Cheap ULEZ exempt cars: the best used cars to beat the ULEZ

One stylish way of steering your way around the regulations is to go for an old fossil that’s at least 40 years old. Get a Fiat 500: that’s a proper city car and it won’t cost you as much as a tired, rusty Mini. We spotted a 1970 left-hand-drive one with 45,000 miles up for £6400 in Rome. Otherwise, a recently restored UK-spec 1972 Mercedes-Benz 350 SLC is by far the coolest, most perfect answer to the ULEZ zealots for just £16,500. It’s unarguably the prettiest of the 1970s Mercs.

Shooting brakes

Estate cars are underrated, considering they offer practicality, flexibility and economy without dragging loads of extra weight around. The Fiat Tipo in Station Wagon format is a no-nonsense vehicle that’s great value for money. Get a 1.2 Multijet diesel in Lounge trim with 40,000 miles from 2017 and you will pay just £6700. Otherwise, a petrol Vauxhall Insignia Sports Tourer from 2010 in 1.8 SRi guise with 90,000 miles backed up by a full service history is £2795, and it has a lovely big load bay.

Super-saloons

These provide not just four-door practicality but also promise so much when they are released from the zone. The Porsche Panamera is a wonderfully charismatic creation. A 2010 4.8 V8 4S with a few owners and 65,000 miles is a tempting £21,995 with a warranty. The Aston Martin Rapide is now great value for money, too: you can get a one-owner 2010 car with 65,000 miles from a dealer for £40,000. If you can manage the servicing costs, it will make you the envy of many city dwellers.

Convertibles

If the city air does get any fresher, you can be the first to confirm that the smog is lifting in one of these: a Smart Roadster with a pop-out roof and a tiny engine that has been emissions-friendly from right back in the 2000s. That’s why you can buy a 2004 90,000-mile example for £1800. As for an Italian that will entertain pedestrians, a 2011 Maserati Grancabrio does the job with 60,000 miles and costs £35,000 with a full service history. It’s more real-world than a Ferrari, so cyclists won’t hate you so much.

Vans

Instead of waiting for a bus, why not pilot your own? The question is how many seats can you get for the money. That would be eight in the Hyundai i800, and you can buy a 2016 SE example with a Euro 6 2.5-litre diesel engine and 60,000 miles for £14,990. Seven seats will do, of course, and the Mercedes-Benz V-Class is a good shout. Find a rare 3.5 V6 petrol with an automatic gearbox and a 2011 will cost you £13,500. It’s probably the best-quality people-shifter around.

Supercars

There’s nothing exciting going on dynamically in most city centres, but it pays to be prepared for some roadwork chicanes. The Audi R8 is as tame as the Audi A1, with an automatic gearbox and just as easy to drive. A 77,000-mile 4.2 V8 FSI R tronic from 2008 is £30,500. Even more comfy and cheaper is the Bentley Continental GT, which has an awesome 12 cylinders and ceramic brakes. A 6.0 W12 from 2005 with 100,000 miles is £16,500. You can spot the Volkswagen Group parts and it feels like an Audi A8, but that badge… Perhaps you value compact dimensions as well as potent powertrains? Look no further than a BMW M2 - the smallest M Division model can be found from around £25,000 for a 2016 model with around 40,000 miles on the clock.

Off-roaders

Celebrate the sheer majesty of the Chelsea Tractor with an SUV of your own that will easily provide an escape to the country. Don’t let farmers have all the fun: get a Toyota Land Cruiser. Only £13,950 will secure a 2008 Invincible that has just ticked over to six figures – so barely run in. Or how about a tiny Suzuki Jimny? Not the cool new one, the old properly cool one. A 2010 SZ4 with 84,000 miles is £7400. If you ever do find a muddy puddle in the ULEZ, this will traverse it as capably as a Land Rover Defender.

Shopper hatches

For dashing into the city to pick something up, be it people or packages, superminis and medium hatchbacks are surely the way forward. The Kia Rio is largely overlooked, but a 2011 1.4 1 with 80,000 miles, just a couple of owners and a warranty costs a mere £1900. Reliability is mostly Mazda-shaped, and you can get a 2005 Mazda 3 very cheaply now with all petrol units that qualify. For instance, a 1.6 TS2 with a six-figure mileage is £645, which probably works out cheaper than an annual bus pass.

Big barges

If you’re going to be in a traffic jam in a ULEZ, you might as well do so in some considerable comfort. A late Jaguar XJ with a proper engine is your last chance to buy a legend. A 2018 Sport with 3.0 V6 petrol power, a panoramic sunroof and 64,000 miles is just under £27,000. Then again, a Mercedes-Benz S-Class is the default luxury limousine; a contemporary-looking 2006 S500 with 80,000 miles is a shade under £10,000, which is a great to travel and arrive.

Clean air zones explained

A growing number of cities and regions in the UK and abroad are introducing Clean Air Zones. Here’s what you need to know.

How do CAZs work?

While there are differences in various CAZs that have been introduced or are being considered in different regions of the UK, most use broadly similar rules. Drivers of older vehicles have to pay a set charge if they enter the CAZ. Most CAZs exempt all Euro 4-compliant petrol cars (usually registered after January 2006) and Euro 6-compliant diesel cars (usually registered after September 2015). Most CAZs are enforced by the use of ANPR cameras and feature online payment systems for the owners of non-compliant vehicles that are driven into the zones.

Why are they needed?

The push for regions to introduce CAZs is part of a wider government initiative to improve urban air quality by reducing vehicular pollution. Air quality in a number of urban areas is currently below legal limits. The World Health Organization claims that seven million premature deaths each year can be linked to poor air quality. Research by CBI Economics, commissioned by the Clean Air Fund, claims that CAZs would lead to an average reduction of 18% in NO2 across eight UK cities. A March 2021 report by the Mayor of London claimed that its ULEZ had already cut NO2 levels in the capital by 44%.

Which cities have CAZs?

London was the first city in the UK to launch a CAZ scheme, with the introduction of the ULEZ covering its centre in April 2019. It runs alongside the separate congestion charge, from which electric vehicles are exempt. Bath introduced a CAZ that applies only to commercial vehicles in March. Birmingham’s CAZ came into effect in June, with a charge of £8 per day for non-compliant cars (those owned by disabled people and those more than 40 years old are exempt, however).