Ultra Low Emission Zone

The Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) is an area in London, England, where an emissions standard based charge is applied to non-compliant road vehicles. Plans were announced by London Mayor Boris Johnson in March 2015 for the zone to come into operation in September 2020. Sadiq Khan, the subsequent mayor, introduced the zone early on 8 April 2019. The zone initially covered Central London, the same area as the existing London congestion charge.

In October 2021, the zone was extended by Sadiq Khan to cover the area within the North Circular and South Circular roads and on 29 August 2023 it was extended to cover all of Greater London. The zone has been shown to reduce the number of non-compliant cars on the road. It has been shown to reduce roadside emissions, although its effectiveness has been disputed. In 2022, the zone raised £224m.

History

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Advance warning sign about the Ultra Low Emission Zone and Congestion Charging Zone (2019-2021)

Initial central zone

Plans for an ultra–low emission zone were under consideration since 2014 under London Mayor Boris Johnson. In 2015 Johnson announced that the zone covering the same areas as the Central London congestion charge would come into operation in September 2020. Sadiq Khan, Johnson's successor, introduced an emissions surcharge, called the Toxicity Charge or "T-Charge", for non-compliant vehicles from 2017. The Toxicity Charge was replaced by the Ultra Low Emission Zone on 8 April 2019, which was introduced ahead of schedule.

2021 inner expansion

The zone was expanded to cover the Inner London area inside the North Circular and South Circular roads on 25 October 2021 so that it covers an area containing 3.8 million people. Around a million vehicles a day drive in the expanded zone, but Transport for London (TfL) estimated that 87% already complied with the emissions rules, meaning nearly 140,000 vehicles would have to be replaced or pay the charge, including 100,000 cars, 35,000 vans and 3,000 lorries.

A month into the expansion, TfL said that the proportion of compliant vehicles had risen from 87% to 92%, and the number of non-compliant vehicles had fallen by over a third (from 127,000 to 80,000 on weekdays). They also said that 94% of cars complied compared to 78% of vans. Six months after the expansion, TfL estimated that NOx in Inner London was 20% lower than it would have been without the expansion and found that 95% of cars and 83% of vans now met the standard.

2023 outer expansion

The ULEZ was expanded on 29 August 2023 to cover all 32 London boroughs, bringing an additional 5 million people into the zone. The new outer boundary coincides with the London low emission zone. It covers most of Greater London, with minor deviations to allow diversionary routes and facilities to turn around without entering the zone.

In March 2022, TfL estimated that 20,000 to 40,000 vehicles would be taken off the road due to the expansion. Khan said "This is also a matter of social justice – with air pollution hitting the poorest communities the hardest. Nearly half of Londoners don't own a car, but they are disproportionally feeling the damaging consequences polluting vehicles are causing."

Operation

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Road sign used since the 2023 expansion of the zone

Charging

The £12.50 charge applies 24 hours a day every day of the year except Christmas Day (25 December). The criteria for charging is based on European emission standards:

• Motorbikes that do not meet Euro 3 standards (most vehicles pre-2007)
• Petrol cars and vans that do not meet Euro 4 standards (most vehicles pre-2006)
• Diesel cars and vans that do not meet Euro 6 standards (most vehicles pre-2015)

Buses, coaches and lorries must meet or exceed the Euro VI standard or pay £100 a day as part of the separate London low emission zone. Drivers entering central London who have paid for ULEZ are still subject to the London congestion charge.

The money raised from the ULEZ is invested in the transport network and other measures to reduce air pollution in London. In 2022 the zone raised £224m in charges and fines. The income from ULEZ declined from month to month in 2022 as more vehicles entering the zone became compliant with emissions standards.

Exemptions

Vehicles in the "disabled" tax class are exempt from the charge, as are London-licensed taxis, private hire vehicles which are wheelchair accessible and historic vehicles (over 40 years old). There are also exemptions for agricultural vehicles, military vehicles, certain types of mobile cranes and non-road going vehicles which are allowed to drive on the highway (e.g. excavators). Residents of the zone did not pay the charge until October 2021 as long as they were registered for the residents' Congestion Charge discount and met the T-Charge standards