Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ)
London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) is a regulation that the government are introducing in Central London to reduce air pollution. If your van or one owned by your company fails to meet the stricter emissions standards, the daily charges will nearly double when entering ULEZ. Northgate Vehicle Hire provide an easy guide on the impact of ULEZ which can help get you up to speed.
Is my Van or Car ULEZ Compliant?
According to Fleet News , 21% of fleet vans do not comply with the London ULEZ regulations. According to TFL, 10% of cars outside of London do not meet emissions standards and will incur charges for driving into the city.
Euro 6 diesel cars and vans were first available from September 2016, meaning any diesel vans acquired before that date are unlikely to meet the emissions standards. If you're unsure about your vehicle's ULEZ compliance, you can use the Transport for London ULEZ Emissions Checker.
All the vehicles in our inventory are Euro 6 compliant. If you need to replace your old vehicle, we can assist with part exchange or guide you through applications for the scrappage scheme. Contact your nearest branch for assistance.
Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) Expansion
In March 2023 Mayor Sadiq Khan announced that on the 29th August 2023 that ULEZ would be expanded.
Read more on the Transport for London ULEZ Expansion page.
With the ULEZ expansion comes the risk of further private vehicle owners and businesses owning vehicles that will incur charges to drive within the ULEZ zone. With the expansions there are approximate 700,000 cars and 150,000 vans/other vehicles that are non-compliant.
List of some of the new areas covered by ULEZ:
North London |
East London |
South London |
West London |
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Barking
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Biggin Hill
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Brentford
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What could I do with my Non-ULEZ-Compliant vehicle?
There are a number of options that can be taken by private individuals and businesses regarding non-compliant vehicles.
Transport for London Scrappage scheme
The first option is to utilise the Transport for London Scrappage Scheme, which provides a range of financial options for the retrofitting or scrapping of your vehicle(s).
Read more on the scrappage scheme for Cars & Motorcycles here or on the TFL website.
Read more on the scrappage scheme for Vans here or on the TFL website.
Part Exchange
The second option is to part-exchange your non-compliant vehicle for a newer vehicle that meets the Euro 6 emissions standards for vans or Euro 4 and above for alternative vehicles.
Sell your vehicle
The third option is to sell your vehicle privately, which could provide you the most value for your vehicle. The money from the sale can then be used to purchase, lease or hire a new vehicle, which does meet the emissions standards.
Fleet Disposals
If you have a number of vehicles in your business fleet that do not meet the ULEZ emissions standards. We can assist with disposal of your non-compliant vehicles and supply replacement vehicles to suit your businesses requirements.
Is my vehicle eligible for the ULEZ scrappage scheme?
Cars
In order to qualify for the current Transport for London car scrappage scheme you must be a London resident to receive up to £2,000. The vehicle must have valid insurance, road tax and have an MOT. Alternatively, if you do not want to scrap your car you have the option to retrofit your vehicle to make it compliant with the required emission standards.
Vans & Minibuses
To qualify for the current scrappage scheme for vans or minibuses you can only do so depending on your business type and size.
Small Businesses
Small businesses are able to apply for the scrappage scheme and must fit within the following criteria.
- Under 50 employees
- Up to £10.2m turnover or up to £5.1m balance sheet total in the preceding and current financial year and
- Companies House registration as an active company or VAT registered within the 32 London boroughs or the City of London
Micro Businesses
Micro businesses are able to apply for the scrappage scheme and must fit within the following criteria.
- 10 or fewer employees
- Up to £632,000 turnover or up to £316,000 balance sheet total in the preceding and current financial year and
- Companies House registration as an active company or VAT registered within the 32 London boroughs or City of London
Sole Traders
Small businesses are able to apply for the scrappage scheme and must fit within the following criteria. Must be self employed person who operates and owns the business within the 32 London Boroughs or within the City of London
Charities
- Registered with the Charities Commission as active within the 32 London boroughs or the City of London
In addition to the above business size and type criteria the vehicle must meet the below vehicle criteria:
- A light van, up to and including 3.5 tonnes gross vehicle weight (GVW) or minibus (up to and including 5 tonnes GVW) registered to an eligible organisation for more than 12 calendar months before the start of the scrappage scheme on 30 January 2023
- Registered with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) in the name of the business, sole trader or charity (if the vehicle is registered to an employee, director of the small/micro business or trustee of a charity you will need to provide confirmation of their link to the organisation)
- Insured for business use
- Certified with valid road tax and MOT
Car and Motorcycle ULEZ Scrappage scheme
If you own a car within the ULEZ, which does not meet the new emission standards you could be eligible to take part in the TFL scrappage scheme. The scrappage scheme provides access to a fixed monetary amount or alternatively lower monetary amount and an annual Bus and tram pass(es).
The conditions are that you must live within one of the 32 London boroughs or the City of London (Greater London area). Applicants to the scrappage scheme will not be successful if they have already applied for a grant payment through the previous ULEZ cars and motorcycle scrappage scheme.
- Scrap a car - £2,000
- Scrap a car - £1,600 plus one adult-rate Annual Bus & Tram Pass
- Scrap a car - £1,200 plus two adult-rate Annual Bus & Tram Passes
- Scrap a motorcycle - £1,000
- Scrap a motorcycle - £600 plus one adult-rate Annual Bus & Tram Pass
- Scrap a motorcycle - £200 plus two adult-rate Annual Bus & Tram Passes
- Scrap a wheelchair accessible vehicle (car or van) - £10,000
- Retrofit a wheelchair accessible vehicle (van only) - £6,000
You can see the full detail of the Transport for London car scrappage scheme page.
Van/Minibus ULEZ scrappage scheme
If you own a car within the ULEZ, which does not meet the new emission standards you could be eligible to take part in the current TFL scrappage scheme. The scrappage scheme offers 6 different options when disposing of your vehicle through the scheme.
- Scrap a van - £7,000
- Scrap a minibus - £9,000
- Retrofit a van - £6,000
- Retrofit a minibus - £6,000
- Scrap a van and replace with an electric van - £9,500
- Scrap a minibus and replace with an electric minibus - £11,500
You can see the full detail of the latest scheme on the Transport for London website https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/ultra-low-emission-zone/scrappage-schemes/van-minibus
Rather than scrapping my vehicle should I part exchange or sell it?
This is entirely your decision, but it is important to consider that there is the potential that you could get more money for your vehicle by part exchanging or selling your vehicle.
If you would like to find out how much you could get for your vehicle contact one of our branches. Alternatively if you sell your vehicle somewhere else or do use the scheme we have a wide range of cars and vans that comply with the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ).
Not ready to swap or scrap? Here's how much the ULEZ charges will cost
To view on a mobile of tablet device, click here
*subject to credit check
