What are clean air zones?

Many larger towns and cities are introducing clean air zones to help reduce air pollution, especially the toxic nitrogen dioxide spilling out of engine exhausts, particularly diesel vehicles.

Limiting the amount of higher polluting vehicles in certain areas alone will not completely solve the problem of air pollution alone. So, alongside the introduction of zones that will collect payment for entering, encouraging the public to use public transport, cycle or walk where possible and to purchase cleaner, greener vehicles are high on the agenda for the government.  The revenue from drivers for using clean air zones is being ploughed back into the local councils to enable more public transport and better, safer streets for pedestrians and cyclists.

Poor air quality affects much of the population in inner city areas, including the elderly, children and those with underlying health issues. There has been a steep rise in children suffering from asthma in such areas, which is a concern that is a costly priority for health authorities. The move to replace new cars with electric only by 2035 is a welcome move for clean air, but in reality, there will still be a high amount of vehicles using traditional fuels until they come to the end of their serviceable life and are scrapped.

Four types of Clean Air Zones

A-Buses, coaches, taxis and private hire vehicles

B-Buses, coaches, taxis, and private hire vehicles

C-Buses, coaches, taxis, private hire vehicles, HGV, vans and minibuses

D-Buses, coaches, taxis, private hire vehicles, HGV, vans and minibuses, cars and the local authority has the option to include motorcycles

Each vehicle will have a minimum emission standard, which is found on the V5 registration document, and to avoid paying to enter Clean Air Zones, your vehicle will have to meet the standard.

Buses, coaches and HGV-Euro VI

Vans and minibuses, taxi and private hire and cars-Euro 6 (Diesel) Euro 4 (petrol)

Motorcycles-Euro 3

Some local councils have different charges for taxi and private hire, so it is wise to check directly with the authority you intend to drive through if you need to pay a zone charge.

It is very simple to check if you need to pay to drive in a Clean Air Zone, the Government website below is all you need.  You can check which areas will charge you for entering, and you can pay in advance or up to 6 days after being in the Zone if you happen to find yourself in one unexpectedly.

vehiclecheck.drive-clean-air-zone.service.gov.uk/vehicle_checkers/enter_details

It is important to know that you will not be banned from entering a clean air zone, but you will pay a charge if your vehicle is over the limits set, these are usually older cars especially with diesel engines, but older petrol engines can still have many zones that will cost to enter.

As an example, a 05 petrol Mitsubishi Shogun automatic with a 1.8 engine is not charged in 6 cities but is charged up to £9 a day to visit Bristol and Birmingham, so checking before the journey is wise.

London transport has its own set of charges, which you will find on the same pages, but for the vehicle above, the charges are £12.50 to enter all London boroughs, and with the congestion charge still in place in Central London, this can make a trip very expensive.

The Cleaner Air Zones will give priority to public transport routes with updated traffic signals, and there are also grants available for longer-term cleaner vehicles and less pollution solutions.