ULEZ Expansion: What it means for London motorists
London mayor, Sadiq Khan, has recently announced the expansion of the capital’s Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ). From the 29th August, the Ultra-Low Emissions Zone will cover the entirety of London. Drivers of non-compliant vehicles will have to pay £12.50 each day to enter the Greater London Authority boundary.
“ The ULEZ so far has been transformational, reducing harmful pollution levels by almost a half in central London,
But there is still far too much toxic air pollution permanently damaging the health of young Londoners and leading to thousands of early deaths every year, with the greatest number of deaths in the outer London boroughs. ”
Sadiq Khan | Mayor of London
The news of the expansion has been met with conflicting opinions. Many believe that introducing a charge to those areas previously unaffected by the ULEZ is tough to stomach during a cost-of-living crisis, whereas many others believe that tackling air pollution in the city is a top priority.
How to avoid the charge
The news of the expansion has left many drivers questioning the best ways to avoid incurring a charge. Emphasis has been placed upon adopting public transport, but this has been met with criticism over the growing cost and general unreliability of the public transport system in the capital.
Another solution would be to switch to a compliant vehicle.
What is a ULEZ compliant vehicle?
To avoid a charge whilst driving through London, your vehicle must meet strict emissions standards. These standards vary depending on the vehicle you are driving.
Your petrol car must meet Euro 4 emissions standards to be ULEZ compliant. Most petrol cars registered since January 2006 meet these standards. Petrol cars are also exempt if they meet the Euro 5 and Euro 6 standards.
Your diesel cars must meet Euro 6 standards to be ULEZ compliant. Generally, cars registered since September 2015 meet these standards, but always check first.
Your hybrid car must meet the same emissions standard as petrol or diesel cars. Petrol hybrids must meet Euro 4 standards and diesel hybrids must meet Euro 6 standards.
As for electric cars, all of them are ULEZ compliant as they produce zero tailpipe emissions.
You can check whether your vehicle is ULEZ compliant here.
How will this affect the EV industry?
We only need to look back to 2019 to see how this ULEZ expansion will affect the EV industry. 2019 was the year the original Ultra Low Emissions Zone was introduced, and the change in motoring behaviour was staggering. After the ULEZ came into force, EV sales in areas of London rose by over 80%, kickstarting what turned out to be a breakthrough year for EV sales in 2020.
We can expect similar from this expansion of the ULEZ, with drivers all across London incentivised to make the switch to an electric car in the near future.
