Everything you need to know about ULEZ charges

You’ve probably heard about LEZ (low emission zones), ULEZ (ultra-low emission zones), and congestion zones. But what do they actually mean?

Basically, they’re all schemes designed to reduce the build-up of traffic, cut emissions, and improve air quality. They’re usually found in bigger towns and cities such as London, Birmingham, Bristol, Sheffield, Glasgow, and Bath.

• ULEZ (Ultra Low Emission Zone) – London’s scheme. Charges most older petrol and diesel cars, vans, and motorcycles that don’t meet emissions standards. Runs 24/7 across all London boroughs.
• LEZ (Low Emission Zone) – Mostly targets heavier vehicles (HGVs, buses, coaches) in London, Scotland, and a few other areas.
• CAZ (Clean Air Zone) – England’s version, operating in cities like Bath, Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Portsmouth, Sheffield, Tyneside (Newcastle/Gateshead), and more.
• ZEZ (Zero Emission Zone) – Found in Oxford city centre, where only fully electric vehicles avoid charges.

The good news is that with your EV you should be exempt from ULEZ and LEZ charges as you wont create any tailpipe emissions. Though, as time goes on you might find that councils with congestion zones rather than low emission zones will reduce the incentives that EVs get. If you live in, or near, an ULEZ or a LEZ you can get in touch with your local council to check if your car is exempt. Most EVs are automatically exempt, but we’d hate you to be caught out.

It’s also best to triple-check when travelling. In France for example, the French authorities need you to display a sticker called a Crit Aire in some regions and cities to show you’re exempt.

Right now your EV currently doesn’t have to pay to enter the London Congestion Zone. However, you do need to register (charged at £10 per vehicle) to make sure you’re exempt.

You can check the areas covered by the congestion charge on the TfL website.

Applying for an exemption from the Congestion charge is easy. All you need is a copy of your V5C. Then head over to the TfL website.

If you don’t have your V5C and are a salary sacrifice customer,  you can request a copy by either emailing us at customerservice@octopusev.com or phoning us on 020 3389 5959.

Scotland is rolling out LEZs in cities like Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, and Dundee. These focus on banning or charging older petrol and diesel cars that don’t meet Euro 4 (petrol) or Euro 6 (diesel) standards. EVs are exempt.

In short, no. The Dart Charge has nothing to do with congestion and is the charge to use Dartford crossing. So even if you have an EV, you need to pay the fee by midnight of the day after you make the crossing.

The easiest way to pay is to register for an account to make payments online when you make the crossing.

If you don’t register, and you have an Octopus EV salary sacrifice lease, we get your Dart Charges manually through the post and we'll transfer them over to you as soon as we have them.

Want to know more about all things EV? Head over to our EV hub.

If you drive an EV, you’re currently in the best position: you avoid almost all ULEZ, LEZ, and CAZ charges. Just don’t forget that Congestion Charge exemption for EVs ends in December 2025.

Whenever you travel, especially to new cities, it’s worth double-checking the local rules so you don’t get caught out with a surprise daily charge or penalty notice.