ULEZ van and minibus scrappage scheme

Application process

The Mayor's £210m scrappage scheme helps clear London's air by providing grant payments to successful applicants to scrap, donate, 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 van and minibus scrappage scheme. This is for eligible sole traders, micro businesses (up to 10 employees), small businesses (under 50 employees) or charities with a registered address in London and vans or minibuses that do not meet the ULEZ emissions standards.

Scrap a car, motorcycle or wheelchair accessible vehicle

London residents with cars, motorcycles and wheelchair accessible vehicles that do not meet the ULEZ emissions standards, can find out more on our ULEZ car and motorcycle scrappage scheme page:

ULEZ car and motorcycle 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 if they need to drive or to use public transport, walk or cycle where possible rather than pay the daily charge.

You can only apply with a vehicle that does not meet the ULEZ emissions standards.

Application criteria

Under the scrappage scheme, eligible sole traders, micro businesses, small businesses and charities can apply for funds of up to £11,500 to scrap, donate, or retrofit a light van or minibus or to put towards the cost of a cleaner vehicle.

Small businesses, micro businesses and sole traders that received a grant payment under the previous TfL van and minibus scrappage scheme, can't apply to the equivalent scheme again.

Small businesses, micro businesses and sole traders can apply to scrap, donate, or retrofit up to 3 vans or minibuses in total. If they have already received a grant for one vehicle as part of this scheme, they can reapply to scrap or retrofit an additional 2 vehicles.

Charities can apply to scrap, donate, or retrofit up to 3 vans or minibuses , even if they received a grant under the previous scheme. If they have already received a grant for one vehicle as part of this scheme, they can reapply for an additional 2 vehicles.

Each vehicle will need a separate application.

Retrofitting

Some commercial vehicles can also be retrofitted to meet the ULEZ emissions standards. Retrofitting involves making modifications to the engine and exhaust system of certain Euro 5 vans or minibuses, to reduce emissions and make them ULEZ compliant. This is done through the Clean Vehicle Retrofit Accreditation Scheme (CVRAS). Visit the CVRAS website to see if your vehicle is suitable to be retrofitted.

Vehicles for Ukraine

Successful scrappage scheme applicants can choose to donate suitable vehicles to Ukraine instead of scrapping them, and still receive a grant payment.

British-Ukrainian Aid (BUA), a registered charity, will support with the transfer of vehicles to Ukraine to be used for humanitarian purposes.

How it works

To donate your vehicle to Ukraine and receive a scrappage scheme grant payment, you must meet the scheme eligibility criteria and follow the application process (as outlined on this page).

In our online application, select the scheme option to 'scrap' or 'scrap and replace' your vehicle and continue.

If we approve your application, we will send you a confirmation of eligibility letter which explains your options. To donate your vehicle to Ukraine, you will need to complete BUA's online form using the link in your letter.

Arranging the transfer

BUA will contact you within 5 working days to confirm if your vehicle is suitable and let you know what other documents you need to have for the transfer. They'll also arrange the drop off or collection of your vehicle at a convenient time.

BUA will check all your vehicle details match when you transfer the vehicle. You will need to give BUA the new keeper slip from the vehicle's V5C and then notify the DVLA that the vehicle has been transferred to BUA as the new keeper, using the details they provide.

Certificate of Donation and grant payment

When you've transferred your vehicle, BUA will email you a Certificate of Donation. You can upload this in the 'Submit evidence of scrap, donation, or retrofit' section on this page. After we verify your certificate, we will send your grant payment.

If BUA finds your vehicle is not suitable, then you can scrap it at an ATF instead.

You will not be eligible for a grant payment and TfL will not be liable for any costs you incur if you donate your vehicle before receiving the confirmation of eligibility letter from us.

Grant payment options

The van and minibus scrappage scheme offers six options:

  • Scrap or donate a van - £7,000
  • Scrap or donate a minibus - £9,000
  • Retrofit a van - £6,000
  • Retrofit a minibus - £6,000
  • Scrap or donate a van and replace with an electric van - £9,500
  • Scrap or donate a minibus and replace with an electric minibus - £11,500

Organisation and vehicle eligibility

The scheme is open to micro businesses (with up to 10 employees), small businesses (under 50 employees), sole traders and registered charities with a registered address within the 32 London boroughs or the City of London (Greater London Area). The following organisations can apply:

Small businesses with:

  • Under 50 employees
  • Up to £10.2m turnover or up to £5.1m balance sheet total in the preceding and current financial year and
  • Companies House registration as an active company or VAT registered within the 32 London boroughs or the City of London

Micro businesses with:

  • 10 or fewer employees
  • Up to £632,000 turnover or up to £316,000 balance sheet total in the preceding and current financial year and
  • Companies House registration as an active company or VAT registered within the 32 London boroughs or City of London

Sole traders who must be:

  • A self-employed person who owns and operates a business within the 32 London boroughs or the City of London

Charities that are:

  • Registered with the Charities Commission as active within the 32 London boroughs or the City of London

A vehicle you intend to scrap/donate must be:

  • A light van, up to and including 3.5 tonnes gross vehicle weight (GVW) or minibus (up to and including 5 tonnes GVW) registered to an eligible organisation for more than 12 calendar months before the start of the scrappage scheme on 30 January 2023
  • Registered with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) in the name of the business, sole trader or charity (if the vehicle is registered to an employee, director of the small/micro business or trustee of a charity you will need to provide confirmation of their link to the organisation)
  • Insured for business use
  • Certified with valid road tax and MOT
  • ULEZ non-compliant (this includes pre-Euro 6 diesel vehicles and pre-Euro 4 petrol vehicles)

If you choose to scrap/donate and replace with an electric vehicle - the replacement vehicle must be:

  • A fully electric light van (up to and including 3.5 tonnes GVW) or a fully electric minibus (up to and including 5 tonnes GVW)
  • Purchased or on a hire/lease contract that is at least two years long
  • The same body type (van or minibus) as the vehicle that you scrapped.

If you choose to retrofit - the vehicle you intend to retrofit must be:

  • A light van (up to and including 3.5 tonnes GVW) or minibus (up to and including 5 tonnes GVW) registered to an eligible organisation for more than 12 calendar months before the start of the scrappage scheme on 30 January 2023
  • Registered with the DVLA in the name of the business, sole trader or charity (if the vehicle is registered to an employee, director of the small/micro business or trustee of a charity you will need to provide confirmation of their link to the organisation)
  • On the Clean Vehicle Retrofit Accreditation Scheme (CVRAS) register;(you will need to find your vehicle's make and model on this list to make sure it can be retrofitted)
  • Retrofitted by a CVRAS-approved company with an approved emissions reduction system.

Authorised Treatment Facilities (ATFs)

Applicants who are successfully approved and scrap their vehicle within the specified timeframe may also be eligible for a separate, additional payment from the ATF for its scrap value. This additional payment from the ATF is unrelated to the grant payment received from TfL.

TfL have partnered with ATFs CarTakeBack and Redcorn Ltd who can scrap vehicles approved for the scrappage scheme quickly and may also offer an additional payment for most vehicle types.

Applying with a private (personalised) plate

If you are applying to scrap/donate 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 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/donate your vehicle.

Start your application

Get ready to apply

  • You will need to have (or create) a road user charging (RUC) account
  • You will need to have a valid email address connected to your RUC account
  • Read the ULEZ van and minibuses 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
  • To donate your vehicle to Ukraine, you need to choose the scheme option to 'scrap' or 'scrap and replace' in our online application

Evidence required

To apply, you will need to provide information and upload documents about your business or charity 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 a small business or micro business

If you are applying as a small business (under 50 employees) or as a micro business (up to 10 employees), you will need to provide:

  • Your Companies House number
  • Photo ID of the director of the company showing their name - such as a driving licence or passport
  • If the address that Companies House holds for your business doesn't match the operational address you provide during your application, you will need to provide evidence of a link between your business and your operational address - such as a utility bill or bank statement (dated within the last three months) in your business' name showing the operational address.

About a sole trader

If you are applying as a sole trader, you will need to provide photo ID showing the sole trader's name (such as a driving licence or passport) and evidence that you are a sole trader, with one of the following documents showing your operating address:

  • Proof of active business insurance or employers' liability insurance (active at point of application)
  • Proof of self-employment from HMRC
  • Proof of membership certificate from FSB or similar reputable trade or professional body.
  • Proof of a business bank account
  • Tax return (dated within the last 12 months)
  • Letter from accountant or solicitor confirming sole trader status (dated within the last three months)

About a charity

If you are applying as a charity you will need to provide:

  • Your Charity Commission number
  • Photo ID of a trustee of the charity showing their name - such as a driving licence or passport
  • If the address held by the Charity Commission for your charity doesn't match the operational address you provide during your application, you will need to provide evidence of a link between your charity and your operational address - such as a utility bill or bank statement (dated within the last three months) in your charity name showing the operational address.

About your vehicle

For the vehicle that you are applying to scrap or retrofit, you will need to provide:

  • V5C log book (DVLA registration document)
  • Current certificate of motor insurance for business use
  • If the vehicle is not registered to the business, sole trader or charity, please provide confirmation on letter headed paper that the registered keeper is either a director, employee or trustee and photo ID of the registered keeper showing their name - such as a driving licence or passport.

Minimal Financial Assistance

If 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 your organisation and vehicle qualify for the scheme.

Please make a note of the reference number that appears 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.

The organisation or trading name you apply with is who the cheque will be made payable to and should match the name on the bank account. If these do not match, then your grant payment may be delayed.

Stage 2: Scrap/donate, scrap/donate and replace, or retrofit your vehicle

If your application is approved, you'll receive a confirmation of eligibility letter and we'll ask you to scrap/donate, scrap/donate and replace, or retrofit your vehicle.

Scrap a vehicle

If you choose to scrap your vehicle, you should do this at an ATF. They will issue you with Certificate of Destruction. You will have 6 months, from the date of your confirmation of eligibility letter, to scrap your vehicle and provide us with the evidence.

Donate a vehicle

If you choose to donate your vehicle to Ukraine, you should complete BUA's online form using the link provided in your confirmation letter. BUA will then check if your vehicle is suitable. If confirmed, they will contact you and arrange drop/off collection of your vehicle and then email you a Certificate of Donation. You will have 6 months, from the date of your confirmation of eligibility letter, to donate your vehicle and give us the evidence.

If BUA decide that your vehicle is not suitable, they will notify you and you can scrap your vehicle at an ATF instead.

Applicants who donate their vehicles to Ukraine will not be eligible for any additional payment that they may have received from an ATF for a scrapped vehicle.

Retrofitting a vehicle

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 6 months, from the date of your confirmation of eligibility letter, to retrofit your vehicle and provide us with the evidence.

Replacing a scrapped/donated vehicle

If you are replacing a scrapped/donated vehicle, you will need to provide evidence of scrap or donation and the evidence that you've replaced it with a fully electric ULEZ compliant vehicle. You will have 6 months, from the date of your confirmation of eligibility letter, to scrap/donate and replace your vehicle and provide us with the evidence. 

Confirmation of eligibility

You should not scrap, donate, or retrofit your vehicle until you receive confirmation from us that your application has been approved.

See our submit evidence of scrap, donation or retrofit section for more information.

Grant payment

We will process your grant payment cheque once we have received and verified your evidence. Your cheque will be made payable to the named organisation or sole trader and sent by post to the operational address from your application.

Submit evidence of scrap, donation, or retrofit

Once your application has been approved and you have scrapped, donated, or retrofitted your vehicle, you will need to provide us with the evidence here.

You must be signed into the same Road User Charging account that you submitted your application from, or your grant payment will be delayed.

Scrapped a vehicle

If you've scrapped a vehicle, you will need to upload the Certificate of Destruction (as issued by an ATF).

Donated a vehicle

If you've donated a vehicle to Ukraine, you will need to upload the Certificate of Donation, (as issued by BUA).

Retrofitted a vehicle

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.

Scrapped/donated and replaced a vehicle with an electric vehicle

If you have replaced a scrapped/donated vehicle with an electric vehicle, you will need to upload the Certificate of Destruction/Certificate of Donation for the vehicle you scrapped/donated and evidence that you have replaced it with a fully electric vehicle.

If you have purchased an electric vehicle, you will need to provide proof of purchase such as a sales invoice and V5C (DVLA registration document).

If you have leased or hired an electric vehicle, you will need to provide the lease/hire agreement that is a minimum of two years long. This must be in the name of the business, charity or authorised employee, director or trustee of a charity.

You will also need to provide a current certificate of motor insurance (for business use).

If the replacement vehicle is not registered to the organisation, then you will need to provide confirmation on letter-headed paper that the registered keeper is either a director, employee or trustee.

This evidence 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 cheque will be made payable to the named organisation or sole trader and sent by post to the operational address provided with your application.

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 apply.

To make a new application instead, go to the 'Start your application' section. If you've already applied and had a rejection letter and your circumstances have changed or you can supply new evidence, then you will need to submit a new application.

Make an enquiry

If you have any questions about the ULEZ van and minibus 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 the length of the scheme, eligibility checks, grant payment options and more) and make changes when necessary.

This page provides an overview of the ULEZ van and minibus 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.

Business and charity short-term grace period

London-based small businesses, micro businesses, sole traders and charities with new vans or minibuses ordered, or non-compliant vans or minibuses being retrofitted, that won't be ready until after the ULEZ expansion, may also benefit from our new short-term grace period. If you would like to apply, visit our discounts and exemptions 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 London residents to take advantage of, whether they apply to the scrappage scheme or not.

By switching to other more sustainable modes of transport and using the offers, you could save money. You can get money off on things like hire and/or subscription services for bikes, cargo bikes, e-bikes and e-scooters. There are also discounts on van and minibus finance and other great deals.

Successful scrappage applicants can unlock several exclusive offers:

ULEZ support offers - for successful scrappage applicants

Offers for all London residents:

ULEZ support offers - for all London residents

Your session will time out soon