Request ID: FOI-3501-2223 Date published: 18 April 2023
You asked
Hi, please could you confirm if there are any plans to change the rules around which cars are exempt. I understand that Petrol Cars that meet Euro 4 emission standards will be fine in 2023. However are there plans to change the ULEZ rules and stipulate that cars need to be Euro 5 in future years for instance?
We answered
TfL Ref: FOI-3501-2223
Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 24th March 2023 asking for information about the ULEZ scheme.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy.
Specifically you asked:
“Please could you confirm if there are any plans to change the rules around which cars are exempt. I understand that Petrol Cars that meet Euro 4 emission standards will be fine in 2023. However are there plans to change the ULEZ rules and stipulate that cars need to be Euro 5 in future years for instance?”
There are no plans at present. The current standards for vehicle emissions are informed by the European emission standards. The current standards for vehicles in the ULEZ is Euro 4 for petrol vehicles and Euro 6 diesel for vehicles. The current standards help the Mayor and TfL strike the right balance in maximising the benefits to Londoners by encouraging people to use less polluting vehicles while also ensuring compliant vehicles are not unaffordable to people who rely on a private vehicle to make a journey. For diesel vehicles, the ULEZ standard (Euro 6) is already aligned with the tightest emission standard. Euro 7 standards have not been finalised at this stage.
Note that TfL recently sought the public’s views on how to shape the future of road user charging. You may want to refer to the Mayoral Decision and consultation report which is appended to it which sets out the findings of the consultation. They can be found using the following link, specifically section 1.6 under Introduction and Background, and appendix 2. Please note that any proposed changes to an existing road user charging scheme or the introduction of a new scheme would be subject to consultation:
1.6. The consultation also asked for people’s views to help shape the future of road user charging (“Future RUC”), which could include replacing existing charges with a road user charging scheme that uses more sophisticated technology to make it as simple and fair as possible for customers. While experts have found that London will need a new kind of road user charging system by the end of the decade to achieve net zero carbon by 2030, the technology to implement such a scheme in a complex city like London is some years away. TfL did not consult on any specific future road user charging scheme at this stage. Any proposals which could be developed in the future would be subject to a further public and stakeholder consultation with information provided on detailed scheme proposals and their likely impacts.
If this is not the information you are looking for please do not hesitate to contact me.
Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed.
Yours sincerely,
David Wells FOI Case Officer FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
