The new London Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) is set to go into force on 8 April 2019.
Drivers of higher-polluting cars will face a charge of £12.50 per day to get into central London from this date on, while larger vehicles suchas buses, coaches and lorries will be charged £100.
The charges, when they come into effect, will replace mayor Sadiq Khan’s £10 T-Charge, which is set to begin in October, and will apply to diesel cars that are non-compliant with Euro 6 rules and petrol cars that aren’t up to Euro 4 standards. These cars will be about four years old and 13 years old respectively in April 2019.
Fees apply every day of the year, 24 hours a day, and will make driving in London with a non-compliant car a luxury to the tune of £24 per day.
The mayor wants to extend the ULEZ to almost all of Greater London by 2020 for larger diesel vehicles, and to the North and South Circular roads in 2021 for smaller vehicles.
The plan is hoped to improve air quality in the capital; a 50% reduction in NOx emissions in London has been set as a target for 2020. Transport for London legislation to promote the uptake of new low-emissions black cabs is also expected to contribute to this.
The announcement follows reports of environment secretary Andrea Leadsom’s plan to introduce a £20 daily tax on diesel cars driving in high-pollution areas, including Birmingham, Derby, Leeds, London, Nottingham and Southampton.
Read more:
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