Following a public consultation, the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has confirmed that an Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) will be enforced in the Capital from 7 September 2020.

The aim is to encourage the use of newer, cleaner vehicles and to improve the quality of life and health of Londoners.

The ULEZ will operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in the same area as the current Congestion Charging Zone (CCZ). All cars, motorcycles, vans, minibuses and Heavy Goods Vehicles will need to meet exhaust emission standards (ULEZ standards) or pay an additional daily charge to travel within the zone.  HGVs and large vans will be required to meet Euro 6 Standard.

As with the current congestion charge there will be no barriers or tollbooths. Cameras will read the vehicle’s number plate as they enter, leave or drive within the zone and check it against a database of those who meet the ULEZ standards.

Residents who live in the ULEZ will be granted a three year sunset period with a 100% discount to give them more time to change their vehicles to meet the ULEZ standards. The discount will be available to those who live in the ULEZ from 2020 to 2023 and will only apply while they live within the zone. After 6 September 2023, residents must pay 100% of the daily ULEZ charge to drive a vehicle in the zone if it does not meet the ULEZ standards

The ULEZ residents' discount will be available to residents within the ULEZ and in designated areas next to the ULEZ (as applies to the Congestion Charge residents' discount). More details of how this discount will be applied will be available closer to the time.

The ULEZ standards are based on 'Euro standards', a range of successive exhaust emission standards for petrol and diesel engines. These standards define the limits for exhaust emissions for new vehicles sold in EU Member States. Vehicle manufacturers may only sell new vehicles that comply with these standards from a certain date.