ULEZ van and minibus scrappage scheme
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 van and minibus scrappage scheme. This is for eligible sole traders, micro businesses (up to 10 employees) or charities with a registered address in London and vans or minibuses that do not meet the ULEZ emissions standards.
Londoners on certain low income or disability benefits 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 here:
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 in some cases, retrofit) a vehicle that does not meet the ULEZ emissions standards.
Under the scrappage scheme, eligible sole traders, micro businesses with up to 10 employees and charities can apply for funds of up to £9,500 to scrap or retrofit a light van or minibus or to put towards the cost of a cleaner vehicle.
If you've received a grant payment under the previous TfL van and minibus scrappage scheme, you can't apply to the equivalent scheme again.
Find out more about switching to a cleaner commercial vehicle and try the LoCity cost calculator that will help you make an informed decision about what's best for your organisation.
Grant payment options
The van and minibus scrappage scheme offers six options:
- Scrap a van - £5,000
- Scrap a minibus - £7,000
- Retrofit a van - £5,000
- Retrofit a minibus - £5,000
- Scrap a van and replace with an electric van - £7,500
- Scrap a minibus and replace with an electric minibus - £9,500
Organisation and vehicle eligibility
The scheme is open to micro businesses (with up to 10 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:
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 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 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)
A 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.
A 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 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.
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 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 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
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 micro business
If you are applying 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 driver's 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 driver's 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 three 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 driver's 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 driver's 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.
Stage 2: Scrap, scrap and replace, 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 six months to scrap your vehicle and provide us with the evidence.
If you are retrofitting a vehicle you will need to contact an approved Clean Vehicle Retrofit Accreditation Scheme (CVRAS) fitter to find out if your vehicle 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.
If you are replacing a scrapped vehicle, you will need to provide evidence of a fully electric, ULEZ compliant replacement vehicle.
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, scrapped and replaced, or retrofitted your vehicle. 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 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.
Scrapped a vehicle
If you've scrapped a vehicle, you will need to upload the Certificate of Destruction (as issued by an ATF).
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 and replaced a vehicle
If you have replaced a scrapped vehicle, you will need to upload the Certificate of Destruction (as issued by an ATF) for the vehicle you scrapped and evidence that you have replaced it with a fully electric vehicle.
If you have purchased a 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 a 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.
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 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 car clubs with fleets that meet the ULEZ emission standard, and other great deals.
Successful scrappage applicants can unlock several exclusive offers:
ULEZ support offers - for successful scrappage applicants
