Birmingham Clean Air Zone checker
Non-compliant cars pay £8 a day inside the A4540 ring road.
Searching for a Birmingham ULEZ? The city's scheme is officially a Clean Air Zone, but it works the same way as London's ULEZ and uses the same emission standards.
The Birmingham zone at a glance
The scheme, the area and the money, verified against the official sources.
| Scheme | Birmingham Clean Air Zone |
| Type | Class D (charges cars) |
| Private cars charged? | Yes |
| Hours | 24 hours a day, 365 days a year |
| Area | All roads inside the A4540 Middleway ring road; the Middleway itself is outside the zone. |
| How to pay | Via the gov.uk Clean Air Zone service, up to 6 days before or after driving (by 11:59pm on the sixth day after). |
| Penalty | £120 plus the charge, reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days |
Who pays what in Birmingham
| Vehicle | Charge |
|---|---|
| Cars, taxis and vans | £8 a day |
| Lorries, coaches and buses | £50 a day |
| Motorcycles | Not charged |
Exemptions and discounts
- Fully electric vehicles
- Motorcycles
- Historic vehicles and vehicles in the disabled tax class
- Approved retrofitted vehicles (CVRAS)
The launch-era resident permits have expired, so residents inside the zone now pay like everyone else.
Official source: Official gov.uk checker and payment. Zone rules change when authorities vote, so check before a journey that matters.
Figures last checked against the official source on . Check the source yourself.
Birmingham zone: common questions
Is my car compliant in Birmingham?
The standards are the same as every UK zone: petrol cars need Euro 4 (broadly, first registered from 2006) and diesels need Euro 6 (broadly, from September 2015). Fully electric cars always comply. Use the checker on this page for an instant estimate.
Do cars pay to drive in Birmingham?
Non-compliant cars pay £8 a day inside the A4540 ring road. Compliant cars pay nothing, and there's nothing to register.
Where does the Birmingham Clean Air Zone cover?
All roads inside the A4540 Middleway ring road; the Middleway itself is outside the zone. It operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
What happens if the rules are broken?
The penalty is £120 plus the charge, reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days. Cameras read every plate entering the zone, so an unpaid charge turns into a penalty automatically.