The expanded ULEZ covers all London boroughs, meaning motorists driving a non-compliant car or van will face £12.50 daily charge to drive into the zone.

To comply with the expanded ULEZ, petrol cars and vans must be Euro 4 and diesel cars and vans must be Euro 6. Motorcycles and mopeds must be Euro 3.

Drivers of non-compliant vehicles failing to pay the £12.50 daily charge for London’s ULEZ, for example, will face a fine of up to £160.

The UK currently has 13 low emission zones (LEZs), clean air zones (CAZs) or zero emission zones (ZEZs), including the London ULEZ. 

At the moment, nine zones/areas charge non-compliant vehicles an entry fee, with Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) issued to drivers who fail to pay the daily charge.

Most zones have different charging criteria. For example, private cars entering the Bath CAZ are currently exempt from a charge, while vans, HGVs and private hire vehicles not meeting the required standards are subject to charges.

In Scotland, LEZs in Glasgow, Aberdeen, Dundee and Edinburgh place a ban on vehicles that do not meet the emissions requirements, with no ability to pay a fee to enter the zone.

In a survey of fleet managers, conducted by Samsara, one-in-four respondents (27%) said that they are worried about the expansion on low emission zones.

However, almost three times as many, some 76% said that reducing carbon emissions/improving sustainability is a priority in 2023.

Furthermore, one in-three respondents (69%) told Samsara that moving to electric vehicles (EVs) will have a positive impact on their business. Almost half (45%) believe that the future of their fleet is electric and more than one third (36%) believe hydrogen will have a role to play.

In the case of London’s ULEZ, Transport for London (TfL) is offering funding to fleets to help them make the switch to cleaner vehicles.

Earlier this month, the scrappage payment for vans was increased from £5,000 to £7,000, while grants to replace a non-compliant van with an electric van rose from £7,500 to £9,500. 

Small businesses and sole traders are able to scrap three vans or minibuses.

In addition, payments to fleets retrofitting vehicles were increased from £5,000 to £6,000.

Source: Fleet News