ULEZ

Everything You Need to know About ULEZ Compliant Cars

Taking the worry out of ULEZ

The implementation of ULEZ, which is short for Ultra Low Emission Zone, has caused a lot of concern for those who live and/or work in affected areas. With annual costs for daily use of up to £4,500, many people have no choice but to change cars at a time of financial hardship and uncertainty in order to comply with emissions standards. However, it is perfectly possible to source a reliable, ULEZ compliant vehicle from as little as £1500 and sell your current, non-compliant car outside of the capital where it is still in demand.

Click here to source a low cost ULEZ car from Quality Car Finder today or call us on 01252 214012.

What is ULEZ?

ULEZ (Ultra low emissions zones) are areas in which the use of certain vehicles is charged on a daily basis in order to encourage a change in habits and a move towards less polluting vehicles. This policy is not about carbon emissions (C02) which contribute to climate change (and which the government is tackling through road tax policies), but rather NoX emissions which are detrimental to air quality and consequently public health. It has been estimated that a child born and raised within the Ultra Low Emissions Zone will have their life expectancy increased by six months, while all residents will enjoy far better health throughout their lifetime with some 40,000 premature deaths per year in the UK linked to poor air quality caused in part by nitrogen oxides which are discharged from vehicle exhausts.

How does ULEZ work?

Since 1992 cars in Europe have been subject to legislation to limit their exhaust emissions. This early ‘Euro 1’ legislation saw the introduction unleaded petrol and catalytic converters and subsequent legislation has continued to raise standards demanded of car manufacturers as technological developments have allowed. While European legislation has tackled the problem by obliging manufacturers to improve new vehicles entering our roads, ULEZ tackles the use of older vehicles that continue to have a significantly detrimental effect on air quality. That means petrol cars that predate ‘Euro 4’ introduced in September 2005, diesel cars that predate ‘Euro 6’ introduced in September 2015 and vans first sold before September 2016 will be charged for driving inside the Ultra Low Emissions Zone to meet the new emission standard.

Who is affected by ULEZ?

Aside from buses, lorries and coaches, it is estimated that 350,000 motorists who use London’s roads will be affected by ULEZ when the extension takes effect on October 15th, 2021. From this date any non-compliant vehicle using the streets within the North Circular road and South Circular road will be charged £12.50 per day to do so, meaning annual charges of up to £4,500 for people who live in this area and around £2,900 for anyone who needs to enter 5 times per week for work. TfL has estimated that around 70,000 of these vehicles will not be ULEZ compliant at the date of implementation.

Should I change by vehicle because of ULEZ?

If you’re unsure whether your vehicle will be subject to the ULEZ charge you can use the registration to check here on the Transport for London site. Don’t confuse the ULEZ charge with the congestion charge which every vehicle has to pay on entering the very heart of the city (City of London, Soho, Westminster, Lambeth). You can also check postcodes here to see whether the roads you use fall within the zone.

If your vehicle is subject to the charge and you need to regularly use it within the zone, you can use the table below to calculate the cost of doing so and whether you should replace your current car with a ULEZ compliant one.

Remember that the charge is levied from midnight, meaning that a shift worker who leaves home on a Friday afternoon but returns from work on Saturday morning will be charged for both days.

Affordable ULEZ Compliant Cars

If you decide that you do need to change to a ULEZ compliant car, you have six options which will largely depend on your budget.

Petrol car

Cost: from £1,000

Nearly all petrol cars from September 2005 onwards are ULEZ compliant and these older cars are invariably the cheapest option if your current vehicle doesn’t meet requirements.

Diesel car

Cost: from £5,000

Diesel still offers the best fuel economy if you are using the motorway. However, prices are relatively high as you will need a car from September 2015 onwards. Furthermore, prices of vehicles are markedly different on each side of this key date due to the increased demand for ULEZ compliant diesels. Sourcing from elsewhere in the country can reduce the impact of ULEZ on cost, but it has effected prices across Britain.

Hybrid petrol car

Cost: from £3,000 (but usually more)

Ideal if you do most of your driving around town as these have the best urban fuel economy. Hybrid cars still have emissions, so you will still need to abide by compliance dates: September 2005 for petrol hybrids, September 2015 for much rarer diesel hybrids. In reality most hybrids are petrol and relatively new, so the vast majority of hybrid cars are appropriate.

Hybrid diesel car

Cost: from £15,000

These combine the best of both worlds - economy on the motorway with saving around town. However, there aren’t many of them around which meet ULEZ requirements. However, if you like Mercedes, this could be the option for you.

Fully electric

Cost: from £6,000 (usually more)

All electric cars are ULEZ compliant, but they are relatively new and as a result they are not cheap. It is possible to pick up an older Toyota Prius on reasonable money, but beware of older electric cars with failing batteries which can be very expensive to replace.

Van (diesel or petrol)

Cost: from £10,000 (usually plus VAT)

If you need a van, the situation is very similar to that of a diesel car, apart from that fact that your new vehicle must have been sold after September 2016, 1 year later than is the case with diesel cars. Petrol vans are technically also an option provided they were first sold after September 2005, but in reality they are extremely rare and when they can be found their prices are inflated due to extremely limited supply.

How should I dispose of my non-ULEZ-compliant vehicle?

Option 1: sell it privately

Remember, your current vehicle has plenty of value left in it. There is life outside of London and your car is still very much in demand there. Although some people may be reluctant to travel into London to purchase your car there will be many who will do so.

Option 2: use a national car buyer

If you’d like your money more quickly you could check the price offered by any of the well known national car buying services. They very rarely honour the price that they ‘guarantee’ online, which itself won’t necessarily be the best price you can get for your car, but if you’re willing to pay an additional fee (basically get less for your car) they will usually pay you immediately.

Option 3: part exchange / scrappage scheme

if you’re buying a new car from a dealership you may find that they offer a part exchange or have a scrappage offer in place.

Option 4: scrap your car

We’d suggest this as a last resort as your car served you well before the ULEZ charge was implemented, so it can still serve its purpose anywhere outside of the Emissions Zone. However, if you do decide to scrap your vehicle, we suggest using Redcorn Scrap in Tottenham. You can check the price you’ll get for your vehicle here, but they usually offer at least £300 for your car, collect it free of charge and pay promptly (usually the day after collection). All cars have a scrap value - do NOT let anyone tell you that they don’t and certainly don’t let anyone ‘take it off your hands to save you the cost’.

Option 5: sell your car through an out of town car broker

There are companies that can sell your car on your behalf. You don’t get your money immediately, but you get more for it and your pride and joy doesn’t get crushed. You can click here for more information about how we may be able to help you with that option. If we’re sourcing you a car and you’d like us to arrange sale of your existing vehicle we can swap them over on collection/delivery if you’d like us to.

Understanding which vehicles are best for the environment

Without doubt, if you can get by using pedal power and/or public transport that is undoubtedly better for the planet. However, if your circumstances mean that you cannot commit to that lifestyle, then which kind of vehicle is ‘morally’ best for the greater good? Economically, electric vehicles are not a viable option for all road users, and other options have differing merits based on how they are used.

There are two primary considerations when considering the environmental impact of your car choices. For many years, priority was given to reducing greenhouse gases (C02 emissions) and consequently diesel cars, which use less fuel, were considered better for the environment. However, diesel cars and vans produce NoX emissions which have a serious impact on air quality and more recently this has been given greater focus. While these emissions have been greatly reduced in newer diesel vehicles (cars from September 2015 and vans from September 2016), older vehicles produce more NoX pollution and consequently their use is limited and charged in some city centres.

Greener compliant vehicles:

Electric vehicles. While electric vehicles have zero impact on local air quality, their carbon footprint (largely from the mining of minerals required to produce their batteries) is still relevant. It is estimated that in Europe an electric car must be driven for two years before its environmental impact matches that of brand new car driven by fossil fuels. Furthermore, if the electricity being used to charge an electric car is created from the burning of fossil fuels rather than renewable energy environmental impact is greatly reduced. Battery recycling is also currently inefficient, but it seems fair to conclude that as this market continues to grow (and with it demand for recycled batteries) this situation will greatly improve before it becomes a consideration for this generation of electric vehicles. Overall, in terms of environmental impact the electric car is kindest to the planet and that will only improve as the grid increasingly uses renewable energy sources to provide the charge for these vehicles.

Diesel vehicles first sold on or after September 2015. These have reduced NoX emissions and superior fuel economy meaning less carbon emissions than petrol vehicles. Depending on your usage, as ‘all-rounders’ you could argue that after electric vehicles these are the best vehicles for the environment. Mileage is comparable with hybrid vehicles, but a little better on the motorway.

Hybrid petrol vehicles. These use 20-35% less fuel than a traditional petrol vehicle and, as they generate their own electricity, they do so without the renewable energy limitations that negate some of the benefit of driving an entirely electric vehicle. For town driving Hybrids are more fuel-efficient than diesel engines.

Older diesel vehicles or petrol vehicles. Here you have a choice between air quality and climate change. Diesel vehicles use less fuel and have a smaller carbon footprint - but they do cause considerably more local air pollution. Petrol vehicles are better for the local environment, but are a greater cause of climate change.