UK Clean Air Zones: Where are CAZs & How Can They Affect My Business?

01/10/2025 Share

UK Clean Air Zones: Where are CAZs & How Can They Affect My Business?

In an effort to improve air quality in our cities and towns, a number of local authorities have introduced Clean Air Zones (CAZ) that permit certain vehicles into busy urban areas or be subject to tariffs.

A CAZ can be confined to a single road or a part of a city. Each local authority may determine the level of restriction applied on that area, including which vehicles will be affected.

While the vans of today are cleaner and more efficient, the large majority are fuelled with diesel, which is more harmful to the environment.

As such, vans fall under the four outlined categories that can be affected by Clean Air Zone’s in selected destinations.

If vans are listed as a restricted vehicle type and yours exceeds the Clean Air Zone's emission standards, you'll have to pay a charge to drive through it.

There are four classes of Clean Air Zone:

Class A - Buses, coaches, taxis and private hire vehicles

Class B - Buses, coaches, taxis, PHVs and heavy goods vehicles (HGVs)

Class C - Buses, coaches, taxis, PHVs, HGVs and light goods vehicles (LGVs)

Class D - Buses, coaches, taxis, PHVs, HGVs LGVs and cars. Local authorities also have the option to include motorcycles

Buses, coaches and HGVs that meet Euro VI emissions standards must be exempt from any charges or restrictions.

Cars, vans and taxis that meet Euro 6 (diesel) or Euro 4 (petrol) emissions standards must be exempt from any charges or restrictions.

Ultra-low emission vehicles with a significant zero-emission range must be exempt from and charges or restrictions.

Which UK Cities Have Clean Air Zones?

Bath CAZ

Bath has a Class C Clean Air Zone. This means buses, coaches, taxis, private hire vehicles, heavy goods vehicles, vans and minibuses must all meet the minimum emission standard to avoid charges.

Non-compliant vans, taxis and minibuses will be charged £9 a day, whilst non-compliant trucks, lorries, coaches and buses face a daily charge of £100.

Birmingham CAZ

Birmingham has a Class D Clean Air Zone. This means cars and motorcycles as well as buses, coaches, taxis, private hire vehicles, heavy goods vehicles, vans and minibuses must all meet the minimum emission standard to avoid charges.

Restrictions apply to all roads within Birmingham's A4540 Middleway Ring Road, except the ring road itself. Cars, vans and taxis will face an £8 daily charge, while HGVs, buses and coaches will have to pay £50 per day.

Many more cities will implement Clean Air Zones later in 2021 and 2022, with London's existing Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) set to expand from 25th October 2021.

Bradford

Bradford introduced a Class C CAZ in 2022. Unlike most Clean Air Zones that cover a fairly small area, Bradford’s CAZ stretches a sizeable 9.35-mile area that also incorporates Shipley. For non-compliant LGV’s, the cost would be £9 per day to enter that area.

Bristol

Bristol brought in its Class D Clean Air Zone in 2022, which has the widest scope for non-compliant vehicles – including LGVs and cars – to pay a tariff. In operation 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for non-compliant LGVs it will cost £9 to enter a CAZ that covers 1.18 square miles.

Portsmouth

Portsmouth introduced a Class B Clean Air Zone in 2021, which means non-compliant LGVs are not charged to enter the stipulated area. Instead, Class B focuses on non-compliant taxis, private hire vehicles, buses and HGVs.

Sheffield

Sheffield began operating a Class C CAZ in 2023 to cover 0.9 square miles around the city centre. Non-compliant LGVs are therefore required to pay £10 to enter this zone

Tyneside (Newcastle and Gateshead)

Tyneside introduced a Class C CAZ in 2023, which covers an area that includes the cities of Newcastle and the closely situated town of Gateshead. The CAZ covers an area of 0.94 square miles, specifically routes crossing the River Tyne, including the Swing, High Level and Redheugh Bridges. Non-compliant LGVs will be charged £12.50 to enter this zone.

How do I know if my van meets minimum emission standards?

Every van in a Clean Air Zone must meet Euro 6 (diesel) and Euro 4 (petrol) emission standards in order to drive freely, without being charged.

You can find your van's emission standard in your vehicle logbook or from your vehicle's manufacturer.

How Do I Check and Pay a CAZ Charge?

If you've travelled within an active Clean Air Zone, you must pay the charge within 7 days. If you do not pay the charge in time, you'll get a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN).

You can check if you'll need to pay a charge for your van before you drive in a Clean Air Zone. As a business with a fleet, you can check and pay for multiple vehicles. Use the online service here to check or pay a charge in a Clean Air Zone.

The maximum payment that can be made in a single transaction is £5,000. Payments that exceed this limit will need to be split into separate transactions.

What If I'm A Business With Multiple Vehicles?

Businesses that own or manage two or more UK registered vehicles can set up an account to check and pay charges for multiple vehicles. You can create an account when you check or pay online on the Government's website, here.

To create an account you'll need:

- Your company name,

- An email address.

Once your account is set up, you can:

- Upload multiple number plates from a spreadsheet (CSV) or add them one by one,

- View what each vehicle will be charged in each clean air zone,

- Manage your vehicles - add and remove them,

- Add up to 10 team members to help manage the account,

- Set up an agreement to pay by bank account, ready for when charging starts,

- View maps of the Clean Air Zones, see when they are live and find out about exemptions.

Which Vehicles are Exempt from CAZ Charges?

There are some national and local exemptions from the charge. You are automatically entitled to a national exemption, and do not have to pay a charge, if you have:

- A vehicle that's ultra-low emission,

- A disabled passenger tax class vehicle,

- A disabled tax class vehicle,

- A military vehicle,

- A historic vehicle,

- A vehicle retrofitted with technology accredited by the Clean Vehicle Retrofit Accreditation Scheme (CVRAS),

- Certain types of agricultural vehicles.

How Will Clean Air Zones Affect Your Business?

For businesses that include fleets, Clean Air Zone charges need to be greatly considered. Over time, the continuous expense could hugely impact your outlay.

Figures aren't readily available for the total number of vans that are impacted by the introduction of CAZs, but it's likely to be substantial on a national level.

According to Birmingham City Council, around 60% of the 200,000 vehicles that pass through their city centre daily don't meet the required emissions standards of Euro 6 for diesels and Euro 4 for petrol cars and vans. Additionally, the Mayor of London's office estimates that around 35,000 light commercial vehicles will be affected by the expansion of the ULEZ every day.

The motivation for introducing CAZ was to encourage businesses to move away from older, high-polluting vehicles and towards more modern, cleaner models.

There is a particular focus on modernising or even electrifying the national commercial vehicle network due to the sizeable contribution to the UK’s overall harmful Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) emissions.

Should I switch my business to electric?
From an financial point of view, there are big savings to be made from running a fleet of electric vans. From CAZ charge exemptions and Government incentives to lower running costs and the possibility of free parking, electric vans can make a real difference to how much you're spending to keep your business moving.

Plus, with the UK's infrastructure to support EVs set to grow too, owning an electric van is becoming more convenient and therefore appealing to businesses.

Electric Vans at Vansdirect

At Vansdirect, we have an extensive range of electric vans for you to choose from. We're more than happy to talk you through the models available and help you come to a decision based on your particular needs.

Even if you're still not sure about switching to an electric commercial vehicle option, we can show you a specific cost comparison between electric and conventional fuel, based on your business needs.

With fantastic finance options available too, from leasing and contract hire to hire purchase, we offer you great flexibility.

Get in touch today or submit your details online for a free no obligation quote - our friendly team of experts are ready to help you and your business.

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