ULEZ car and motorcycle scrappage scheme
Eligibility criteria changes: Child Benefit
We are making changes to the scrappage scheme to help even more Londoners benefit from the funds that are available and prepare for the ULEZ expansion.
These changes include adding recipients of Child Benefit to those who can apply to scrap a car or motorcycle. If you are a Londoner and receive Child Benefit and would like to apply, check back here for more details at the end of July 2023.
Application process
The Mayor's new £110m scrappage scheme helps clear London's air by providing grant payments to successful applicants to scrap or retrofit their vehicles that do not meet the ULEZ emissions standards and switch to cleaner, greener modes of transport.
Applications for the scrappage scheme are divided into two sub-schemes based on vehicle type and applicant.
There is information on this page for the ULEZ car and motorcycle scrappage scheme. This is for Londoners on certain low income or disability benefits with cars, motorcycles and wheelchair accessible vehicles that do not meet the ULEZ emissions standards.
Eligible sole traders, micro businesses (up to 10 employees) or charities with a registered address in London and a van or minibus that does not meet the ULEZ emissions standards, can find out more on our ULEZ van and minibus scrappage scheme page:
ULEZ van and minibuses scrappage scheme
Check your vehicle
If your vehicle doesn't meet the ULEZ emissions standards, you will need to pay a daily charge to drive it within the zone. We would prefer vehicle owners use a vehicle that meets the emissions standards for essential journeys or to use public transport, walk or cycle where possible rather than pay the daily charge.
You can only apply for a grant payment to scrap or retrofit a vehicle that does not meet the ULEZ emissions standards.
You will need to live within one of the 32 London boroughs or the City of London (Greater London Area) and receive certain benefits to be eligible for the ULEZ car and motorcycle scrappage scheme. If you have received a grant payment under the previous ULEZ car and motorcycle scrappage scheme you can't apply to the equivalent scheme again.
Grant payment options
For cars, motorcycles and wheelchair accessible cars or vans there are eight grant payment options:
- 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) - £5,000
- Retrofit a wheelchair accessible vehicle (van only) - £5,000
The options with one or two Annual Bus & Tram Passes have a higher total value than the grant payment alone. For example, the option to scrap a car and receive one Annual Bus & Tram Pass and a lower payment is worth over £2,500 and the option to scrap a car and receive two Annual Bus and Tram Passes and a lower grant payment is worth over £3,000.
If your application is successful, you can choose to receive your grant payment as a one-off payment, or a reduced grant payment plus one or two adult-rate Annual Bus & Tram Passes. The Annual Bus & Tram Passes are issued on Oyster cards; a single Pass will be issued to you, and a second can be issued to someone you live with.
The Annual Bus & Tram Pass is non-transferable and non-refundable and gives the holder 12 months of unlimited travel on TfL buses and trams throughout London.
Eligible applicants and vehicles
To apply, you must live within one of the 32 London boroughs or the City of London and receive one or more of the following benefits:
- Universal Credit
- Armed Forces Independence Payment
- Attendance Allowance
- Carer's Allowance
- Child Tax Credit
- Constant Attendance Allowance
- Disability Living Allowance
- Employment and Support Allowance
- Housing Benefit
- Income Support
- Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
- Jobseeker's Allowance
- Pension Credit
- Personal Independence Payment
- Severe Disablement Allowance
- War Pensioners' Mobility Supplement
- Working Tax Credit
You can apply to scrap cars, motorcycles (including mopeds, motorised tricycles and quadricycles) or wheelchair accessible vehicles (cars and vans). There is also an option to retrofit a wheelchair accessible vehicle (vans only).
To qualify for the wheelchair accessible grant payment, the vehicle you apply with must have been converted by mobility experts to allow a disabled person to access to the vehicle as the driver or passenger.
To be eligible for a grant payment to scrap or retrofit your vehicle, the vehicle needs to have been registered with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) to you (or someone who lives at your address) since 30 January 2022 or earlier. If you are claiming disability benefits, the vehicle can also be registered to your nominated driver at a different address. The vehicle must also have valid insurance, road tax and MOT and not meet the ULEZ emissions standards.
Your benefits and tax status may be affected
Some low income, means-tested benefits are affected by the amount of money you have in savings. The ULEZ car and motorcycle scrappage scheme grant payment may be treated as savings for any means-tested benefits you claim. If this grant payment is treated as savings, and takes you over the permitted savings limit, your benefit claims may be affected. Find out more about this and how benefits can be affected by lump sum payouts. TfL will have no liability to you if the ULEZ car and motorcycle scrappage scheme grant payment affects any means-tested benefits you receive.
Applying with a private (personalised) plate
If you are applying to scrap a vehicle that has a private (personalised) number plate, you will need to provide the private plate details when entering your number plate (Vehicle Registration Mark) in the application, so that we can validate your vehicle make and model. If you receive a confirmation of eligibility letter from us, you should remove your private plate and then scrap your vehicle.
Start your application
Get ready to apply
- You will need to have (or create) a London road user charging (RUC) account
- The name on the RUC account must be the person who is receiving benefits and the address must match the one on the benefit proof
- You will need to have a valid email address connected to your RUC account
- Read the ULEZ car and motorcycle scrappage scheme terms and conditions
- Have all the required documents ready before you start the application
- You will need to complete the application in one go as it will time out if you are inactive for 30 minutes
Evidence required
To apply, you will need to provide information and upload documents about you and the vehicle you want to apply to the scheme with. You may upload photos, scans or screenshots, including from your phone, but they must show the entire page and be clear enough to read. Files can be uploaded in JPG, PNG, or PDF formats.
About the applicant
You'll need to prove you are claiming benefits with either:
- Your most recent award letter (not more than 12 months old), or
- Your full Universal Credit service statement
If your benefit proof doesn't show your address, you'll need to provide a proof of address such as a driving licence or bank statement/utility bill dated within the last three months.
You will also need to provide a form of photo ID showing your name-such as a driver's licence, passport or UK Blue Badge.
About the vehicle
You will need to show that this vehicle is registered with the DVLA and that it is insured by providing:
- V5C log book (DVLA registration document)
- Valid vehicle insurance certificate
Wheelchair accessible vehicles (WAV)
To qualify for the WAV scrappage grant payment, the vehicle must be converted by mobility experts to allow a disabled person to access the vehicle as the driver or passenger. You can apply to scrap a wheelchair accessible car and there is also the option to scrap or retrofit a wheelchair accessible van.
The vehicle must be fitted with one or more of the following adaptations:
- A permanently fitted foldable ramp or a powered lift allowing the wheelchair user to enter the vehicle
- An electric or hydraulic wheelchair hoist to lift a person or wheelchair into the vehicle
- A swivel seat on either the passenger or driver side of the vehicle.
- An accelerator ring permanently fitted to the steering wheel of the vehicle
Evidence required:
All applicants must provide:
- One image showing the whole rear of the vehicle including clearly legible number plate of vehicle
We will also need to see:
Where the vehicle is adapted to be wheelchair accessible:
- One image of the vehicle's permanent conversion for wheelchair access
- One image of the wheelchair securing system
Where the vehicle is adapted to enable use by wheelchair users:
Either
- Two images of the swivel seat, one facing forwards and one sideways
Or
- Two images of the hydraulic or electronic hoist system; one of it permanently attached to the vehicle and one of it installed in the vehicle (showing the interior of the vehicle for context).
Where the vehicle is adapted to be driven by a disabled person:
- One image of the vehicle driving area, with the door open, showing the accelerator ring and the interior of the vehicle in context.
- One image showing the accelerator ring attached to the steering wheel of the vehicle.
About the registered keeper of the vehicle:
The registered keeper of the vehicle can be you or someone who lives with you. If you are claiming a disability benefit, the vehicle can be registered to your nominated driver at a different address.
If the registered keeper of the vehicle is someone that lives with you, then you will also need to provide:
- Photo ID of the registered keeper of the vehicle showing their name-such as a driver's licence, passport or UK Blue Badge.
- Proof of address of the registered keeper of the vehicle, showing that they live at your address, such as a driving licence or bank statement/utility bill dated within the last three months.
If you are claiming a disability benefit and the registered keeper of the vehicle is your nominated driver then you will also need to provide:
- Photo ID of the registered keeper of the vehicle showing their name - such as a driver's licence, passport or UK Blue Badge.
- A letter signed by both parties confirming the registered keeper of the vehicle is your nominated driver and the vehicle is used solely for the disabled person's personal needs.
About adult-rate Annual Bus & Tram Passes
If you are applying for a grant payment plus two adult-rate Annual Bus & Tram Passes, the second pass must be issued to someone who lives with you.
In this case, you will also need to provide:
- Photo ID of the person who is getting the second Annual Bus & Tram Pass showing their name - such as a driver's licence, passport or UK Blue Badge.
- Proof of address of the person who is getting the second Annual Bus & Tram Pass - showing that they live at your address, such as a driving licence or bank statement/utility bill dated within the last three months.
Sole Traders
If you are a sole trader scrapping or retrofitting a vehicle with business insurance and you have received or expect to receive any subsidy control (Minimal Financial Assistance) this year or in the preceding two financial years, you will need to provide details about this funding during the application.
Application stages
The application process has two stages:
Stage 1: Check and apply online
You will need to send us evidence that you and your vehicle qualify for the scheme.
Please make a note of the reference number that appears on screen when you submit your application in case you need to contact us about it.
Documents you provide with your application can be viewed in your online account correspondence history.
We will aim to process your application within 10 working days of receipt and contact you by email to let you know if it has been approved.
Stage 2: Scrap or retrofit your vehicle
If your application is approved, we'll ask you to scrap your vehicle at an Authorised Treatment Facility (ATF). They will issue you with a Certificate of Destruction. You will have one month to scrap your vehicle and provide us with the evidence.
If you are retrofitting a wheelchair accessible vehicle (van) you will need to contact an approved Clean Vehicle Retrofit Accreditation Scheme (CVRAS) fitter to find out if your vehicle (van) can be retrofitted and arrange for the works to be completed. The fitter will issue you with a retrofit invoice and CVRAS vehicle installation certificate. You will have six months to retrofit your vehicle and provide us with the evidence.
You should not scrap or retrofit your vehicle until you receive confirmation from us that your application has been approved.
See our submit evidence of scrap or retrofit section for more information.
Grant payment
We will process your grant payment cheque once we have received and verified the evidence that you have scrapped or retrofitted your vehicle. Your cheque will be made payable to the applicant (you) and sent by post to the address on your RUC account. If you applied for adult-rate Annual Bus & Tram Passes, these will also be posted to your address.
Submit evidence of scrap or retrofit
Once your application has been approved and you have scrapped or retrofitted your vehicle, you will need to provide us with the evidence here.
You must be signed into the same RUC account that you submitted your application from, or your grant payment will be delayed.
If you've scrapped a vehicle, you need to upload an image of the Certificate of Destruction (as issued by an ATF).
If you've retrofitted a vehicle, you will need to upload an image of the CVRAS retrofit invoice and CVRAS vehicle installation certificate. These must be dated after the date of the letter we send you confirming your eligibility for the scheme.
Next steps
We will aim to process your evidence within 10 working days. We will contact you with the outcome. Once approved, your grant payment will be sent by post to the named applicant at the address on the RUC account. If you applied for adult-rate Annual Bus & Tram Passes, these will also be posted to your address.
Additional evidence
Only use this section if you've applied to the scheme and we've asked you to supply further evidence.
When uploading your evidence, please make sure you are signed in to the RUC account that you used to submit your application.
To make a new application instead, go to the 'Start your application' section. If you've applied and had a rejection letter and your circumstances have changed or you can supply new evidence, then you will need to submit new application.
Make an enquiry
If you have any questions about the ULEZ car and motorcycle scrappage scheme, you can make an enquiry.
If you've applied for the scheme but have changed your mind, you can tell us here that you would like to withdraw your application
Disclaimer
The scheme has limited funds and operates on a first come, first served basis. We may review how this scheme is operating (such as length of the scheme, eligibility checks, grant payment options and more) and make changes when necessary.
This page provides an overview of the ULEZ car and motorcycle scrappage scheme. Please see the terms and conditions for full details before you submit an application.
Privacy
See how TfL uses your data on the Road User Charging privacy page.
ULEZ support offers
Several organisations are providing offers and promotions to support the scrappage scheme and the Mayor's ambition to help clear London's air. There are exclusive promotions for successful scrappage scheme applicants as well as other offers for all Londoners to take advantage of, whether they are eligible for a grant payment or not.
By switching to other more sustainable modes of transport and using the offers, you could save money. You can get money off things like hire and/or subscription services for bikes, cargo-bikes, e-bikes and e-scooters. There are also discounts on car clubs with fleets that meet the ULEZ emissions standards, and other great deals.
Successful scrappage applicants can unlock several exclusive offers:
ULEZ support offers for successful scrappage scheme applicants
