UK Edition
London Ulez expansion: the complete guide
Has the Ulez expansion come in yet? How much will it cost? How do you pay, and are there exemptions? We answer these questions
On 23 October 2017, motoring in London changed forever with the introduction of the T-Charge. It was the first time private cars had been charged to enter central London on the basis of their emissions, and while it initially applied only during daytime hours, and in a small part of the centre of the city, it was later updated – and renamed the Ultra Low Emissions Zone (or Ulez) – to operate 24 hours a day.
Soon, the Ulez boundaries were expanded to the North and South Circular roads, and then in 2023, a further expansion saw the Ulez extended to take in almost all of Greater London.
As a result, many Londoners have been scrabbling to find affordable, Ulez compliant cars. If you’re one of them, then you can read here about the best £1500 Ulez-compliant used cars.
In the meantime, here’s everything you need to know about how motoring in London has changed.
Has the London Ulez expansion come in?
Yes. The expansion of the Ulez officially came into force on 29 August 2023. While there have been concerns over the readiness of the road networks in the expanded Ulez zone, with reports of many cameras being vandalised as motorists rebel against the expansion, the scheme is going ahead.
Mayor Khan said recently: “Expanding the Ulez to the whole of London was a difficult decision, and not one I took lightly – but it’s a decision I remain committed to seeing through. I’m not prepared to step back, delay or water down vital green policies like Ulez.”
Where does the London Ulez now apply?
The Ulez now takes in all of the Greater London boroughs as well as central London.
There are some small sections toward the outskirts of Greater London that are not covered, the largest of these being to the south of Croydon, to the east of Orpington and Ockendon, to the north of Enfield, Chingford and Harold Hill, and to the west of Uxbridge.
There are also carve-outs for some major roads up to a certain point, to allow drivers that do not wish to enter the zone to turn around, but not for Heathrow Airport, which will now be within the Ulez zone.
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Which cars are affected by the London Ulez?
The Ulez applies to cars, motorcycles, vans and specialist vehicles up to and including 3.5 tonnes gross vehicle weight (GVW), and minibuses of up to five tonnes GVW.
Among these, the official guidance is that the Ulez applies to petrol vehicles that comply with Euro 4 emissions standards, and diesel vehicles that comply with Euro 6 emissions standards.
The disparity is because emissions of nitrous oxides (NOx) were much higher on Euro 4 and Euro 5 diesel models, whereas Euro 6 brought those standards more or less into line with petrol vehicles.
Euro 4 emissions standards became required for all new cars that were type approved from 1 January 2005 onwards, and all new cars that were registered from 1 January 2006. Meanwhile, Euro 6 emissions standards were introduced for new type approvals on 1 September 2014, and for all new registrations from 1 September 2015.
If you want to be absolutely certain of driving a car that complies, therefore, you’ll need to be driving either a petrol car registered after 1 January 2006, or a diesel car registered after 1 September 2015.
However, that’s not the whole story, because some cars met the respective emissions regulations even before the standards came in, and many of those cars are recognised as being compliant by TfL.
For example, some petrol cars dating back as far as 2001 have been found to be compliant when their registration numbers are entered into the online payment portal. And that, really, is the only way to tell for sure.
You can find this official TFL portal here. It’s actually more reliable to check using this payment site than to use TfL’s own Ulez checker, but you have to go through the system and see whether it allows you to pay, in which case the Ulez applies.
If the Ulez doesn’t apply, the system will bring up the message ‘This vehicle meets or is exempt from the Ulez standards’ on the date selection screen, and the option to tick the box to pay the Ulez charge will be greyed out.
Lorries, vans and specialist vehicles over 3.5 tonnes GVW, and minibuses, buses and coaches over five tonnes GVW, are not eligible to pay the Ulez charge. Instead, they’re covered by the London LEZ (low-emission zone) standard.
How much does the London ULEZ cost?
The charge is £12.50 per day, and applies 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, on every day of the year except Christmas Day. You can pay up to 90 days in advance of your journey, but you have to pay by midnight on the third day thereafter.
If you fail to pay, you’ll be liable for a fine, currently set at £180, though this drops to £90 if paid within 14 days.
Are there any exemptions?
The only permanent exemption to the Ulez will be for vehicles which fall into the historic tax class. This applies to vehicles that are at least 40 years old at the start of the current year.
There are some grace periods for certain categories of vehicle, however. Vehicles which are registered to the ‘disabled’ or ‘disabled passenger vehicle’ tax class will automatically be exempted from the Ulez fee until 25 October 2027.
However, even if your car isn’t registered under the disabled tax class, you can still apply for an exemption from paying the ULEZ until 25 October 2027. Wheelchair-accessible vehicles (WAV) are eligible for this exemption, and if you receive disability benefits, you can also nominate a vehicle of your choice to be exempted until the same date.
There’s one more exemption, which is for minibuses that are used for community transport. Organisations that own a bus used for this purpose can apply to have this exemption granted. Eligible organisations include local authorities, charities, or other not-for-profit organisations, and certain kinds of schools. The grace period runs until 26 October 2025.
How do you pay the London Ulez?
You can pay online, or over the phone, or using the TfL Pay to drive in London app. You can also set up a London Road User Charging account, which will allow you to set up automatic payments for cars that are registered to your account.
Is there any support for drivers of non-compliant vehicles?
Londoners who live in the expansion zone are in receipt of certain benefits can get a one-off payment of £2,000 from TfL if they scrap their non-compliant car, while certain London businesses can get up to £9,500 if they scrap a non-compliant van or minibus. Some boroughs are also offering their own additional grants, which increase the amount you can get for scrapping your old car.
In addition, there are a range of discounts on offer to drivers in the Ulez zone, including cut-price car and bike subscription services, and money off the deposit on a newer, Ulez-compliant vehicle. Head to the TFL website for full details.