The Ultra Low Emission Zone applies 24/7 and charges pre-Euro 4 petrols and pre-Euro 6 diesels £12.50 to enter. It covers the entire area within the NorthThe Congestion Charge operates between 7am and 10pm on weekdays and 12pm and 6pm on weekends within a much smaller area of central London. All vehicles with a combustion engine – including plug-in hybrids – are charged £15 per day to enter the zone, in addition to any ULEZ fees.For now, it shouldn’t be a huge concern.
However, the grey fleet is more challenging. With less attractive tax breaks in the late-2010s, HMRC estimates that the UK’s company car driver population declined from 950,000 to 720,000 in the past decade. It has pushed some towards cash allowances or using their own cars instead, which are likelier to be older and therefore non-compliant.
Commercial vehicles are a bigger potential headache. Department for Transport data suggests that only 40% of business-owned vans are less than three years old, while one in six is more than a decade old. With five additional cities planning Class C zones, the recent uptick in demand for used Euro 6-compliant vans isn’t much of a surprise.