Bristol Clean Air Zone checker
Non-compliant cars pay £9 a day in central Bristol.
Searching for a Bristol ULEZ? The city's scheme is officially a Clean Air Zone, one of the few outside London that charges private cars.
The Bristol zone at a glance
The scheme, the area and the money, verified against the official sources.
| Scheme | Bristol Clean Air Zone |
| Type | Class D (charges cars) |
| Private cars charged? | Yes |
| Hours | Midnight to midnight, every day (a car that drives in the zone on two calendar days pays twice) |
| Area | A small central zone: the city centre, harbourside and Hotwells, Redcliffe, Old Market and part of the M32 approach. |
| 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, reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days |
Who pays what in Bristol
| Vehicle | Charge |
|---|---|
| Cars, taxis and vans | £9 a day |
| Lorries, coaches and buses | £100 a day |
| Motorcycles | Not charged |
Exemptions and discounts
- Fully electric vehicles
- Motorcycles
- Historic vehicles and vehicles in the disabled tax class
The council has asked government for permission to raise the £9 charge with inflation. Nothing has been enacted at the time of writing.
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.
Bristol zone: common questions
Is my car compliant in Bristol?
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 Bristol?
Non-compliant cars pay £9 a day in central Bristol. Compliant cars pay nothing, and there's nothing to register.
Where does the Bristol Clean Air Zone cover?
A small central zone: the city centre, harbourside and Hotwells, Redcliffe, Old Market and part of the M32 approach. It operates midnight to midnight, every day (a car that drives in the zone on two calendar days pays twice).
What happens if the rules are broken?
The penalty is £120, reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days. Cameras read every plate entering the zone, so an unpaid charge turns into a penalty automatically.
Other UK zones
Every city has its own rules; check before you travel.
London · Birmingham · Oxford · Glasgow · Edinburgh · Aberdeen · Dundee · Bath · Bradford · Portsmouth · Sheffield · Tyneside · Greater Manchester