Bristol Clean Air Zone: Online car checker for charges launched

Bristol City Council estimates around 71% of vehicles travelling into the city already meet the zone’s emission standards

Drivers in Bristol will now be able to check whether they need to pay to travel in the Clean Air Zone when it is introduced in late summer 2022.

The vehicle checker has been developed by the government to help drivers plan and check whether they will need to pay the charge and businesses can also use it to check their vehicles by uploading a spreadsheet of their registration numbers of all the vehicles they own.

Bristol’s zone is a central area where pollution is the highest and older and more polluting vehicles will have to pay to travel inside the zone.

Charges will not apply to Euro 4, 5 and 6 petrol vehicles, roughly 2006 upwards and Euro 6 diesel vehicles, roughly end of 2015 onwards.

Bristol City Council estimates around 71% of vehicles travelling into the city already meet the Clean Air Zone’s emission standards.

For those vehicles that would be charged, the council has secured £42 million from the government for grants and loans to reduce the cost of replacing vehicles that would have to pay to enter the zone.

The money can be used to trade in a vehicle for an equivalent new or second-hand model that meets the zone’s emissions standards.

Mayor of Bristol Marvin Rees 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 will be charged to enter the zone then you can contact us to find out what help you can get with either exemptions, a loan or even a grant which you don’t pay back.

“You don’t need to buy a brand new electric car which are unaffordable for most people – it could be as simple as going to your local second hand dealer and upgrading your 2003 car for a 2006 one.”

Birmingham, Bath and Portsmouth already introduced Clean Air Zones in 2021.

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