ULEZ / CAZ Cost Estimator
Estimate whether a journey into London ULEZ or an English Clean Air Zone is likely to be charged, then see the daily, weekly and annual cost. This is a practical planning tool, not a replacement for the official number-plate checkers, because exact results can depend on DVLA records, V5C vehicle category, taxi licensing and local exemptions.
Estimate your clean-air charge
Start with the zone and vehicle type. If you already know the Euro standard from your V5C or official checker, use the compliance override.
Use the V5C category if the vehicle looks like a car but is registered as a van.
London ULEZ
GBP 12.50
Daily charge for non-compliant cars, motorcycles, vans and eligible minibuses.
CAZ car charges
GBP 0 to GBP 9
Private cars are charged only in Class D CAZ cities such as Birmingham and Bristol.
Commercial vehicles
Up to GBP 100
Vans, taxis, HGVs, buses and coaches are more likely to be charged outside London.
ULEZ, CAZ and LEZ are not the same thing
The most common mistake is treating every clean-air charge as "ULEZ". London ULEZ is a London scheme for lighter vehicles. If you drive a non-compliant car, motorcycle, light van or qualifying minibus inside the London zone, the daily ULEZ charge is normally GBP 12.50. Heavy lorries, buses and coaches are not charged under ULEZ in the same way; they are normally covered by London's separate Low Emission Zone rules.
Outside London, the GOV.UK Clean Air Zone service covers Bath, Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Portsmouth, Sheffield and Tyneside. These zones have classes. Class B and C zones mostly target commercial vehicles, taxis, buses and HGVs, while Class D zones can charge private cars. That is why a 2010 diesel car can be a charge risk in Birmingham or Bristol, but not normally in Bath or Bradford unless it is a taxi or recorded as a chargeable vehicle category.
| Scheme | Who it mainly catches | Payment service |
|---|---|---|
| London ULEZ | Non-compliant cars, motorcycles, vans and lighter minibuses | TfL |
| English CAZ | Depends on zone class and vehicle type | GOV.UK |
| London LEZ | Lorries, buses, coaches and heavier specialist vehicles | TfL |
2026 daily charges at a glance
These are the daily charges used by the estimator when a vehicle type is in scope and the vehicle does not meet the emissions standard. Local exemptions, taxi licensing rules and V5C body category can change the answer, so use the official checker before paying or driving.
| Zone | Cars | Vans / taxis | HGV / bus / coach |
|---|---|---|---|
| London ULEZ | GBP 12.50 | GBP 12.50 for eligible lighter vehicles | Separate LEZ check |
| Bath | No charge | GBP 9 | GBP 100 |
| Birmingham | GBP 8 | GBP 8 | GBP 50 |
| Bradford | No charge | GBP 7 to GBP 9 | GBP 50 |
| Bristol | GBP 9 | GBP 9 | GBP 100 |
| Portsmouth | No charge | GBP 10 for taxis/PHVs | GBP 50 |
| Sheffield | No charge | GBP 10 | GBP 50 |
| Tyneside | No charge | GBP 12.50 | GBP 50 |
How this ULEZ and CAZ estimator works
Inputs used
- The zone you plan to drive in, because London ULEZ and English CAZ schemes use different charging structures.
- Vehicle type, including whether the vehicle is a private car, motorcycle, van, minibus, HGV, bus, coach, taxi or private hire vehicle.
- Fuel type and registration-date guide, used only as a proxy for the relevant Euro emissions standard.
- Compliance override, for cases where you already know the official Euro standard or plate-checker result.
- Driving days per week and weeks per year, used to estimate repeated journey costs.
- Possible exemption and non-UK registration flags, which add warnings rather than silently removing a charge.
Calculation method
- First, check whether the selected zone charges the selected vehicle type. If a zone class does not charge private cars, for example, the estimate shows no daily charge even if the car is old.
- Then estimate compliance. The usual standards are Euro 4 for petrol cars/vans/taxis, Euro 6 for diesel cars/vans/taxis, Euro VI for HGVs/buses/coaches and Euro 3 for motorcycles.
- If the compliance override is used, follow that user-entered result instead of the date proxy.
- If the vehicle is in scope and is estimated non-compliant, apply the published daily charge for that zone and vehicle type.
- Multiply the daily charge by the entered driving days per week and weeks per year to estimate repeated-use costs.
Assumptions
- Registration dates are only a guide. Some vehicles met the relevant Euro standard earlier or later than the broad date ranges suggest.
- The official GOV.UK CAZ checker and TfL ULEZ checker should be used for the final plate-specific answer.
- A charge day runs midnight to midnight, not 24 hours from when you enter the zone.
What this does not cover
- This page does not calculate London Congestion Charge, Blackwall and Silvertown tunnel charges, parking, tolls, insurance, MOT, fuel or car tax.
- It does not decide local exemptions, disabled grace periods, taxi licensing conditions, CVRAS retrofit status, historic vehicle status, foreign registration evidence or appeals.
- It does not calculate company car Benefit-in-Kind. Use the Company Car BiK Tax Calculator for employment tax on a company vehicle.
- For annual vehicle excise duty rather than city clean-air charges, use the Road Tax Calculator or Car Tax Calculator.
Worked example: older diesel commuter car
Imagine you have a 2014 diesel car and drive into central Bristol three days a week for 46 weeks of the year. Bristol is a Class D Clean Air Zone, so private cars are in scope. A 2014 diesel car is unlikely to meet Euro 6 unless the official checker says otherwise.
The daily Bristol charge for a non-compliant private car is GBP 9. At three days a week, that is GBP 27 a week. Over 46 weeks the estimate is GBP 1,242. The same car used in Bath or Bradford would normally show no private-car CAZ charge, because those zones do not charge private cars.
That is why zone choice matters as much as the vehicle. A clean-air charge is not a national road tax. It is a local charging rule, and the same car can have a different answer in different cities.
Common mistakes before a city trip
- Paying through a third-party website instead of the official TfL or GOV.UK service.
- Assuming a private car is charged in every CAZ. Several English CAZ cities do not charge private cars.
- Forgetting that a van-shaped vehicle, SUV, campervan or pick-up may be recorded differently on the V5C.
- Driving before midnight and after midnight, then only paying for one day.
- Relying on the registration year when the official plate checker has a different Euro-standard record.
- Confusing London ULEZ with London LEZ, Congestion Charge or tunnel charges.
When an old vehicle may still be free to drive
The estimator deliberately separates "vehicle is old" from "charge definitely applies". For CAZ cities, the first question is whether that zone charges your type of vehicle. Bath, Bradford, Sheffield and Tyneside can charge vans, taxis and heavy vehicles, but private cars and motorcycles are not normally charged. Portsmouth is narrower again as a Class B zone.
Exemptions can also change the answer. GOV.UK lists national CAZ exemptions such as ultra-low-emission vehicles, disabled tax class vehicles, military vehicles, historic vehicles, certain agricultural vehicles and vehicles retrofitted through CVRAS. TfL has its own London ULEZ discounts and grace periods, including disabled tax class and some wheelchair-accessible or disabled-benefit routes. These details are too specific to automate safely from a static calculator, so this page flags them as checks rather than subtracting the charge automatically.
Frequently asked questions
How much is the London ULEZ charge?
Do private cars pay in Clean Air Zones outside London?
What Euro standard do I need for ULEZ or CAZ?
Is this estimator the same as the official number plate checker?
Official sources
Last verified: May 10 2026. Calculations are estimates based on the published rules and assumptions shown on this page.
- GOV.UK Clean Air Zones guidance - current English CAZ cities, zone classes, minimum emissions standards, payment window and national exemptions
- GOV.UK Clean Air Zone checker and payment service - official number-plate checker and payment service for Bath, Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Portsmouth, Sheffield and Tyneside
- Transport for London ULEZ - London ULEZ scope, emissions standards, daily charge, area and heavy-vehicle LEZ distinction
- Transport for London ULEZ payments - ULEZ payment timing and Auto Pay information
- Transport for London ULEZ penalty charges - current ULEZ PCN amounts for cars, vans, motorcycles and minibuses
- Bath Clean Air Zone charges - Bath Class C vehicle categories and daily charges
- Bristol Clean Air Zone charges - Bristol Class D daily charges and compliance guidance
- Bradford Clean Air Zone daily charges - Bradford vehicle categories, Euro standards and daily charges
- Sheffield Clean Air Zone charges - Sheffield Class C vehicle scope and daily charges
- Portsmouth Clean Air Zone penalty and charge guidance - Portsmouth Class B daily charges and PCN amounts
- Newcastle and Gateshead Clean Air Zone - Tyneside CAZ vehicle scope and official local guidance