Vehicle checker launched for Bristol Clean Air Zone

You can now check if you will be charged to enter the zone when it launches this summer

The vehicle checker allows you to see if your car will be charged

Author: James DiamondPublished 14th Feb 2022
Last updated 14th Feb 2022

After years of planning you can now finally check whether your car will be charged to enter Bristol's Clean Air Zone, when it is introduced this summer.

Ideas for a low polluting zone were first discussed in 2017 and we still do not have an exact date for when it will launch, though we have been told today (February 14) that it should launch some time in September.

The vehicle checker has been developed by the government to help drivers plan and check whether they will need to pay the charge, which will be £9 per day for non compliant private cars, taxis and vans.

It then jumps to £100 a day for lorries, buses and coaches.

Charges will not apply to:

Euro 4, 5 and 6 petrol vehicles, roughly 2006 upwards

Euro 6 diesel vehicles, roughly end of 2015 onwards

You can check whether your car is compliant here.

The council estimates that 71 per cent of vehicles travelling into the city already meet the zone’s emission standards.

For those that do not, the council has secured £42 million from government for grants and loans to reduce the cost of replacing vehicles that would be charged.

Marvin Rees, Mayor of Bristol, said: “We’re making sure that the clean air zone won’t have a detrimental impact on people on low incomes or businesses that have already had a difficult two years.

"That’s why we have £42 million available to help people to get cleaner vehicles.

“It’s easy to check whether your vehicle will be charged.

"I urge everyone to use the online vehicle checker and enter your registration number as soon as possible."

If your vehicle is non compliant and set to be charged, you are urged to get in touch with the council to find out if you are eligible for exemptions, or a loan or a grant to help upgrade your vehicle.

Bristol City Council was originally ordered by the government to have the Clean Air Zone in place by October 29 2021, but that was delayed.

Nearby Bath has had a similar zone in place since March last year.

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