Clean air zones and ULEZ for vans: charges by city
Which UK zones charge vans, how much they cost a day and over a year, and why an electric van avoids almost all of them.
Quick answer
- Electric vans don't pay any clean air zone, ULEZ or low emission zone charge. The one charge they pay is London's Congestion Charge, at £9 a day with Auto Pay. [1]
- Older diesel vans pay from £8 a day in Birmingham to £12.50 a day in London's ULEZ and in Newcastle and Gateshead. [2] [3] [4]
- Over a year, driving into one zone five days a week costs an older diesel van £2,080 to £3,250. [5]
- Newer diesel vans that meet Euro 6 avoid clean air zone and ULEZ charges, but still pay London's Congestion Charge and Oxford's Zero Emission Zone. [1] [6]
- In Scotland, older vans can't enter low emission zones at all: penalties start at £60 and rise to £480. [7]
Which UK zones charge vans?
| Zone | Area | Which vans pay | Daily charge | Hours | Electric van |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London Congestion Charge | Central London | All petrol and diesel vans, including newer ones | £18 a day | 7am–6pm Monday to Friday; 12pm–6pm weekends and bank holidays | £9 a day with Auto Pay (a 50% discount, falling to 25% in March 2030) [1] |
| London ULEZ | All London boroughs | Vans up to 3.5 tonnes that don't meet Euro 6 (diesel) or Euro 4 (petrol) | £12.50 a day | 24 hours, every day except Christmas Day | No charge [3] |
| Birmingham Clean Air Zone | Inside the A4540 Middleway ring road | Vans that don't meet Euro 6 (diesel) or Euro 4 (petrol) | £8 a day | 24 hours, every day | No charge [2] |
| Bath Clean Air Zone | Bath city centre | Non-compliant vans; private cars aren't charged | £9 a day | 24 hours, every day | No charge [8] |
| Bradford Clean Air Zone | Bradford | Non-compliant vans and minibuses, private or business; private cars aren't charged | £9 a day | Midnight to midnight, every day | No charge [9] |
| Bristol Clean Air Zone | Central Bristol | Non-compliant vans; non-compliant cars are charged too | £9 a day | 24 hours, every day | No charge [10] |
| Sheffield Clean Air Zone | Inner ring road and city centre | Vans that don't meet Euro 6 (diesel) or Euro 4 (petrol); private cars aren't charged | £10 a day | 24 hours, every day | No charge [11] |
| Newcastle and Gateshead Clean Air Zone | Newcastle and Gateshead city centres | Non-compliant vans; cars aren't charged | £12.50 a day | Check the council's website | No charge [4] |
| Oxford Zero Emission Zone | Oxford city centre (pilot zone) | All petrol and diesel vans, including newer ones | £8 a day for a Euro 6 diesel; £20 for older diesels | 7am–7pm, every day | No charge [6] |
| Portsmouth Clean Air Zone | Portsmouth | Vans aren't charged (only buses, coaches, taxis and HGVs) | No charge for vans | — | No charge [12] |
| Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee low emission zones | City centres | Vans that don't meet Euro 6 (diesel) or Euro 4 (petrol) | £60 penalty, doubling to £480 for repeat entries | 24 hours, every day | No charge [7] |
"Non-compliant" means a diesel van below Euro 6 or a petrol van below Euro 4. Greater Manchester isn't listed: in January 2025 the government approved its plan to clean up the air without a charging zone, so vans aren't charged. [13]
How much does a clean air zone cost over a year?
For a van that has to pay, driving into the zone five days a week for a year (260 days): [5]
| Zone | Daily charge, van that has to pay | Yearly | Electric van, yearly |
|---|---|---|---|
| London Congestion Charge | £18 | £4,680 | £2,340 |
| London ULEZ | £12.50 | £3,250 | £0 |
| Newcastle and Gateshead Clean Air Zone | £12.50 | £3,250 | £0 |
| Sheffield Clean Air Zone | £10 | £2,600 | £0 |
| Bath Clean Air Zone | £9 | £2,340 | £0 |
| Bradford Clean Air Zone | £9 | £2,340 | £0 |
| Bristol Clean Air Zone | £9 | £2,340 | £0 |
| Birmingham Clean Air Zone | £8 | £2,080 | £0 |
| Oxford Zero Emission Zone | £8 | £2,080 | £0 |
Oxford's £8 is the rate for a Euro 6 diesel; older diesels pay £20 a day, or £5,200 a year. The Congestion Charge applies to every petrol and diesel van, however new. [6] [1]
Those charges add to a diesel van's higher running costs. See diesel vs electric vans for the full cost per mile.
Which vans have to pay?
In every clean air zone, the London ULEZ and Scotland's low emission zones, a diesel van needs to meet the Euro 6 emissions standard and a petrol van Euro 4. Vans that meet them don't pay. [3] [2] [7] Use the government's vehicle checker to see whether your van complies before you drive in. [14]
Two charges are different: London's Congestion Charge and Oxford's Zero Emission Zone apply to every petrol and diesel van, however new. [1] [6]
Do electric vans pay clean air zone charges?
No. Fully electric vans meet every clean air zone, ULEZ and low emission zone standard, and enter Oxford's Zero Emission Zone free. [3] [6] The exception is the London Congestion Charge: electric vans lost their exemption on 25 December 2025 and now pay £9 a day with Auto Pay, half the £18 standard charge. The discount falls to 25% in March 2030. [1]
Grants can take up to £5,000 off a new electric van; see van and truck grants.
How do the London ULEZ and Congestion Charge work for vans?
- ULEZ: covers all London boroughs, 24 hours a day, every day except Christmas Day. Vans up to 3.5 tonnes that don't meet the standards pay £12.50 a day. [3]
- Congestion Charge: covers central London, 7am to 6pm on weekdays and 12pm to 6pm at weekends and on bank holidays, with no charge between Christmas Day and the New Year's Day bank holiday. It's £18 a day for petrol and diesel vans and £9 for electric vans on Auto Pay. [1]
- Both at once: an older diesel van in central London on a weekday pays both, £30.50 a day. [1] [3]
How do Scotland's low emission zones work for vans?
Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee have low emission zones that run 24 hours a day. There's no daily charge to pay: vans that don't meet the standards aren't allowed in, and cameras issue penalties instead. [7]
- Penalties for vans: £60 for the first, then £120, £240 and £480 for repeat entries. They're halved if paid within 14 days, and the scale resets after 90 days without another entry. [7]
- Enforced since: Glasgow 1 June 2023, Dundee 30 May 2024, and Aberdeen and Edinburgh 1 June 2024. [7]
How does Oxford's Zero Emission Zone work for vans?
Oxford's pilot Zero Emission Zone charges every petrol and diesel vehicle, including hybrids, from 7am to 7pm every day. Rates set for the pilot from August 2025 are £8 a day for a Euro 6 diesel and £20 for older diesels. Electric vans enter free. Oxford plans a much larger zone from 2027. [6]
Sources
- Changes to the Congestion Charge from January 2026, TfL: tfl.gov.uk; londonist.com; electrive.com
- Birmingham Clean Air Zone goes live, Fleet News: fleetnews.co.uk; trans.info
- ULEZ: where and when, TfL: tfl.gov.uk; hillingdon.gov.uk
- Clean Air Zone charges for vans, Peugeot UK research: stellantis.com; vansdirect.co.uk
- Clean Air Zone charges cost van drivers almost £800 a year, Peugeot UK: stellantis.com; fleetworld.co.uk
- Oxford Zero Emission Zone, Oxfordshire County Council: oxfordshire.gov.uk; busandcoachbuyer.com; motorway.co.uk
- Low emission zone penalty charges, City of Edinburgh Council: edinburgh.gov.uk; traffic.gov.scot
- Bath Clean Air Zone charges, Fleet News: fleetnews.co.uk; vansdirect.co.uk
- Bradford Clean Air Zone, Bradford Council: bradford.gov.uk; motorway.co.uk
- Pay the Bristol Clean Air Zone daily charge, Bristol City Council: bristol.gov.uk; stellantis.com
- Clean Air Zone charges, Sheffield City Council: sheffield.gov.uk; fleetworld.co.uk
- Portsmouth Clean Air Zone, Wightlink: wightlink.co.uk; cittimagazine.co.uk
- Greater Manchester's non-charging Clean Air Plan, Greater Manchester Combined Authority: greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk; manchester.gov.uk
- Clean Air Zones and vehicle checker, GOV.UK: gov.uk