The Low Emission Zones are defined areas where all vehicles entering must meet strict emission standards or pay a charge. The zones comprise of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) and the Low Emission Zone (LEZ). The zones are designed to encourage the use of cleaner vehicles and thus improve air quality.
There are a few cities that have a LEZ but only London currently have a charge system. The London LEZ was introduced in 2008 further tightened in 2012, it covers most of Greater London. London has the first ULEZ which came into force April 2019 and will apply to the same area as the Congestion Charge Zone (CCZ). From 25 October 2021, the ULEZ area will be expanded to include the inner London area bounded by the North and South Circular Roads.
The zone is policed using (ANPR) automatic number plate recognition cameras and each vehicle is checked against a database to see whether the vehicle is emissions standards compliant. The zones operates 365 days a year, 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. Vehicles that don’t meet the emission standards will have to pay the charge. If you fail to pay the charge a penalty notice will be sent to the vehicle owner.
Transport for London (TfL) has an online vehicle checker which indicates if your vehicle will be subject to the charge.
We identify our vehicles as ULEZ compliant click for our ULEZ compliant stock list.
Your vehicle needs to meet the Euro 3 standard, a broad guide is if your vehicle was first registered before 1st January 2002 it will not meet the LEZ Euro 3 standard for emissions. There are of course exceptions to this rule as some manufacturers adopted the Euro 3 emissions standard before this date. To check to see if your vehicle meets the Euro 3 standard, use Transport for London’s vehicle checker above.
We identify our vehicles as LEZ compliant click for our LEZ compliant stock list.
This page is for illustrative purposes only and not intended as a complete guide. Please check the TfL website for full guidance and terms and conditions regarding the ULEZ, LEZ, vehicle compliance, charges, fees and penalties.