Birmingham Clean Air Zone checker

Check whether your car pays the £8 daily charge in the Birmingham Clean Air Zone, sometimes called the Birmingham ULEZ. Free to use. A car that meets the standard pays nothing.

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

Check your registration on GOV.UK

Birmingham CAZ

What it takes to enter

Standard
Euro 4 petrol, Euro 6 diesel
Hours
24 hours, every day
Daily charge
£8 if below the standard
Official GOV.UK 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
BathCAZBradfordCAZBristolCAZOxfordZEZPortsmouthCAZSheffieldCAZTynesideCAZAll English clean air zones
Official council map

Illustrative outline, not for navigation. Boundary © Birmingham City Council, Open Government Licence v3.0, simplified. Basemap © OpenStreetMap contributors, Protomaps.

Standard
Euro 4 petrol
Euro 6 dieselCars and vans. Euro VI for buses, coaches and lorries.
Hours
24 hoursEvery day of the year.
Daily charge
£8Cars, taxis, vans and minibuses below the standard. £50 for buses, coaches and HGVs.
Penalty notice
£120£60 if paid within 14 days. £180 once a Charge Certificate is issued.
Zone size
7.59 km²About 3.5 by 3.3 km, calculated from the council boundary.

The short answer

Birmingham Clean Air Zone: does your car pay, and what it costs.

The Birmingham Clean Air Zone charges £8 a day, every day of the year, to cars that do not meet Euro 4 for petrol or Euro 6 for diesel. Cars that meet the standard, and exempt vehicles, pay nothing. The zone covers central Birmingham, inside the A4540 Middleway ring road, and has charged since 1 June 2021.

Enter your registration above for an estimate, or check and pay on GOV.UK . A penalty notice for an unpaid charge is £120, or £60 if paid within 14 days.

Last checked against Birmingham City Council’s published pages.

Where the Birmingham zone is

7.59 km² of the city centre, charged every hour of every day since 1 June 2021.

The zone

Where
Central Birmingham, inside the A4540 Middleway ring roadThe zone is inside the A4540 Middleway but does not include the Middleway itself. The council charges all local roads within the zone, and says its postcode checker is only a guide for postcodes that straddle the boundary.
Type
Daily charge zoneClass D. A vehicle below the standard pays a daily charge. Meeting the standard, or being exempt, means no charge.
Boundary
The council’s own outlineCredited to Birmingham City Council, Open Government Licence v3.0, simplified. Illustrative, not a legal enforcement boundary.

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

Who pays

A car that does not meet Euro 4 petrol or Euro 6 diesel pays a daily charge unless it is exempt.

A car that meets the standard pays nothing.

Petrol cars need Euro 4 and diesel cars Euro 6. If the vehicle record behind a result looks wrong, contact national CAZ support; the council points people there.

Standards by vehicle

What a vehicle needs to avoid the daily charge in this zone.
VehicleWhat it needs
Petrol cars, taxis, vans and minibusesEuro 4 or better
Diesel cars, taxis, vans and minibusesEuro 6 or better
Gas vehiclesEuro 6 or better
Electric carsNo charge
HybridsJudged on the engine they carry.Petrol or diesel standard
Buses, coaches and lorriesEuro VI
Motorcycles and mopedsNot charged

A vehicle below the standard that is not exempt owes the daily charge for each day it is driven on a charged road inside the boundary, even for a short visit or a drop-off.

Official GOV.UK checker GOV.UK guidance

Daily charge and penalties

£8 a day for a car below the standard, and a £120 penalty if it goes unpaid.

Daily charge

For vehicles below the standard that are not exempt. One payment covers one calendar day.
VehiclePer day
Cars, taxis, private hire, vans and minibuses£8
Buses, coaches and HGVs£50

How to pay the daily charge

  • Online on GOV.UK

    Check the vehicle and pay in the same national service. Check or pay on GOV.UK

  • By phone: 0300 029 8888

    The national contact centre takes payments Monday to Friday 8am to 7pm (not bank holidays) and Saturday 8am to 2pm.

When to pay

  • Pay up to six days after

    You can pay up to six days before you travel, on the day, or by 11:59pm on the sixth day after. For a trip on Monday, the deadline is Sunday at 11:59pm.

  • Midnight to midnight

    A charge day runs midnight to midnight. Driving in before midnight and out after it means paying for two days.

  • Refunds are limited

    The council refunds a charge only if the vehicle record was wrong, the wrong date was paid, or a council diversion caused the entry. Payments made in advance are not refundable.

If the charge is not paid

The penalty charge notice (PCN) for an unpaid charge.
StagePenalty
Paid within 14 days of the notice being served£60
Paid within 28 days£120
After a Charge Certificate£180

The charge is the price of driving a vehicle below the standard in the zone. The PCN is a penalty for not paying it in time.

Exemptions

Most drivers are not exempt. These are the national routes, and the ones that apply in Birmingham.

Routes that exist

  • Ultra low emission vehicles National

  • Disabled passenger tax class and disabled tax class vehicles National

  • Military vehicles National

  • Historic vehicles National

  • Vehicles retrofitted with technology accredited by the Clean Vehicle Retrofit Accreditation Scheme National

  • Certain agricultural vehicles National

  • No resident or worker discount Birmingham

    The worker exemption ended on 31 May 2022 and the resident exemption on 31 May 2023. Living or working in the zone does not exempt a vehicle.

  • Disabled, historic and military vehicles Birmingham

    The council identifies these from DVLA records, so there is nothing to apply for. A Blue Badge on its own does not exempt a vehicle.

  • Local exemptions by application Birmingham

    The council now grants exemptions only to recovery, community and school-transport vehicles. An exemption counts only once confirmed by email, from the date the email is received, and charges paid while waiting are not refunded.

  • Medical centre visits Birmingham

    A medical centre in the zone can issue a voucher for a visit. The council says not to pay the charge in that case.

These are the national categories GOV.UK lists. If an exemption or a vehicle record is wrong, contact Birmingham City Council with your V5C and evidence. If you have already received a PCN, 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.

How to pay.

Birmingham notices start KW. To pay online you need the PCN reference and the vehicle registration. You can also pay by phone on 0121 667 4964 at any hour, at a PayPoint outlet, or by cheque or postal order to PO Box 77, Birmingham B4 7WA.

Deadlines

  1. Within 28 days of service

    Pay, or make representations

    Paying within 14 days brings the penalty down to £60; the full £120 is due within 28 days. To challenge, do not pay: Birmingham City Council says that paying closes the case. The council may disregard representations that arrive after 28 days.

  2. If your representation is rejected

    Appeal to the Traffic Penalty Tribunal

    Appeal within 28 days of the notice of rejection. The adjudicator can allow longer. The tribunal hears appeals on clean air zone PCNs outside London.

  3. If it becomes overdue

    A Charge Certificate adds 50%

    The penalty then rises to £180.

Pay or challenge a Birmingham PCN Traffic Penalty Tribunal

Questions drivers ask

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

Does my car have to pay in Birmingham?
Only if it falls below the standard (Euro 4 petrol, Euro 6 diesel) and is not exempt. A car that does pays £8 for each day it is driven in the zone.
How much is the Birmingham Clean Air Zone charge?
£8 a day for cars, taxis, private hire, vans and minibuses; £50 a day for buses, coaches and HGVs. Vehicles that meet the standard, and exempt vehicles, pay nothing.
What are the Birmingham Clean Air Zone hours?
The zone operates 24 hours a day, every day of the year, and has charged since 1 June 2021.
How do I pay the Birmingham Clean Air Zone charge?
Online on GOV.UK, where you can also check the vehicle, or by phone on 0300 029 8888 Monday to Friday 8am to 7pm (not bank holidays) and Saturday 8am to 2pm. You can pay up to six days before you travel, on the day, or by 11:59pm on the sixth day after.
Do I pay for a short trip or just driving through Birmingham?
Yes, if the vehicle is below the standard and you drive on a charged road inside the boundary, even for a short visit or a drop-off. The charge is for each calendar day, so several trips in one day cost one charge. A trip that crosses midnight is two days.
Can I pay after I have driven in?
Yes. You can pay up to six days before, on the day, or by 11:59pm on the sixth day after you travel. After that, a penalty charge notice can follow.
What happens if I do not pay the Birmingham charge?
You may get a penalty charge notice of £120, reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days of the date of service. If it is left, a Charge Certificate raises it to £180.
Do motorcycles pay in the Birmingham Clean Air Zone?
No. Motorcycles and mopeds are not charged.
Does a hybrid or plug-in hybrid meet the standard?
A hybrid is judged on its engine: it needs to meet the petrol or diesel standard. Fully electric cars pay nothing.
What if the emissions record for my car looks wrong?
Contact national CAZ support, which the council points people to. Ask Birmingham City Council about local exemption records. If you have already received a PCN, challenge it separately within its deadline.
Is there a Birmingham ULEZ?
Not officially. Birmingham’s scheme is a Clean Air Zone (CAZ). “ULEZ” is the name of London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone, but many people use it for any zone of this kind. Birmingham’s standards for cars are Euro 4 petrol and Euro 6 diesel, the same figures London uses, yet the charge, penalties and exemptions are separate, so a London result does not carry over.
How does the Birmingham Clean Air Zone work?
Number plate cameras (ANPR) read the plates of vehicles in the zone and check them against a vehicle database. There are no barriers or toll booths. Signs mark the boundary, with advance warning signs on major roads.
Is the Middleway inside the Birmingham CAZ?
No. The zone is inside the A4540 Middleway, but not the Middleway itself. The council charges all local roads within the zone, and says its postcode checker is only a guide for postcodes that straddle the boundary.
Is there a resident discount in the Birmingham CAZ?
No. The resident exemption ended on 31 May 2023 and the worker exemption on 31 May 2022.

Other charging zones

England’s zones set their own charges, penalties and exemptions.

All English clean air zonesLondon ULEZ checkerScottish LEZs

Sources and how this was checked

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

Boundary: Birmingham City Council, Open Government Licence v3.0, simplified.

Illustrative, not a legal enforcement boundary.

Birmingham City Council’s Brum Breathes and penalty notice pages read ; the council’s pay-or-challenge page loaded on . Motorwise is independent of every council and scheme named on this page. To report a mistake, contact us.