ULEZ Expansion 2023

Poor air quality is impacting the health of Londoners, and it's mainly caused by polluting vehicles. The latest data from the London Atmospheric Emissions Inventory (LAEI, 2019) shows that, although improvements are being made, road transport is the single biggest contributor of nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter emissions in Greater London. Find out more about the impact of air pollution on health.

Londoners are developing life-changing illnesses such as cancer, asthma and lung disease, and recent reports have shown a link between air pollution and an increased risk of developing dementia. Air pollution even contributes to the premature death of thousands of Londoners every year. It's not just a central London problem. In fact, the greatest number of deaths related to air pollution occur in outer London areas. That's why the ULEZ operates across all London boroughs (see map below).

Calculations showing more deaths in outer London linked to air pollution were based on the most recently available statistics from the Office of National Statistics and assessed according to standard practice in the scientific community. See Deaths registered by area of usual residence, UK on the ONS website, and the Government's COMEAP mortality effects of long-term exposure to particulate air pollution report.

Across outer London, 96.7% of vehicles subject to the ULEZ seen driving in London on an average day now comply with the ULEZ emissions standards. (See how we calculated this.) To see if your vehicle meets the emissions standards, use our vehicle checker.

If you drive anywhere within the ULEZ, and your vehicle does not meet the emissions standards, you could face a daily charge of £12.50. Pay to drive by using the TfL website, or set up Auto Pay and your charges will be paid automatically.

This includes residents of the ULEZ. However, you don't need to pay the ULEZ charge on a particular day if your non-compliant vehicle is parked inside the zone and you don't drive.

Owners of non-UK registered vehicles also need to meet the ULEZ emissions standards or pay the daily charge to drive within the zone. Vehicles need to be registered with us, even if they meet the emissions standards.

Any money received from the scheme is reinvested into running and improving London's transport network, such as contributing to the Superloop, made up of express bus routes to help connect more people in outer London.

Discounts and exemptions

Some drivers and vehicles may qualify for a temporary discount from the ULEZ charge, while others may be entirely exempt.

To help disabled Londoners and community transport providers prepare for the expansion, the existing ULEZ grace periods (temporary exemptions) have been extended.

Visit our Discounts and exemptions page for eligibility criteria or to apply. 

Where it operates

This map shows the area the ULEZ covers. You can toggle the map to view the Congestion Charge zone and the ULEZ.

Enter a street name, postcode or landmark in the search box to see its location in relation to the charging zones.

Downloadable leaflet