[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/latest-news\/the-ulez-ultra-low-emission-zone\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/latest-news\/the-ulez-ultra-low-emission-zone\/","headline":"ULEZ Ultra Low Emission Zone to Come into Force","name":"ULEZ Ultra Low Emission Zone to Come into Force","description":"Petrol and diesel spewing automobiles have been subjected to ever more stringent emission controls for some time now, since 1992 in fact. These controls have effectively been the death of some car ranges too. While I worked at Nissan certain engines became obsolete due to the Euro emission changes; an engine, like a computer, can only take so many upgrades\/alterations before it becomes uneconomical to continue to do so \u2013 the upshot to this is that either the car model […]","datePublished":"2019-01-18","dateModified":"2019-01-20","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/author\/isabelle-lawrence\/#Person","name":"Isabelle Lawrence","url":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/author\/isabelle-lawrence\/","identifier":30,"description":"Max Wheeler is a leading motoring journalist and classic car specialist at Smart Motoring, renowned for his sharp insight and infectious passion for all things automotive. With years of experience covering motoring news, supercars, and the enduring legacy of classic cars, Max brings stories to life with style and authority. Whether it\u2019s the roar of a Lamborghini, the elegance of an Aston Martin DB5, or the cultural impact of vintage motoring icons, he delivers expert commentary that inspires enthusiasts and collectors alike. Dedicated to celebrating the heritage and future of driving, Max Wheeler is your trusted voice for classic car news and beyond.","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8d331506e3c530b5ec4930c30a01ed8cc29b0537227573ae5da98f559e681401?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8d331506e3c530b5ec4930c30a01ed8cc29b0537227573ae5da98f559e681401?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Smart Motoring","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/smart-motoring_news_logo_g-e1765846726493.webp","url":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/smart-motoring_news_logo_g-e1765846726493.webp","width":600,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Emissions-Resized-1.jpg","url":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Emissions-Resized-1.jpg","height":520,"width":1200},"url":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/latest-news\/the-ulez-ultra-low-emission-zone\/","about":["BLOG","Cars","LATEST CAR NEWS","Vans"],"wordCount":1172,"keywords":["ulez","ULEZ London","ultra low emission zone"],"articleBody":"Petrol and diesel spewing automobiles have been subjected to ever more stringent emission controls for some time now, since 1992 in fact.These controls have effectively been the death of some car ranges too. While I worked at Nissan certain engines became obsolete due to the Euro emission changes; an engine, like a computer, can only take so many upgrades\/alterations before it becomes uneconomical to continue to do so \u2013 the upshot to this is that either the car model gets an entirely new engine, or it is put to rest.Add to this the complication of emission controls being imposed in government legislation across the major cities of the world and we have a bit of a consumer headache. As far back as 2014 I reported that Boris Johnson, then Mayor of London, was pushing for a tax on diesel cars (so often mis-sold to customers who\u2019s driving profiles were entirely unsuitable for an engine that required a long run to keep it running at its optimum best \u2013 reps, yes; occasional shopper, no). This tax was to be called the ULEZ, the Ultra Low Emission Zone.Move on to the present day, and the ULEZ is to become areality \u2013 it will be in place in central London from 8 April 2019. This goesfurther than just penalising diesel vehicles, and now has a beady eye on allvehicles that might not meet the new exhaust emission standards. The result offailing this requirement will be a daily charge to travel within the zone. InOctober 2021 the zone will be extended to inner London with a boundary of theSouth and North Circular Roads.StandardsTo understand what this all means, we need to look at therequirements that the ULEZ will impose. The new minimum requirements will be asfollows:Euro 3 – mopeds, motorcycles, tricycles\/trikes andquadricycles (category L)Euro 4 (NOx) – petrol cars, minibuses, vans and specialistvehicles Euro 6 (NOx and PM) \u2013 diesel cars, minibuses, vans andspecialist vehiclesEuro VI (NOx and PM) \u2013 lorries, buses, coaches as well asother specialist heavy vehiclesThe Euro standards are imposed on new production vehicles,but the exclusion zones impose their restrictions on all vehicles \u2013 new andold. And this is where the contention can arise. Drivers of older vehicles mayfeel that they are being treated unfairly as they face being penalised forsimply owning a vehicle that was a perfectly viable purchase only a few yearsago.On the other hand, the respected vehicle valuationorganisation, cap hpi, released figures in 2016 showing that the time that anaverage motorist will retain their car has dropped from around 5 years toaround 2 years, with 24-month and even 18-month replacement plans becoming morepopular. This is largely due to the increase in popularity of schemes like PCP(Personal Contract Plan) rather than buying outright. With this in mind, thensurely there will not be too many vehicles affected by the ULEZ to make it amajor concern?Well, while 4 out of 5 new car sales are indeed nowfinanced, this doesn\u2019t change the fact that overall, the average age of a carin the UK is around 7.8 years according to the SMMT. A car will have an averageof 4 owners in its lifetime. So the picture isn\u2019t quite as clear-cut as itmight first appear.If we add into the mix that Euro 3 standard has been inforce now since 2007 and Euro 4 (possibly the big one we all remember) appearedin 2005, with Euro 6 following in 2014, then those in favour of the ULEZ willargue that, with the increased user car change time period, the long-term benefitswill outweigh the inconveniences.It\u2019s important to note that the ULEZ will be enforced purely on the vehicle\u2019s emissions and not the age of the vehicle. So if you are one of those that approve of the electrification of classic Aston Martins or the electric Jaguar E-Type Zero conversion, then then you can rest easy (if an E-Type is your daily driver of course).ChargesThe ULEZ charges are \u00a312.50 per day for a car, with a \u00a3120penalty charge reduced to \u00a380 if paid within 14 days. The same applies to vans,and both vans and cars will be required to meet Euro 4 (cars) and Euro 6(diesel).Lorries, coaches and larger vehicles will face a dailycharge of \u00a3100 if they don\u2019t meet Euro V1.The overall positive plan is of course, to improve the airquality in London. But will this be at the expense of small businesses that arealready struggling to make ends meet? After all, the Congestion Charge mightalready be pulling \u00a311.50 per day out of the bank accounts of many smallbusinesses during working hours.Discounts and ExemptionsResidents will get a 100% discount during a given period ofgrace; but they will be expected to make efforts to upgrade their vehicle tomeet ULEZ standards by autumn 2021. Those who are registered disabled will havea period of grace running until 2025, while registered London cabs withvehicles not older than 15 years (around the introduction of Euro 4) will beexempt.Potentially, classic cars will also be exempt thanks to the historic vehicle tax class (you can apply if you vehicle is pre-1979), though as I understand it, this is still to be confirmed.  All pre-1973 vehicles will be exempt too, though how many this will affect can possibly be counted on one hand.Military and agricultural vehicles are also exempt, butambulances are included in the ULEZcharge and regarded as \u2018vans\u2019 if they are between 2.5 and 3.5 tonnes. Yet manyambulances do now weigh in at more than 5 tonnes, thanks to modern technologyadding to the overall heft of the vehicle. While South East Coast AmbulanceService identified a potential issue with 18 of its 301 strong ambulance fleetin 2017 due to increased carry-load, Great Western Ambulance Service hadalready suffered the blow of being banned from the Clifton Suspension Bridge in2009 because their vehicles exceeded the 4-tonne weight limit. Food for ThoughtWhile some small businesses will potentially be hit hard,ambulance services and the Fire Service might be the biggest concerns on paper;this does depend on how old the vehicles in question are of course. East ofEngland has a 323 strong fleet of ambulances all less than 7-years old, withmany currently being no more than 3-years old for example.If you are a small business, then it will surely make senseto change your older vehicle for one built after 2005\/2014 \u2013 if youcan afford it. In conjunction with this, the Mayor of London recentlyannounced a \u00a323million funded scrappage scheme for overly polluting vans. Mostmajor manufacturers have their own version of a scrappage scheme too it shouldbe noted. 26 manufacturers offered such a scheme in 2017, though many of thesehave ended or are ending soon, although extensions may again be triggered. Transport for London estimates that overall, around 276,000vans and 565,000 cars will potentially be affected. This only takes intoaccount those vehicles registered in the capital city though and doesn\u2019tinclude HGVs."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Latest News","item":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/latest-news\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"ULEZ Ultra Low Emission Zone to Come into Force","item":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/latest-news\/the-ulez-ultra-low-emission-zone\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]