applies to: England Last checked against official sources: 30 September 2026

Only if your vehicle doesn't meet the emission standards and the zone covers your vehicle type. For cars, the standard is Euro 6 diesel or Euro 4 petrol.

Zones are in Bath, Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Portsmouth, Sheffield and Tyneside.
Only Class D zones (Birmingham, Bristol) charge private cars.
Pay by 11:59pm on the sixth day after driving in, or you may get a penalty.
London's ULEZ is separate and run by TfL.

Different in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland

Rules may be different in:

Scotland: Check mygov.scot for Scotland
Wales: Check gov.wales for Wales
Northern Ireland: Check nidirect for Northern Ireland

Key facts

Cars: Euro 6 diesel, Euro 4 petrol
Birmingham and Bristol charge cars
Pay within 6 days

What a Clean Air Zone is

A Clean Air Zone (CAZ) is an area of a city where older, more polluting vehicles must pay a daily charge. The aim is to cut air pollution. Charges apply 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day. If your vehicle meets the emission standards, you pay nothing.

Where the zones are

There are seven Clean Air Zones in England.

City	Class	Cars charged?
Bath	C	No
Birmingham	D	Yes
Bradford	C	No
Bristol	D	Yes
Portsmouth	B	No
Sheffield	C	No
Tyneside (Newcastle and Gateshead)	C	No

Which vehicles each class covers

Class A: buses, coaches, taxis and private hire vehicles
Class B: as A, plus heavy goods vehicles (lorries)
Class C: as B, plus vans and minibuses
Class D: as C, plus cars. The local council can also include motorbikes.

So a private car only pays in a Class D zone, but a taxi or private hire car can pay in any zone.

The emission standards

Your vehicle does not pay if it meets these standards:

Vehicle	Standard needed
Cars, vans, minibuses, taxis	Euro 6 diesel or Euro 4 petrol
Buses, coaches, lorries	Euro VI
Motorbikes	Euro 3

Always check your own vehicle using the service below, rather than guessing from its age.

How to check and pay

Use the GOV.UK Drive in a Clean Air Zone service and enter your registration number.
It tells you if you need to pay in each zone.
If you do, pay online by card. Businesses can also pay by bank details.
You can pay up to 6 days before you travel, or by the sixth day after you drive in.

The service cannot check vehicles registered outside the UK. If you need help, call 0300 029 8888 (Monday to Friday 8am to 7pm, Saturday 8am to 2pm).

Who does not pay

Some vehicles are exempt everywhere, including:

ultra low emission vehicles
vehicles in the disabled tax class
historic vehicles
military vehicles
vehicles fitted with approved equipment to cut emissions (retrofitted)
some agricultural vehicles

London, Scotland and Wales

London: the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) and Low Emission Zone are separate schemes. You check and pay for them a different way, not through the Clean Air Zone service.
Scotland: Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen have their own low emission zones, with separate rules.
Wales and Northern Ireland: none of the seven Clean Air Zones above are in Wales or Northern Ireland.

Related guides

Where this comes from

Get it done

This takes you to the official service, which is free to use.

Check or pay a charge

Common questions

Are disabled tax class vehicles exempt?

Yes, they're automatically exempt nationally.

Source: Clean Air Zones

Checked against GOV.UK on 30 September 2026

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