Free ULEZ Checker: Check Your Vehicle Compliance

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London’s ULEZ operates city-wide up to the M25. Use our ULEZ checker to find out if your car meets emissions standards and what fees you may need to pay.

How does the ULEZ checker tool work?

Using data from the DVLA and emissions standards published by TfL, our ULEZ checker tool uses your vehicle’s reg to check if your car meets the Euro emissions standards that qualify it as low-polluting. We can then confirm if your vehicle is compliant or non-compliant. Only non-compliant vehicles need to pay daily charges to drive in the ULEZ.

The compliance results are based on the ULEZ standards published by TfL, but we do not guarantee their accuracy. To check compliance for older vehicles, we advise you to use the TfL vehicle checker on the TfL website.

Some vehicles are exempt from ULEZ charges and may not receive an accurate compliance result from our checker. These include some vehicles built before 1 January 1973, or with historic tax class, some specialist vehicles (including tractors, mowers, farm and construction machinery), and those operated by the Ministry of Defence.

Free ULEZ Checker: Check Your Vehicle Compliance | Motorway (1)

What is the London ULEZ?

London’s Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) was introduced by TfL in 2019 as a small zone in Central London and aimed to reduce air pollution in the city by charging drivers of the worst polluting vehicles a fee to drive within the zone.

TfL expanded the zone in October 2021 to cover an area up to the North and South Circular Road. As part of an ongoing effort to further reduce vehicle emissions across the capital, the zone was expanded again to cover the whole of Greater London on 29th August 2023.

Drivers of non-compliant cars are charged £12.50 per day if they make a journey within the ULEZ. With automatic fines for non-payment, make sure you don’t get caught out.

Read our guides for more info aboutLondon’s ULEZ expansion, the, and ULEZ scrappage schemes.

Which cars are free from ULEZ charges?

Different rules apply to different types of vehicles when it comes to ULEZ fees. For the most part, this means:

ULEZ compliant petrol cars

Must meet Euro 4, Euro 5 or Euro 6 emissions standards
Were generally registered after January 2006

ULEZ compliant diesel cars

Must be Euro 6 compliant
Were generally registered after September 2015

ULEZ compliant hybrid & electric cars

With diesel engines: Must meet Euro 6 standards
With petrol engines: Must meet Euro 4 standards

ULEZ compliant vans & motorbikes

Diesel vans must be Euro 6 compliant
Petrol vans must be Euro 4 compliant
Motorbikes must be Euro 3 compliant

ULEZ scrappage scheme

Prefer to scrap your vehicle? The ULEZ car and motorcyclescrappage scheme is available for households within Greater London that own a non-ULEZ-compliant vehicle.

If you qualify, you can receive:

£1,000

for scrapping a motorcycle or moped

£2,000

for scrapping a car

Frequently asked questions about London's ULEZ

The ULEZ is a zone operated by TfL in London that restricts the use of older, high-polluting vehicles through the use of a penalty fee. If your car is not ULEZ compliant, you need to pay a daily charge of £12.50.

Since the 29th August 2023, ULEZ has been operating city-wide up to the M25.

This means that any motorist driving a non-compliant car within Greater London will be charged.

If you have driven into the ULEZ in a car that is not compliant, TfL will be in touch to let you know you face a ULEZ charge. The ULEZ area is policed through automatic number-plate recognition (ANPR), meaning you won’t be physically stopped from entering the ULEZ in a non-compliant vehicle, but you will receive a penalty charge notice of £160 if you haven’t paid by midnight of the third day since your journey.

Alternatively, our ULEZ checker can tell you if your vehicle will need to pay the ULEZ charge, just enter your reg above!

Cars that are free to drive in the ULEZ must be Euro 6 (diesel) or Euro 4 (petrol) compliant. That means low emission and zero-emission vehicles such as electric cars will not be charged. Hybrid cars aren’t automatically exempt, as some models made before 2015 may not be ULEZ compliant.

By using our ULEZ checker! Just enter your reg to see if your vehicle is ULEZ compliant.

Using DVLA and emissions standards information published by TfL, we will show you if your car is exempt from charges in London, or whether you need to pay a daily charge to drive in the zone.

The ULEZ was expanded city-wide on the 29th of August 2023. This means that any motorist driving a non-compliant vehicle within any London borough is now subject to the ULEZ charge.

You can check your vehicle for Euro 6 compliance in relation to ULEZ with Motorway’s ULEZ checker.

If your vehicle was made after September 2015, there’s a good chance it’s Euro 6 compliant and therefore able to drive in London’s ULEZ for free.

You may also find this information in your registration details or, you can simply check your reg with our ULEZ check tool which will show whether it’s Euro 6 compliant.

If your car is ULEZ compliant then it will automatically mean it’s Euro 6 compliant too (excluding exemptions).

If your bike is Euro 3 compliant then it will also be considered ULEZ compliant — enter your reg into our checker to find out.

From the start of 2021, only Euro 5 compliant bikes can be sold in the EU, so any motorbikes bought at this time will be both Euro 5 and ULEZ compliant. If you purchased a bike before this, you should check your registration details or contact the manufacturer to confirm.

Remember, the rules for bikes in the ULEZ means they must be Euro 3 compliant, not Euro 6, like cars, so bikes manufactured as early as 2000 may still be able to drive in the ULEZ charge-free.

London’s ULEZ was introduced by TfL in 2019, and was later expanded to cover an area up to the North and South Circular Road. Since the 29th August 2023, the zone has been operating city-wide up to the M25.

If your car is ULEZ compliant, you will not need to pay any ULEZ fees within this expanded area, but if you are driving a non-compliant vehicle, you will be subject to the full ULEZ charge.

Use Motorway’s ULEZ checkerto find out if your car meets the emissions standards, and if you need to pay in the Greater London zone.

Since the 29th of August 2023, driving a non-compliant vehicle within any Greater London borough will make you subject to the ULEZ charge.

Read our guidetofind out how this expansion affects you, the price of your vehicle, and what you can do to avoid paying ULEZ fines.

The ULEZ is clearly signposted as you enter the capital. Keep an eye out for the green signs with ULEZ written in a white circle. These will be at every boundary point.

Look out for the advance information signs that appear on major roads. These indicate the distance to the boundary.

When you get close to the boundary, there will be directional signs that show which routes take you into the ULEZ.

You’ll also see signs in the zone displaying a camera icon. These are to remind you about the cameras – equipped with Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology – operating in the zone.

ULEZ guides

ULEZ expansionLondon’s ultra low emissions zone expanded in August 2023. Find out when, where and what the new rules are in our guide.

ULEZ-compliant carsIs your car ULEZ-compliant? Find out about compliance criteria.

ULEZ – the ultimate guideLearn why the ULEZ is so important if you plan to be driving in London.

The van driver’s guide to London’s ULEZVans are more likely to incur ULEZ charges. With the zone soon to expand to all of Greater London, make sure you don’t get a penalty charge.

Proving your car is ULEZ-compliant with a Certificate of ConformityA CoC is a document you can request from your car’s manufacturer. It has several uses, including verification of ULEZ, CAZ and LEZ compliance.

Free ULEZ Checker: Check Your Vehicle Compliance | Motorway (2024)