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ULEZ, LEZ and Clean Air Zones for motorhomes

If your hire vehicle does not meet the emission standard, driving into a zone costs money every day. Whether you pay, and how much, depends on the vehicle’s weight and how the DVLA classifies it.

Before you pay anything, check the registration: TfL’s vehicle checker for London, GOV.UK’s Clean Air Zone checker for England, and the mygov.scot checker for Scotland. TfL says: check with the hire company; if the vehicle misses the standard and they have not arranged payment, you pay1.

London: ULEZ

The charge is £12.50 a day2 for non-compliant vehicles (cars, vans and specialist vehicles up to and including three and a half tonnes). It runs every day of the year except Christmas Day, across all London boroughs (not the M25)2. motor caravans over 3.5 tonnes GVW do not pay ULEZ; they pay the LEZ charge if they miss LEZ standards3.

London: LEZ

  • LEZ covers motor caravans from 2.5 up to and including 3.5 tonnes GVW4. These pay £100 a day for vans or specialist diesel vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes that miss Euro 31.
  • Over three and a half tonnes: £100 a day over 3.5 tonnes if the vehicle meets Euro IV (PM) but not Euro VI1, or £300 a day over 3.5 tonnes if the vehicle misses Euro IV (PM)1.
  • pay by midnight on the third charging day after the journey1.

England’s Clean Air Zones

There are 7 live Clean Air Zones: Bath, Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Portsmouth, Sheffield and Tyneside5. cars and vans avoid CAZ charges at Euro 6 (diesel) or Euro 4 (petrol); buses, coaches and HGVs need Euro VI5. a charging day runs midnight to midnight5; pay within the 13-day payment window, or face a Penalty Charge Notice5.

ZoneDaily charge for a non-compliant vehicle
Bathno charge for M1 cars and campervans6; £9 (N1 campervans and vans under 3.5t)6; £100 for PHGV motorhomes (reduced to £9 if registered with the council)6
Birmingham£8 (cars, taxis and LGVs)7; £50 (coaches, buses and HGVs)7
Bradford£9 (campervans and motorhomes up to 3.5t)8; £50 (campervans and motorhomes over 3.5t)8
Bristol£9 (cars and light goods vehicles under 3.5t)9; £100 (heavy goods vehicles over 3.5t)9
Portsmouth£50 (non-compliant HGVs, including some motorhomes the DVLA classes as private HGVs)10; private cars, motorcycles and vans are not charged in Portsmouth11
Sheffield£10 (smaller vehicles such as LGVs; campervans and motorhomes are chargeable)12; £50 (larger vehicles; large motorhomes can register for a £10 rate)13
Tyneside (Newcastle and Gateshead)£12.50 (vans and light goods vehicles)14; £50 (buses, coaches and HGVs)14; motor caravans can apply for a local exemption (V5C and photos)15

Which row applies depends on how the vehicle is registered (for example M1 car, N1 van or private HGV), which is on its V5C. Ask the hire company.

Scotland’s Low Emission Zones

Scotland has LEZs in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow16. They work by fines, not daily charges: you cannot prepay to avoid a Scottish LEZ fine16. The first penalty £60 (£30 if paid within 14 days), doubling for repeat entries within 90 days16; the maximum £480 for cars and light goods vehicles, £960 for minibuses, buses, coaches and HGVs16. Standard: Euro 4 petrol and Euro 6 diesel for cars and vans17.

Work out your own trip: open the motorhome hire calculator. It starts with sourced defaults and leaves the rest for your quote.

Sources

  1. TfL, How to pay a LEZ charge. Checked 31 October 2026.
  2. TfL, Ultra Low Emission Zone. Checked 31 October 2026.
  3. TfL, ULEZ: vehicles over 3.5 tonnes. Checked 31 October 2026.
  4. TfL, LEZ: vans, minibuses and specialist diesel vehicles. Checked 31 October 2026.
  5. GOV.UK, Drive in a Clean Air Zone: guidance. Checked 31 October 2026.
  6. Bath & North East Somerset Council, CAZ charges. Checked 31 October 2026.
  7. Birmingham City Council (Brum Breathes), CAZ charges. Checked 31 October 2026.
  8. Bradford Council, CAZ daily charges. Checked 31 October 2026.
  9. Bristol City Council, CAZ charges. Checked 31 October 2026.
  10. Portsmouth City Council (Cleaner Air Portsmouth), HGVs. Checked 31 October 2026.
  11. Portsmouth City Council (Cleaner Air Portsmouth), vehicle drivers. Checked 31 October 2026.
  12. Sheffield City Council, CAZ charges. Checked 31 October 2026.
  13. Sheffield City Council, CAZ exemptions and discounts. Checked 31 October 2026.
  14. Newcastle & Gateshead councils (BREATHE), CAZ charges. Checked 31 October 2026.
  15. Newcastle & Gateshead councils (BREATHE), local exemptions. Checked 31 October 2026.
  16. mygov.scot, Fines for Low Emission Zones. Checked 31 October 2026.
  17. mygov.scot, Check if you can drive a vehicle in a LEZ. Checked 31 October 2026.