Fog of confusion over London

As you may have heard, the London Ultra Low Emissions Zone is expanding to cover an area inside the whole of the M25 (but not the actual motorway itself) in August.

Steve Hobson Editor Motor Transport

For operators running in to London, but not experts on the various TfL schemes, this will just add to the confusion and cost of servicing the capital and it is understandable that many are simply avoiding London because of the cost and confusion.

Just because the ULEZ is expanding to cover the whole of London and surrounding counties does not mean that the Low Emissions Zone or the Congestion Charge are disappearing. And don’t forget the Direct Vision Standard that is being tightened in 2024.

So,in a nutshell,from August this year the ULEZ will require all vans under 3.5 tonnes to be Euro-6 when driving inside the M25 or pay a £12.50 daily charge. It operates 24 hours a day, every day except Christmas Day.

The LEZ operates 24 hours a day and covers Greater London, which is an area roughly within (though not exactly bounded) by the M25. The daily charges for the LEZ are: £100 for vans over 1.205 tonnes unladen weight and up to 3.5 tonnes GVW that do not meet Euro-3, and for HGVs over 3.5 tonnes that meet Euro-4 for PM but not for NOx; and £300 for HGVs over 3.5 tonnes GVW that do not meet Euro-4 (PM only).