ULEZ will extend to include Greater London

The Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) will expand to include the whole of Greater London under plans laid out by mayor Sadiq Khan.

Currently, drivers of more polluting vehicles are charged £12.50 per day to enter London within its north and south-circular orbital roads. Failure to pay the charge lands drivers with a £160 fine.

However, under new proposals the ULEZ zone will expand to take in London's outer boroughs by the end of 2023.

Mr Khan said: "The triple challenges of tackling toxic air pollution, the climate emergency and congestion mean we need to further reduce emissions from vehicles in London. This is also a matter of social justice - with air pollution hitting the poorest communities the hardest. I believe the proposal to extend the ULEZ London-wide will have the biggest effect on emissions and congestion relative to the potential financial impact on Londoners as a whole."

According to City Hall estimates, the expanded ULEZ scheme will remove from London air up to 330 tonnes of nitrogen oxide 150,000 tonnes of CO2.

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Which vehicles are affected by new ULEZ zone?

Vehicles liable for the ULEZ daily charge include petrol cars and vans that do not meet Euro 4 (pre-2006), motorbikes that do not meet Euro 3 (pre-2007), diesel car and vans that do not meet Euro 6 (pre-2015) and buses, coaches and lorries that don't meet Euro 6 will have to pay a higher charge of £100 oer day.

You can check whether your own vehicle is ULEZ compliant using TfL's checker

London road user charging

The plans for an extended ULEZ will now be put out to consultation. However, in theory the entire ULEZ may be dropped alongside the congestion charge and toxicity charge in favour of a London-wide road pricing scheme.

The capital has seen a shift to driving during the pandemic with the cost of congestion rising to over £5 billion last year, leading to gridlocked roads and toxic air pollution. The number of miles being driven in the capital has increased in recent years, even though more than a third of car trips in London could be walked in under 25 minutes and two-thirds cycled in less than 20 minutes.

In order to achieve anywhere near the required reduction in car use, London will need a new kind of road user charging system. Such a system could abolish all existing road user charges – such as the Congestion Charge and ULEZ - and replace them with a simple scheme where drivers pay per mile, with different rates depending on how polluting vehicles are, the level of congestion in the area and access to public transport.

"The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “I’m not willing to stand by and wait when there’s more we can do in London that could make a big difference. We simply don’t have time to waste. The climate emergency means we only have a small window of opportunity left to reduce carbon emissions to help save the planet, and, despite the world-leading progress we have made over the last few years, there is still far too much toxic air pollution permanently damaging the lungs of young Londoners.

“This is also a matter of social justice – with air pollution hitting the poorest communities the hardest. Londoners on lower incomes are more likely to live in areas of the city most badly affected by air pollution and least likely to own a car. Nearly half of Londoners don’t own a car, but they are disproportionally feeling the damaging consequences polluting vehicles are causing."

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