Complete guide to every Clean Air Zone in the UK — charges, boundaries, and how to check compliance.
Check your vehicle's emissions
Enter any UK registration number to see Euro emission standard and Clean Air Zone compliance.
Look up a vehicleClean Air Zones (CAZs) are areas in UK cities where vehicles that do not meet minimum emission standards are charged a daily fee to drive. They were introduced to reduce nitrogen dioxide (NO2) pollution, which has been linked to respiratory illness, heart disease, and thousands of premature deaths each year.
The UK government directed local authorities with the worst air quality to implement Clean Air Zones or equivalent measures. Different cities have chosen different zone classes, which determine which vehicle types are charged:
| Class | Vehicles charged |
|---|---|
| Class A | Buses, coaches, and taxis |
| Class B | Buses, coaches, taxis, and HGVs |
| Class C | Buses, coaches, taxis, HGVs, and LGVs/vans |
| Class D | All vehicle types including private cars |
| ULEZ | All vehicle types (London's own scheme) |
The emission standards required are the same across all zones: petrol vehicles need Euro 4 or later, and diesel vehicles need Euro 6 or later. Electric and hydrogen vehicles are exempt everywhere.
ULEZ · Launched 8 April 2019
London's Ultra Low Emission Zone is the UK's largest and most well-known clean air charging zone. Originally covering central London, it was expanded to cover a...
Class D · Launched 1 June 2021
Birmingham's Clean Air Zone is a Class D zone, meaning it charges all non-compliant vehicle types including private cars. It covers the city centre within the A...
Class C · Launched 15 March 2021
Bath's Clean Air Zone is a Class C zone that charges non-compliant taxis, vans, buses, coaches, and HGVs. Private cars that do not meet emission standards are a...
Class C · Launched 26 September 2022
Bradford's Clean Air Zone is a Class C zone covering the city centre and parts of the main road network. It primarily targets commercial vehicles but also charg...
Class D · Launched 28 November 2022
Bristol's Clean Air Zone is a Class D zone covering the city centre. It charges all non-compliant vehicle types including private cars. Bristol was the first UK...
Class B · Launched 29 November 2021
Portsmouth's Clean Air Zone is a Class B zone, which means it only charges non-compliant taxis, buses, coaches, and HGVs. Private cars and light goods vehicles ...
Class C · Launched 27 February 2023
Sheffield's Clean Air Zone is a Class C zone covering the city centre within the inner ring road. While it is classified as Class C, Sheffield currently only ch...
Class C · Launched 30 January 2023
The Tyneside Clean Air Zone covers parts of Newcastle and Gateshead city centres. It is a Class C zone but currently only charges non-compliant taxis, buses, co...
The quickest way to check is to enter your registration number on our homepage. We will show you the Euro emission standard recorded against your vehicle, which is the key factor in determining Clean Air Zone compliance.
As a general guide: if your petrol car was registered after January 2006, it likely meets Euro 4 and is compliant. If your diesel car was registered after September 2015, it likely meets Euro 6 and is compliant. Electric and hydrogen vehicles are exempt from all UK Clean Air Zones.
For London specifically, you can use our dedicated free ULEZ check page. Each city also has its own official checker — see the individual city pages linked above for details.
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