Nearly 700,000 car drivers in Greater London could be liable to pay the £12.50 Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) charge when the scheme expands in August 2023, a freedom of information (FOI) request made by the RAC reveals.
An FOI request made by the RAC has revealed that the upcoming expansion of the Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) in August 2023 could result in nearly 700,000 car drivers in Greater London being required to pay the £12.50 charge.
As of February 2023, DVLA data shows that 691,559 licensed cars in Greater London either do not meet the ULEZ standards or were registered prior to key dates. This figure increases to 851,065 when all non-compliant vehicles are included. However, the number of affected drivers is likely to be higher, taking into account vehicles from bordering counties.
TfL estimates that about 160,000 non-compliant cars enter the area that will become part of the expanded zone each day.
The Mayor of London has introduced a £110m scrappage scheme to help eligible individuals receive up to £2,000 towards buying a compliant vehicle.
As of November 2022, the proportion of compliant vehicles in Greater London stood at 90.5%, up from 88.5% in May 2022.
The RAC has suggested that more coordination is needed between the Mayor and the Government to assist small businesses, tradespeople, and key workers.
The original ULEZ scheme was launched in April 2019 and later expanded to the North/South Circular boundaries in October 2021.
