Low and ultra-low emission zones for work trucks in the UK: London, Scotland and the clean air zones
What Transport for London, the Scottish Government and GOV.UK say about the zones that charge or fine vehicles that miss an emission standard, with the figures that apply to tippers, lorries and pickups used on tree work.
Checked against the sources at the bottom of this page on October 9, 2026. Rules, fees and pay change: the source has the last word.
This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. It gives the weights, standards and charges as the zone operators publish them. The rules come from three different publishers: Transport for London for London, the Scottish Government for the four Scottish zones, and GOV.UK for the English clean air zones outside London. Northern Ireland is not covered. Text on the GOV.UK and mygov.scot pages is published under the Open Government Licence v3.0, and this page restates it in its own words.
London
London runs two separate schemes over almost the same area: the Low Emission Zone (LEZ), which targets heavy diesel vehicles, and the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ). Transport for London (TfL) says the LEZ covers most of Greater London, operates 24 hours a day every day of the year, and includes all London boroughs and the City of London. It lists roads at Heathrow and parts of the M1 and M4 as inside, and the M25 as not included. TfL says LEZ charges do not apply to a vehicle that is parked in the zone and not driving. See TfL on where and when the LEZ applies.
Larger vehicles
TfL's page on larger vehicles says lorries, vans and specialist heavy vehicles over 3.5 tonnes do not pay the daily ULEZ charge, and that if one of these vehicles misses the LEZ standard, the London-wide LEZ charge applies to it instead. It lists tippers, lorries, HGVs, vans, breakdown and recovery vehicles and refuse collection vehicles among the types. It also says some vehicles can fit emissions reduction technology certified by the government's Clean Vehicle Retrofit Accreditation Scheme to meet the standards, with the owner notifying TfL afterward. See TfL on lorries, coaches and larger vehicles over 3.5 tonnes.
| Vehicle | LEZ minimum standard |
|---|---|
| Lorry, van or specialist heavy vehicle over 3.5 tonnes gross vehicle weight | Euro VI (NOx and PM) |
| Van or specialist diesel vehicle from 1.205 tonnes unladen weight up to 3.5 tonnes gross vehicle weight | Euro 3 |
| Minibus up to 5 tonnes gross vehicle weight | Euro 3 |
TfL states the daily LEZ charge on its payment page. It is GBP 100 for a vehicle over 3.5 tonnes that misses Euro VI but meets Euro IV (PM), GBP 300 for one over 3.5 tonnes that misses Euro IV (PM), and GBP 100 for a van or specialist diesel vehicle in the lighter band that misses Euro 3. The page says payment is due before midnight of the third charging day after driving in the zone. Its penalty charge page lists GBP 500, GBP 1,000 and GBP 2,000 penalty charges by band, each halved if paid within 14 days. See TfL on paying the LEZ charge.
TfL also says that an HGV over 12 tonnes gross vehicle weight in Greater London needs an HGV Safety Permit under the Direct Vision Standard, that applying is free of charge, and that a penalty charge notice goes to vehicles without one.
Discounts and exemptions
The TfL discounts and exemptions page lists 100 percent discounts and grace periods, among them for disabled tax class vehicles until October 24, 2027, community minibuses, historic vehicles built before January 1, 1973, and some showman's vehicles. It does not list tree work vehicles. See TfL on ULEZ discounts and exemptions.
Scotland
The Scottish Government's site says there are four Low Emission Zones in Scotland, in the city centres of Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow. They operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including public holidays. Number plate cameras check all vehicles, and non-compliant vehicles that are not exempt may get a penalty charge. The site says a driver cannot prepay to avoid a fine. See the Scottish Government page on Low Emission Zones.
English clean air zones
The GOV.UK guidance, which applies to England, lists seven clean air zones, in Bath, Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Portsmouth, Sheffield and Tyneside (Newcastle and Gateshead). It says there are four classes, A to D, and that heavy goods vehicles fall within classes B, C and D but not A. The minimum standard to avoid a charge is Euro VI for heavy goods vehicles, buses and coaches, and Euro 6 for diesel vans and cars. Zones run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The charge must be paid by 11:59pm on the sixth day after driving into the zone. A business with two or more UK registered vehicles can set up an account to check and pay for many vehicles. See GOV.UK on driving in a clean air zone and its service page for checking and paying.
| Zone | Class | Heavy goods vehicles covered | Vans covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bath | C | Yes | Yes |
| Birmingham | D | Yes | Yes |
| Bradford | C | Yes | Yes |
| Bristol | D | Yes | Yes |
| Portsmouth | B | Yes | No |
| Sheffield | C | Yes | Yes |
| Tyneside | C | Yes | Yes |
The filter rules for the same vehicles are on the guide to diesel particulate filters in the UK.
Sources
- Transport for London, lorries, coaches and larger vehicles over 3.5 tonnes, read October 9, 2026
- Transport for London, Low Emission Zone where and when, read October 9, 2026
- Transport for London, how to pay a LEZ charge, read October 9, 2026
- Transport for London, LEZ penalty charges, read October 9, 2026
- Transport for London, ULEZ discounts and exemptions, read October 9, 2026
- Scottish Government, about Low Emission Zones in Scotland, read October 9, 2026
- GOV.UK, Clean Air Zones guidance, read October 9, 2026
- GOV.UK, drive in a clean air zone service page, read October 9, 2026