Ways to meet the standard

The emissions standards your vehicle must meet for the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) are based on vehicle and emission type.

To meet the ULEZ emissions standards, your vehicle must meet the required Euro standard for your vehicle and emission type. For newer vehicles, the Euro emissions standards may be listed in section D.2 of your vehicle log book (V5C).

The ULEZ standards are:

  • Euro 3 for motorcycles, mopeds, motorised tricycles and quadricycles (L category)
  • Euro 4 (NOx) for petrol cars, vans, minibuses and other specialist vehicles
  • Euro 6 (NOx and PM) for diesel cars, vans and minibuses and other specialist vehicles

Lorries, vans and specialist heavy vehicles (all over 3.5 tonnes Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW)) and buses, minibuses and coaches (all over 5 tonnes GVW) do not need to pay the ULEZ charge. They will need to pay the LEZ charge if they do not meet the LEZ emissions standards.

Find out more about the ULEZ emissions standards, daily charges and how to avoid needing to pay the charge for:

What are the Euro standards and when did they come into effect?

Euro standards are a range of emissions controls that set limits for air polluting Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) and Particulate Matter (PM) from engines. New vehicles and road vehicle engines must show that they meet these limits to be approved for sale:

  • Euro 3 became mandatory for all new motorcycles in 2007
  • Euro 4 became mandatory for all new cars in 2005 and light vans in 2006
  • Euro 6 became mandatory for all new heavy duty engines for goods vehicles and buses from January 2014, September 2015 for cars and light vans, and September 2016 for larger vans up to and including 3.5 tonnes gross vehicle weight.

The ULEZ is helping to clear London's air. Find out more about air quality in London.

Questions about ULEZ?

If you need more advice about the ULEZ, you can make an enquiry.

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