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UK Clean Air Zone (CAZ) & Vehicle Emission Zone Guidance for Europcar Customers

What is a Clean Air Zone?

In 2015 the Government released plans to improve air quality across the UK through a variety of measures, including the implementation of ‘Clean Air Zones’ (CAZ).
Cities with air quality problems will apply restrictions to encourage only the cleanest vehicles to operate within the boundaries of their Clean Air Zone (CAZ). Any vehicle not meeting the specified emission standards will be required to pay a fee to operate within the boundaries of that CAZ. 

Types of Clean Air Zones

There are 4 types of clean air zones, Class A to D with (Required Standards):
CAZ Types

Which cities have Clean Air Zones?

Click here to find all the latest cities and which type of zone they operate. 

To check if a vehicle needs to pay a charge click here. 

If you are going to have to pay a charge to enter a Clean Air Zone with your current vehicle, you may want to consider hiring a vehicle that complies and will not incur a charge. 

The Europcar UK car and van fleet meets the Euro 4 Emission Petrol Standards or Euro 6 Emission Diesel Standards making them exempt from charges within Clean Air Zones. 

Ultra Low Emission Zones (ULEZ)

Some cities are looking to go further and create Ultra Low Emission Zones (ULEZ) or Zero Emission Zones (ZEZ) where a total ban of non-compliant vehicles may be introduced instead.

London is the only ULEZ in the UK, up to but not including the North and South Circular roads. The ULEZ standards for London are:

  • Euro 3 for motorcycles, mopeds, motorised tricycles and quadricycles (L category)

  • Euro 4 (NOx) for petrol cars, vans, minibuses and other specialist vehicles

  • Euro 6 (NOx and PM) for diesel cars, vans and minibuses and other specialist vehicles

Zero Emission Zones (ZEZ)

Some cities are looking to go further and create Zero Emission Zones (ZEZ) which will be for vehicles with no emissions at all. This is for electric vehicles only. Oxford is the first city to launch a ZEZ, and all the details can be found here, including a map and all the charges.