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In a significant move to combat air pollution and its associated health risks, the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) was expanded to cover all London boroughs on 29th August 2023.
Air pollution has long been a concern in London, contributing to a range of severe health problems, including cancer, asthma, lung disease, and an increased risk of dementia in older individuals.
Alarmingly, it also causes thousands of premature deaths each year. The problem isn’t confined to central London; in fact, the outer areas of the city experience the highest number of air pollution-related deaths.
To address this, the ULEZ, which imposes stricter emissions standards on vehicles, has been expanded to cover all London boroughs.
If you drive within the ULEZ and your vehicle doesn’t meet the specified emissions standards, you’ll be subject to a daily charge of £12.50. This applies even if you live within the zone and your vehicle is parked but not driven.
Owners of vehicles registered outside the UK must also adhere to the ULEZ emissions standards or pay the daily charge. Furthermore, they must register their vehicles with EPC plc, regardless of whether their vehicle meets the emissions standards.
To support those with non-compliant vehicles, there are several options available:
Scrappage Scheme: London residents, as well as certain businesses and charities, can apply to the Mayor of London’s scrappage scheme. This provides a payment for scrapping non-compliant vehicles or a lower payment plus one or two TfL Annual Bus & Tram passes.
ULEZ Support Offers: There are also exclusive offers available to those who successfully apply to the scrappage scheme, as well as offers available to all London residents.
Additionally, temporary exemptions have been extended for disabled Londoners and community transport providers. There are also short-term grace periods for retrofits and compliant vehicles on order that won’t be ready until after the expansion.
The funds generated from the ULEZ scheme will be reinvested into improving London’s transport network. This includes contributing to the proposed Superloop, a network of express bus routes designed to enhance connectivity in outer London.
To find out if your vehicle meets the ULEZ emissions standards, you can use the ULEZ vehicle checker.
The expansion of the ULEZ is a crucial step in tackling London’s air pollution problem and protecting the health of its residents. Make sure to check if your vehicle is compliant and explore the support options available if it is not.
The ULEZ area is a restricted area that spans a large portion of London. It’s designed to stop cars that produce a lot of emissions and pollution from entering the area without being charged. This is done to incentives people not to travel with no compliant vehicles, reducing the amount of pollution in the capital as a result.
The ULEZ was first introduced in 2019 and was an initiative backed by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan. When it was first introduced, it only spanned the congestion charge area, a small area of central London that included areas like Westminster and Soho.
The area got bigger in 2021 and has since included everything within the north and south circular ring roads, officially known as the A406 and the A205. This meant that places like Tottenham, East Ham, and Brixton were now included in the ULEZ for the first time.
From the 29th of August 2023, the zone expanded again to include all of Greater London, with no exceptions. This means that you’ll be charged no matter where you go if you’re driving a vehicle that isn’t compliant.
This fee is charged daily, and you’ll get a new one every day you drive in the city. This means that if you’re going to work every day, these charges of £12.50 a day can add up to around £3,000 for the year. This is why many people are trying to get complaint cars to avoid the charge.
As it was first introduced as the same area as the congestion charge, many people confuse the ULEZ for this other restricted area.
Although the Congestion charge area falls within the ULEZ zone, they’re both separate with different aims. The congestion charge is focused on reducing the amount of traffic in the centre of London and charges any car, regardless of its emissions.
It should be obvious to all drivers when they’re in a ULEZ area. There will be green signs everywhere and on all junctions that lead into the ULEZ area, and you may also notice cameras that are used to track what cars are coming in and out.
These signs were used to help drivers avoid the ULEZ zone when it was smaller, but now that it encompasses the entirety of London, these signs will do little to help people plan alternative routes through the city.
We have a ULEZ map to help you understand the boundary of the zone and update the page to account for any new information within the expanded ULEL area.
The expanded 2023 ultra-low emission zone will contain many popular areas that weren’t originally part of the ULEZ. To better understand exactly what areas will be affected, here’s a map that illustrates the new area, demonstrating the sheer size and scope of the expansion.
If you currently live in the low emission zone, an area similar to the ULEZ with less strict criteria, then your borough changed into a ULEZ zone on the 29th of August, 2023.
Here’s a list of some of the more populous boroughs to give you a better idea of what areas will now be included in the ULEZ zone that wasn’t part of it before. This isn’t a complete list of all the affected regions, but it is just a guide to help you understand just how far-reaching the new boundary is.
The North
Areas include in the new 2023 ULEZ zone are:
The East
Areas part of this part of the ULEZ include:
The South
The south is where the majority of the 2023 ULEZ expansion is happening, with some of the following areas being included:
The West
Key areas west of Greater London will now fall in the ULEZ zone after it expanded in August 2023. Areas included are: