Request ID: FOI-3028-2223 Date published: 09 March 2023
You asked
Please advise what specific figures you are guided by to decide whether a vehicle is compliant or not.
We answered
Our Ref: FOI-3028-2223
Thank you for your request received on 16 February 2023 asking for information about Ultra-low Emission Zone (ULEZ) compliance.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy. I can confirm we do hold the information you require.
In order to establish whether a vehicle is compliant with the ULEZ emission standards we predominantly use the vehicle data held by the DVLA. In most cases we can establish a vehicle’s compliance status by the date it was first registered as new. Using the data provided by the DVLA we have developed a compliance database which lists the compliance status of most UK registered vehicles. This is not a live link to the DVLA data, it is a static list of vehicles which is refreshed with new updated DVLA data every month.
By updating the list regularly it ensures any update to vehicle information held by the DVLA is reflected on our database.
This database links into our ULEZ compliance checker, which is an online tool which allows motorists to check the compliance status of their vehicle to establish if the ULEZ charge is payable. The compliance checker utilises data from a variety of sources including the DVLA, the VCA (Vehicle Certification Agency) and information sourced from vehicle manufacturers, supplemented on an ongoing basis by information provided to TfL by owners / registered keepers of individual vehicles. The compliance checker is available on our website:
We acknowledge that the information held by the DVLA may not always allow us to establish whether a vehicle is compliant, not least because there is no requirement for them to record a vehicle’s emissions. Therefore, we have established a registration process which allows motorists to contact us and update their vehicle’s compliance status should they believe it to be incorrect. To do this they simply need to send us evidence that the vehicle meets the relevant emission standards and we will update our database. Full details of the procedure is available on our website:
For non-UK registered vehicles we do not have access to the vehicle emissions/compliance data held by the overseas equivalents of the DVLA and therefore motorists taking a foreign registered vehicle into the ULEZ can utilise the above mentioned registration process and confirm their vehicle is compliant.
If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable to access it for some reason, please feel free to contact me.
Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal.
Yours sincerely
Gemma Jacob Senior FOI Case Officer FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
