Everything you need to know about Ulez, as Sadiq Khan's plan to expand zone ruled lawful by the High Court
28 July 2023, 12:14 | Updated: 28 July 2023, 12:15
Sadiq Khan's plan to expand the ultra-low emission zone to the outer London boroughs was ruled lawful by a judge on Friday.
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In a landmark decision that sparked joy from clean air campaigners, and anger from motorists worried about paying extra costs, the High Court sided with the Labour mayor in the Ulez dispute.
The case was brought by five Tory councils, including four London boroughs, who had challenged his bid to expand Ulez by saying it was not in his powers.
Bexley, Bromley, Harrow and Hillingdon councils, as well as Surrey County Council, argued that Mr Khan was simply creating a "master charging scheme".
Here, we go through everything you need to know about Ulez.
Who has to pay the Ulez charge?
The Ulez charge applies to all vehicles that have emissions standards older than Euro 4 for petrol engines, or Euro 6 for diesel engines.
That means that petrol vehicles registered before 2005 and diesel vehicles registered before 2015 are likely to have pay the charge.
Taxis, historic vehicles older than 40 years old, and vehicles with a 'disabled' or 'disabled passenger vehicles' tax class are exempt.
How much is the Ulez charge?
Drivers of cars, smaller vans and motorbikes that don't meet Ulez standards have to pay £12.50 a day to drive within the zone.
Lorries, buses, coaches and heavy vans that are non-compliant are charged £100 under the separate low emission zone scheme, which already covers most of London.
Where is Ulez?
Mr Khan first brought in Ulez in April 2019, although the plans had been in the works for years under his Conservative predecessor, Boris Johnson.
Ulez covered the same area as the congestion charge at first, in central London.
In October 2021, Mr Khan expanded Ulez to the entire area within the North and South Circular roads. Around a million vehicles a day were driven in that area at the time.
On August 29 this year, the zone will expand again to cover the outer London boroughs following the High Court ruling.
When does Ulez operate?
Ulez works 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 364 days a year.
The one exception is Christmas day.
How soon after a journey do drivers have to pay the Ulez charge?
You have until midnight at the end of the third day following the journey.
What is the Ulez money spent on?
Transport for London says all revenue is reinvested into running and improving the capital's transport network, such as expanding bus routes in outer London.
What happens if drivers don't pay the Ulez charge?
Drivers that don't pay the Ulez charge are fined £160. This is reduced to £80 if they pay early.
David Lammy reacts as ULEZ is ruled lawful
How bad is London's air?
London is plagued by bad air pollution, which seriously affects the health of many people who live in the capital.
Research by Imperial College London, cited by Mr Khan, found that in 2019, 4,000 Londoners died prematurely from conditions related to air pollution.
The British Heart Foundation also found that living in some especially-polluted areas of London is as bad for you as smoking 150 cigarettes a year.
Air pollution is seen as a contributory factor to deaths, like smoking, so is not normally listed on death certificates.
But in 2020, a coroner listed air pollution as a cause of death of Ella Kissi-Debrah, a nine-year-old girl who lived in Lewisham, south London, close to the busy South Circular. This was a global first.
Why is Ulez unpopular with some people, if it will make Londoners healthier?
Ulez has proved an extremely controversial issue. Many people support the scheme to improve London's air quality.
But many others argue that it targets working people who need a vehicle to get around, making their lives harder and more expensive at a time when other costs are also going up.
Some have also disputed the environmental science behind the policy.
Anti-Ulez activists have demonstrated throughout the capital, demanding that Mr Khan halt the expansion.
Susan Hall, Mr Khan's Conservative opponent in next year's mayoral election, has said she will scrap the expansion if she is elected.
Instead she will "set up a £50m pollution hotspots fund to tackle the issue where it is, instead of taxing people where it isn't," Ms Hall said.
Ulez is even thought to have been a factor in Labour not winning Uxbridge and South Ruislip from the Conservatives in a recent by-election.
The constituency is in Hillingdon, one of the boroughs where Ulez will expand to in August.
Labour leadership pinned the blame for the loss on Ulez. Speaking after the election, deputy leader Angela Rayner said the expansion was coming "at the cost of working families who have basically had enough."
What happens if a driver cannot afford to change their car?
People with non-compliant cars can apply for a 'scrappage' grant of up to £2,000 for a regular car, and £5,000 for an accessible vehicle. The grant is £1,000 for a motorcycle.
The total funding pot for the scrappage scheme is £110 million.
City Hall data shows that about 7,000 scrappage applications have been approved so far, totalling £25,372,800 - meaning that no extra funding beyond £110million will be allocated.
Paul Brands suggests there has never been a greater need for ULEZ
Does Ulez actually work?
Research by Imperial College in 2021 found that the effect of the initial 2019 Ulez scheme on London's air quality had been marginal.
But a 2023 study, heavily touted by Mr Khan's office, found that nitrogen dioxide concentrations were 46% lower in central London and 21% lower in inner London than they would have been before Ulez.
