Is my car ULEZ compliant? Checking a used car

• The charge period runs from midnight to midnight. Driving in the zone on both sides of midnight means two charges^[1].
• The charge is for driving in the zone. On a day when your car is parked in the zone and not driven, there is nothing to pay^[2].
• The ULEZ charge is separate from the Congestion Charge, and is paid in addition to it^[1].

Daily charges add up. For example, 100 days of driving in the zone at £12.50 a day would cost £1,250 over a year. That rate is as of 10 October 2026. If you would drive in a zone often, that is worth working out before you agree a price.

1. 1

   Get the number plate

   Take it from the advert. At the viewing, check it matches the car and the V5C (the registration document).

2. 2

   Use TfL’s vehicle checker

   Enter the plate on TfL’s “Check your vehicle” tool to see whether the car meets the ULEZ standard.

3. 3

   If the checker can’t tell you

   TfL says the Euro standard may be on the V5C. If it isn’t, use the date of first registration (section B of the V5C) and GOV.UK’s vehicle enquiry service^[1].

4. 4

   Check the other places you will drive

   Each area has its own checker. Use GOV.UK’s clean air zone checker for English cities and the Scottish Government’s checker for Scotland.

In London, these are the exemptions and grace periods most likely to matter for a used car^[3]:

• Vehicles built before 1 January 1973.
• Vehicles over 40 years old that are registered with DVLA, the agency that registers cars, in a historic vehicle tax class.
• Vehicles in the “disabled” or “disabled passenger vehicle” tax class. They have a grace period until 24 October 2027, as long as they stay in that tax class.

TfL lists other grace periods and discounts too, for example for wheelchair-accessible vehicles and for some people on disability benefits^[3].

An exemption can end when a car changes hands. The Scottish Government warns that a vehicle with an exemption may not be compliant if its ownership or use changes^[11]. If a seller says a car is exempt, ask what the exemption is, and check it still applies to you.

Outside London, England has seven clean air zones. They come in classes B, C and D, and the class says which vehicles pay. Only Class D zones charge private cars^[4].

The national minimum standard for cars is the same as London’s: Euro 4 petrol and Euro 6 diesel^[4]. Greater Manchester is no longer on the list. It agreed a plan without charges, and GOV.UK took it off in February 2025^[4].

In Birmingham, hybrids pass if the engine meets the petrol or diesel standard, and fully electric cars are fine^[7]. The penalty charge is £120, or £60 if paid within 14 days (as of 10 October 2026)^[8]. In Bristol, Euro 4, 5 and 6 petrol cars don’t pay. Nor do Euro 6 diesels, or fully electric and hydrogen cars. That means roughly petrol cars from 2006 or newer, and diesels from late 2015 or newer^[5].

To check a plate and pay, use GOV.UK’s clean air zone service. You can pay up to six days before you drive in. The deadline is 11:59pm on the sixth day after^[4]. Missing it can lead to a penalty charge notice.

Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow each have a low emission zone (LEZ) in the city centre. They run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including public holidays. Cameras read number plates to enforce them^[10].

The standards are the same as London’s: Euro 4 for petrol cars and Euro 6 for diesel cars. Hybrids follow the same rules as petrol or diesel cars. Motorbikes, mopeds and fully electric vehicles aren’t restricted^[11].

There is no daily charge to pay. A car that doesn’t meet the standard gets a fine instead, and you can’t pay in advance to avoid it^[12].

Zone charges are only part of the running costs. Read road tax on a used car for the other yearly bill, and questions to ask a seller before you decide.

This is general information, not legal advice. Check each operator’s own page before you travel.