An online service run by the UK government allows drivers to check whether they will be charged for entering a Clean Air Zone (CAZ).
Using the tool, you can confirm if you face a daily charge to drive into a Clean Air Zone. A fee will apply if your car doesn’t meet the minimum exhaust emissions standards.
The UK cities with Clean Air Zones operating at present are Bath, Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Portsmouth, Sheffield and Tyneside (Newcastle and Gateshead).
London has its own separate Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ), with stricter emissions requirements. Read our London ULEZ guide for more information.
‘Air pollution has improved significantly,’ said the government, but ‘there is more to do, and local authorities are taking forward Clean Air Zones to reduce the use of polluting vehicles.’
How does the online checker work?
To find out if you’ll be charged to enter a Clean Air Zone, you need to visit the CAZ charge website. You will require the number plate (registration number) of the vehicle you want to drive into the zone.
You will be asked you to confirm these details, then select which city you want to drive in.
By using the registration of a 1998 Range Rover, we discovered that we’d be charged £8 for entering Birmingham and £9 to drive into Bristol. But there was no fee for any of the other cities mentioned above. Portsmouth, for example, only charges buses, coaches, taxis and private hire vehicles inside its Clean Air Zone.
The different types of Clean Air Zones
There are four categories of CAZ: A, B, C and D. These are summarised as follows:
| Class | Vehicle type |
| A | Buses, coaches, taxis, private hire vehicles |
| B | Buses, coaches, taxis, private hire vehicles |
| C | Buses, coaches, taxis, private hire vehicles, HGVs, vans, minibuses |
| D | Buses, coaches, taxis, private hire vehicles, HGVs, vans, minibuses, cars (local authority has the option to include motorcycles, too) |
Going back to the example of our almost classic Range Rover, Birmingham and Bristol are a Class D zones, while Portsmouth is a Class B.
The area covered by the various Clean Air Zones also varies hugely. Bradford’s CAZ stretches over 9.35 square miles, while Sheffield’s is just 0.9 square miles.
Are there any exemptions?
There are some national and local exemptions from the Clean Air Zone charges. By contacting the relevant authorities you can find out if there are local differences, but the following vehicles are automatically exempt from national CAZ charges:
- Ultra low emission vehicles, such as electric cars
- Disabled passenger tax class vehicles
- Military vehicles
- Historic vehicles
- Vehicle retrofitted with technology accredited by the Clean Vehicle Retrofit Accreditation Scheme (CVRAS)
Where to find more CAZ information
If you’re planning to drive into a city that has a Clean Air Zone, the following websites may be helpful:
