October 21, 2021

ULEZ: New expansion to begin in London

On 25th October ULEZ will be expanding to a wider London perimeter, meaning more Londoners will be affected by this. Check out our common questions relating to ULEZ to see if you will be affected by this and what to do next if you are!

WHAT IS ULEZ?

ULEZ is the Ultra-Low Emission Zone that is a fee charged to the most polluting vehicles in Central London, this scheme was created to improve London’s air quality and reduce pollution. The fee of £12.50 is in force 24 hours a days, 7 days a week, every day of the year (except Christmas Day, 25th December), if the charge is not paid it will result into receiving a £160 fine.

WHATS NEW ON OCTOBER 25TH 2021?

At the end of the month, the ULEZ zone is going to be expanding from Central London up to (but not including) the North Circular and South Circular roads. Every vehicle that drives in the area must meet the strict emissions standards or pay the daily charge to be able to drive in these areas.

IS MY VEHICLE OK TO DRIVE IN THE ULEZ?

All vehicles driving in the ULEZ zone must meet a certain standard, the Euro standards was set by TFL and was based on the type of vehicle and fuel they use.

The required standards:

Motorbikes would have to meet Euro 3 standards (most pre-2007 bikes don’t)
Petrol cars and vans would need to meet Euro 4 standards (most pre-2005 petrol cars don’t)
Diesel cars and vans would need to meet Euro 6 standards (most pre-2016 diesel cars don’t)
Buses, coaches and lorries would have to meet Euro 6 standards.

You are able to check if your car meets the ULEZ standards using the online TFL tool, just enter your registration plate here and it will identify if you will need to pay the fee.

DO ULEZ OFFER EXEMPTIONS?

Some vehicles remain exempt from the ULEZ charge including historic vehicles, this categorises those vehicles registered before 1 January 1973. These cars are only exempt from the ULEZ fee if they have been awarded an historic vehicle tax status, this tax class excludes any vehicle used commercially, e.g. coffee vans or street food vans.

Vehicle owners who are registered with a ‘disabled’ or ‘disabled passenger vehicles’ tax class will be exempt from the ULEZ fee until 26th October 2025. If your ‘disabled’ vehicle is registered outside of the UK, this will also be exempt from the fee during the grace period, however, the vehicle must be registered with TFL.

From the 24^th October 2021, residents who live in the ULEZ will have to start paying the charge after the limited ‘sunset period’ comes to an end. It is important to understand which exemptions end on this date to ensure you don’t miss any fees from the 24^th October. More details can be found here on ULEZ exemptions.

HOW DO I PAY THE ULEZ CHARGE?

The £12.50 fee for most vehicle types can be paid up to 90 days before travelling if you know you are going to be entering the zone then. If you enter the ULEZ zone without paying, you have to pay by 11.59pm on the second day following the journey to ensure you do not receive a fine.

There are different ways to pay the charge:

Online – On the TFL website you can make individual payments, you will have to register your vehicle first before being able to pay the fee.
Auto-pay – You can set up an online account and the charge will be billed automatically every time your vehicle enters the ULEZ.
TFL App – The app app allows to you to set up auto-pay, view your outstanding balance, make payments or pay a penalty.
Telephone – You can call 0343 222 2222 to make a payment.