New Low Emission Zones (LEZ) will be arriving in the UK over the coming months – and here’s where they will be operating.
Motorists will need to take the necessary steps to ensure their vehicle complies or pay the daily LEZ fee when travelling into a zoned area, to avoid a fine of up to £500.
London’s LEZ has been in operation for several years, with many other UK cities set to follow the capital’s example later this year.
The first LEZ zone to come into force will be in Bradford, where charging will begin on September 26, 2022.
Similar zones in Bristol, Newcastle and Gateshead will come into operation later this year. Drivers are urged to keep a note of when the local zones start charging and which class the zone is, which ranges from A to D, as this will determine if you must pay the fee.
Tom Hixon, head of instructor support at Bill Plant Driving School explains how the fees are categorised: “Low-emission zones are an important step to reducing emissions and reducing pollution levels across the country.
“You should keep updated about which type of LEZ you might encounter on your journey, some fees only apply to vehicles such as coaches, taxis and HGVs, whereas zones which are type D can apply to cars and motorbikes.”
Drivers may also need to register their vehicles, to confirm it meets the required standard.
The capital’s LEZ is in operation 24 hours a day, all year round and covers most of Greater London and differs from its Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) which includes most of Inner London inside the North and South Circular.
Older vehicles that don’t meet the tighter emissions standards have to pay £12.50 every day they are used within the ULEZ.
Most vehicles affected include pre-2015 diesel and pre-2006 petrol cars – but you can easily check to see if you’ll need to pay the daily charge on the ULEZ website.
Vehicles registered with a disabled or disabled passenger tax class will benefit from a grace period until October 26, 2025, as long as their vehicle doesn’t change tax class.
