Aberdeen LEZ checker

Check whether your car can enter Aberdeen’s low emission zone (LEZ), often called the Aberdeen ULEZ. Free to use. There is no daily charge.

An estimate from vehicle records, not the council’s.

Check your registration on the official checker

Aberdeen LEZ

What it takes to enter

Standard
Euro 4 petrol, Euro 6 diesel
Hours
24 hours, every day
Daily charge
None
Official Scottish checker

Estimates private cars; vans and other vehicles need the official checker. Enter a registration above for a yes or no.Use the official checker above for a yes or no.

Other zones
DundeeLEZEdinburghLEZGlasgowLEZAll Scottish LEZs
Official council map

Illustrative outline, not for navigation. Boundary © Aberdeen City Council, simplified. Basemap © OpenStreetMap contributors, Protomaps.

Standard
Euro 4 petrol
Euro 6 dieselCars and vans. Euro VI for heavy vehicles.
Hours
24 hoursEvery day of the year.
Daily charge
NoneYou cannot pay to enter. Meet the standard or be exempt.
First penalty
£60£30 if paid within 14 days. Repeat visits rise to £480.
Zone size
0.85 km²About 1.5 by 1.2 km, calculated from the council boundary.

Where the Aberdeen zone is

0.85 km² of the city centre, enforced every hour of every day since 1 June 2024.

The zone

Where
Aberdeen city centre, just under 1 km²Union Street (full length), Holburn Street as far as Ashvale Place, Huntly Street, Virginia Street and Willowbank Road are all inside the zone.
Type
Entry restrictionThere is no daily charge. A vehicle that does not meet the standard, and is not exempt, cannot buy permission to enter.
Boundary
The council’s own outlineCredited to Aberdeen City Council, simplified. Illustrative, not a legal enforcement boundary.
Streets inside the zone (121)
Academy Street, Adelphi, Affleck Place, Affleck Street, Albany Court, Albyn Lane (from Albyn Grove Junction to end of lane by Holburn Street), Alford Place, Back Wynd, Bath Street, Belmont Street, Board Street, Bon-Accord Crescent, Bon-Accord Crescent Lane, Bon-Accord Lane, Bon-Accord Square, Bon-Accord Street, Bon-Accord Terrace, Bridge Place, Bridge Street, Carmelite Lane, Castle Street, Castle Terrace, Castlehill, Chapel Street, College Street, Concert Court, Correction Wynd, Craibstone Lane, Crimon Place, Crown Lane, Crown Street, Crown Terrace, Dee Place, Dee Street, Denburn Road, Diamond Lane, Diamond Place, Diamond Street, East Craibstone Street, East Green, Exchange Lane, Exchange Street, Exchequer Row, Flourmill Lane, Gaelic Lane, Gallowgate (from Upperkirkgate Junction to Littlejohn Street Junction), Gilcomstoun Court, Golden Square, Gordon Street, Guild Street, Hadden Street, Hardgate, Holburn Street (from Union Street Junction to Ashvale Place Junction), Huntly Street, Imperial Place, Justice Mill Brae, Justice Mill Lane, Justice Street, Kidd Street, King Street (from Marischal Street Junction to West North Street Junction), Langstane Place, Lindsay Street, Little Belmont Street, Little Chapel Street, Littlejohn Street, Marischal Street, Market Street (from Union Street Junction to Union Square bus station), Market Stance, Marywell Street, Minister Lane, North Silver Street, Netherkirkgate, Oldmill Road, Peacock's Close, Poultry Market Lane, Queen Street, Rose Place, Rose Street (from Thistle Street Junction to Union Street Junction), Ruby Lane, Ruby Place, South Silver Street, Schoolhill (from Upperkirkgate to Back Wynd Junction), Shiprow, Shoe Lane, Shore Brae, Shore Lane, Skene Terrace, Springbank Street, Springbank Terrace, St John's Place, St Mary's Place, St Nicholas Lane, St Nicholas Street, Stirling Street, Strawberry Bank Parade, Summer Street, Theatre Lane, Thistle Place, Thistle Street (from Rose Street Junction to Chapel Street Junction), Trinity Lane, Trinity Quay, Trinity Street, Union Bridge, Union Glen (from Holburn Street Junction to Bon Accord Gardens), Union Glen Court, Union Grove (from Albyn Grove Junction to Holburn Street Junction), Union Row, Union Street, Union Terrace, Union Wynd, Upperkirkgate, Virginia Court, Virginia Street, Wellington Place, W Craibstone Street, Weigh-House Square, Whitehouse Street, Willowbank Road, Willowgate Close, Windmill Brae, Windmill Lane. Full length unless a stretch is given. This is the schedule of streets in Aberdeen City Council’s 2021 Proposal to make a LEZ Scheme; the council’s map is the reference if the two differ.

Always check individual streets on Aberdeen City Council’s map before you drive. The outline here is for orientation.

Who it applies to

Cars and vans must meet Euro 4 petrol or Euro 6 diesel. The rules are the same in all four Scottish zones.

The official Scottish checker reads UK records only.

It does not establish every exemption or check foreign registrations. If a car has no recorded Euro standard, an age-based estimate stays uncertain; check an import’s manufacture and registration evidence separately.

Standards by vehicle

Usual requirements for the four Scottish zones.
VehicleWhat it needs
Petrol cars and vansEuro 4 or better
Diesel cars and vansEuro 6 or better
Electric carsMeet the standard
HybridsJudged on the engine fuel and the recorded Euro standard.Petrol or diesel standard
Minibuses, buses, coaches and lorriesEuro VI, usually
Retrofitted or repowered vehiclesAberdeen City Council’s 2021 proposal says suitably certified retrofits count as compliant.Certified Euro 6/VI equivalent
Motorcycles and mopedsNot covered

Driving a non-exempt vehicle below the standard on any road inside the boundary can result in a penalty, even for a short visit or a drop-off. It applies to every vehicle in scope, wherever it is registered.

Official vehicle checker Scottish Government guidance

Penalties and repeat visits

£60 for a first penalty, rising to £480 for repeat entries into the same zone.

Penalty ladder

Cars and light goods vehicles. Each penalty is halved if paid within 14 days of service.
PenaltyFullWithin 14 days
First penalty£60£30
Second£120£60
Third£240£120
Fourth and later£480£240

How the count works

  • The count is per driver, vehicle and zone

    It resets after 90 days without a contravention, counted from the last contravention rather than from the day you pay. Aberdeen’s count is separate from Dundee’s, Edinburgh’s and Glasgow’s.

  • One penalty a day, counted midnight to midnight

    Only one penalty is payable per vehicle, zone and day. That does not permit more driving, and driving on both sides of midnight can mean two penalties.

  • Heavier vehicles pay more

    Minibuses, buses, coaches and lorries can reach £960 from the fifth contravention.

  • Overdue notices cost more

    A Charge Certificate adds 50%. An unpaid £480 penalty can become £720, with recovery costs on top.

These are penalties for prohibited entry, not prices for permitted entry.

Exemptions

Most drivers are not exempt. These are the routes that exist, and which are local to Aberdeen.

Routes that exist

  • Historic vehicles National

    At least 30 years old, of a type no longer produced, and kept in original condition without substantial technical changes. Age alone is not enough, and DVLA data does not prove it.

  • Blue Badge holders National

    The driver or a passenger can qualify. Register the vehicle and travel coverage with the Scottish Blue Badge exemption service before you travel. This differs from London’s ULEZ.

  • Emergency, military and showman’s vehicles National

    Specified vehicles of these types may qualify.

  • Council exemptions (expired) Aberdeen

    Aberdeen granted one-year exemptions from 1 June 2024 to taxis and private hire cars, and to vehicles of seven organisations that needed access for health and safety or ran specialist vehicles. The council’s 2024/25 report names no exemption for private cars or residents, and does not say whether any were renewed. If a vehicle relied on one, ask the council whether it still applies.

If an exemption or emissions record is wrong, contact Aberdeen City Council with your V5C and manufacture, emissions or exemption evidence. If you have already received a notice, challenge it separately within its deadline.

If you get a penalty notice

28 days to pay or challenge. The checker cannot cancel a council notice.

Online payment service.

Aberdeen’s online service for paying or challenging a notice was working on 6 October 2026. The council says it can take up to 24 hours from the time a notice is issued before its details appear there. If yours is not there yet, try again the next day, and keep to the deadline on your notice.

Unpaid notices.

Aberdeen’s 2024/25 annual report says that once a Charge Certificate has been issued the right to appeal to the council is lost, and that unpaid notices go to a Sheriff Officer for recovery. Follow the deadlines on your actual notice.

Deadlines

  1. Within 28 days of service

    Pay, or make representations

    Pay the penalty, or write to Aberdeen City Council. Quote the PCN number and registration, with evidence. If you have submitted representations, do not pay while you wait for the decision.

  2. If your representation is rejected

    Another 14 days at 50%, or appeal

    The notice of rejection must offer a further 14 days at the discounted rate. Or appeal to the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland within 28 days.

  3. If it becomes overdue

    A Charge Certificate adds 50%

    Recovery through sheriff officers can follow, with further costs.

Pay or challenge an Aberdeen PCN

Questions drivers ask

Short answers about Aberdeen, with the national rules behind them.

Is there an Aberdeen ULEZ?
Not officially. Aberdeen’s scheme is a low emission zone (LEZ). “ULEZ” is the name of London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone, but many people use it for any zone of this kind. Aberdeen’s standards are Euro 4 petrol and Euro 6 diesel, the same figures London uses for cars, yet the schemes, penalties and exemptions are separate, so a London result does not carry over.
Can I check a van in the Aberdeen LEZ?
Vans are covered by the zone and must meet the same Euro 4 petrol or Euro 6 diesel standard. The check on this page estimates private cars only, so use the official Scottish checker for a van.
Can I pay a daily charge to drive in Aberdeen’s LEZ?
No. Scotland’s LEZs are entry restrictions. A non-compliant, non-exempt vehicle cannot buy permission to enter; it incurs a penalty charge.
Does the Aberdeen LEZ apply to visitors?
Yes. It applies to every vehicle in scope, wherever it is registered. The official checker only covers UK registrations, so a foreign-registered vehicle needs its own check.
Does a hybrid or plug-in hybrid meet the standard?
A hybrid is judged on its engine fuel and recorded Euro standard. Fully electric cars meet it.
What if the checker’s emissions record for my car looks wrong?
Contact Aberdeen City Council with your V5C and manufacture or emissions evidence. A pending correction does not decide a notice, so if you have already received one, challenge it separately within its deadline.

Other low emission zones

Scotland has four zones with the same national rules and separate penalty counts.

All Scottish LEZsLondon ULEZ checkerEnglish clean air zones

Sources and how this was checked

Where each rule comes from, and when it was last reviewed.

Boundary: Aberdeen City Council, simplified.

Illustrative, not a legal enforcement boundary.

Scottish rules reviewed . Aberdeen City Council’s LEZ Annual Report 2024/25 (dated 19 November 2025) read ; its online PCN service was checked working on . Motorwise is independent of every council and scheme named on this page. To report a mistake, contact us.