ULEZ and Clean Air Zones: The Complete Compliance Guide for UK Fleet Operators

What is a Clean Air Zone?

To improve air quality, some cities have introduced Clean Air Zones (CAZ) within defined areas of the city centre to discourage the use of more polluting vehicles. If a vehicle exceeds the defined emission standards of the CAZ, the fleet operator or owner will have to pay a charge.

What is a Low Emission Zone?

A Low Emission Zone (LEZ) is a specific area of a city that has been created to prevent the most polluting vehicles from entering. These zones have been established to improve air quality and protect health.

What is London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone?

London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) is the largest clean air zone in the world, expanded in 2023 to cover every borough of London. The ULEZ improves London’s urban air quality by reducing the number of vehicles that don't meet emissions standards. The ULEZ runs alongside a LEZ, which covers the same area and applies to buses, coaches and heavy goods vehicles (HGVs).

How do vehicles affect public health?

Road vehicles are the single biggest cause of urban air pollution. They produce nearly half of all nitrogen oxides (NOx) and emit tiny particles of rubber and metal, otherwise known as particulate matter (PM), into the air we breathe. NOx is found in diesel and petrol exhaust emissions, while particulate matter is mostly generated by brake, tyre and road wear, with a small amount also found in exhaust emissions.

These pollutants have been linked to life-changing illnesses such as cancer, asthma and lung disease, and a recent study Open in new window has also identified air pollution as a risk factor for the onset of dementia. Air pollution contributes to the premature death of tens of thousands of people Open in new window in the UK each year.

Why have clean air zones been introduced?

All local authorities must monitor air quality levels, and if pollutants exceed acceptable levels, then they must create an Air Quality Management Area and establish an action plan to reduce pollution.

If the local authorities continue to fail to reach acceptable air pollutant levels, they may be required to assess whether a LEZ or CAZ would help improve local air quality. As a result of these impact assessments, over ten cities across England and Scotland now have a form of clean air zone in operation.

What are the different types of CAZ, and which vehicles are affected?

There are four classes of clean air zones, defined by the vehicle types that they affect:

Minimum emission standards for entering a clean air zone

Each vehicle type has a minimum emission standard, which can be found in the vehicle’s log book or requested from the vehicle manufacturer. To avoid your vehicles being charged when entering a clean air zone, they must meet the minimum standards as outlined in this table:

• Local authorities may set a different standard for taxis and private hire vehicles. 
  **You should always check with the local authority to see if you will need to pay charges.

Which UK cities have clean air zones in 2026?

England

England currently has seven charging Clean Air Zones in place, with more in consultation. London is the only city with a Low and Ultra Low Emission Zone, and Oxford operates a small Zero Emission Zone. The table below summarises what zones are currently in operation in each of these cities:

London Low Emission Zone (LEZ)

Heavy goods vehicles (HGVs), big vans, buses and coaches that meet Euro VI emissions standards can enter the LEZ without penalty, and more polluting heavy vehicles that do not meet these standards must pay the daily charge.

London Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ)

The ULEZ applies to cars, motorcycles, vans and specialist vehicles (up to and including 3.5 tonnes) and minibuses (up to and including 5 tonnes). Diesel vehicles that meet Euro 6 emissions standards, petrol vehicles that meet Euro 4 emissions standards, and motorbikes that meet Euro 3 emissions standards can enter without penalty, while more polluting vehicles must pay the daily charge.

Oxford Zero Emission Zone (ZEZ)

All vehicles that are not zero-emissions must pay a charge to enter Oxford’s ZEZ, with a sliding scale of charges depending on the vehicle’s rated CO2 emissions.

All of the zones operate 24/7, except for Oxford’s ZEZ, which operates between 7am and 7pm, and London’s ULEZ, which operates every day except Christmas Day.

Scotland

Scottish Low Emission Zones are similar in structure to England’s Class D CAZ, and these zones are currently operational in four Scottish cities, running 24 hours a day, 7 days a week:

A key difference between the LEZ scheme in Scotland and CAZ and ULEZ schemes in England is that LEZ in Scotland do not allow non-compliant vehicles to enter at any time; there is no option to pay a daily charge. Non-compliant vehicles that enter the LEZ will be charged a penalty of £60 a day.

How much can CAZ charges cost a fleet per year?

The charges and rules vary between cities, with some daily charges becoming significant for fleets that operate regularly within these zones. Operators should always check the relevant local authority's website for the latest charging rules and exemptions. The examples below illustrate the potential annual costs for fleets operating non-compliant vehicles within some of the UK's charging clean air zones.

• Indicative charges only. Charges, exemptions and vehicle classifications vary between schemes.

** Example annual costs assume vehicles enter the charging zone every weekday (260 working days per year).

Geofencing makes compliance easier for fleets

Fleet managers must ensure that any vehicles operating within a CAZ, LEZ, ULEZ or ZEZ meet the required emissions standards. If not, they must arrange for the necessary charge to be paid.

To make compliance easier, fleet managers can set up geofences around these zones. Geofences create virtual boundaries around a physical area using GPS. This allows the fleet management software to trigger a specific action when a vehicle equipped with a GPS fleet tracking device enters the defined area.

Tarmac puts geofencing into action to reduce costs

Tarmac, a leading UK supplier of construction and building materials, uses Geotab’s geofencing functionality to create geofences around all of the UK’s clean air zones, low-emission zones and London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone. The van admin team receives daily notifications of any vans that have entered these zones, so that payments can be made within the required timeframe to avoid paying the higher penalty charge.

How Geotab helps fleets manage compliance with the UK’s clean air zones

Managing compliance with multiple Clean Air Zones requires continuous visibility of where vehicles are operating and whether they meet the relevant emissions standards. Geotab’s routing and dispatching software helps fleets reduce unnecessary charges by enabling route planners to avoid charging zones where practical for older, higher-emission vehicles. Near-real-time vehicle location data allows dispatch teams to allocate work within charging zones to compliant vehicles, while geofences automatically notify fleet teams whenever a non-compliant vehicle enters a CAZ, LEZ, ULEZ or ZEZ. This gives operators the visibility they need to pay charges promptly where required, avoid escalating penalty costs, and make better-informed decisions about future vehicle replacement.

Many fleets that regularly operate within any of these zones have seen it as a strong incentive to transition their vehicles to electric, enabling them to operate with certainty of compliance. Geotab’s Electric Vehicle Suitability Assessment (EVSA) conducts an in-depth analysis of your fleet to identify the most suitable candidate vehicles for replacement. The EVSA recommends the most suitable EV for each vehicle's duty cycle, considering real-world range, vehicle type and projected total cost of ownership.

Learn how Geotab’s routing and dispatching software makes it easier to remain in compliance with the UK’s clean air zones