Bristol Clean Air Zone checker
Check whether your car pays the £9 daily charge in the Bristol Clean Air Zone, sometimes called the Bristol ULEZ. Free to use. A car that meets the standard pays nothing.
Bristol CAZ
What it takes to enter
- Standard
- Euro 4 petrol, Euro 6 diesel
- Hours
- 24 hours, every day
- Daily charge
- £9 if below the standard
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
Illustrative outline, not for navigation. Boundary © Bristol City Council / West of England Combined Authority, 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
- £9Cars, taxis, vans and minibuses below the standard. £100 for buses, coaches and HGVs.
- Penalty notice
- £120£60 if paid within 14 days. £180 once a Charge Certificate is issued.
- Zone size
- 3.03 km²About 3.6 by 2.5 km, calculated from the council boundary.
The short answer
Bristol Clean Air Zone: does your car pay, and what it costs.
The Bristol Clean Air Zone charges £9 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 Bristol, including the Cumberland Basin, and has charged since 28 November 2022.
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 Bristol City Council’s published pages.
Where the Bristol zone is
3.03 km² of the city centre, charged every hour of every day since 28 November 2022.
The zone
- Where
- Central Bristol, including the Cumberland BasinThe Charging Order covers all local roads inside the boundary. The council publishes the boundary only as a PDF map, so check a street on the official map. A signed diversion route is not charged.
- 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 Bristol City Council / West of England Combined Authority, Open Government Licence v3.0, simplified. Illustrative, not a legal enforcement boundary.
Always check individual streets on Bristol 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
| Vehicle | What it needs |
|---|---|
| Petrol cars, taxis, vans and minibuses | Euro 4 or better |
| Diesel cars, taxis, vans and minibuses | Euro 6 or better |
| Electric cars | No charge |
| HybridsJudged on the engine they carry. | Petrol or diesel standard |
| Buses, coaches and lorries | Euro VI |
| Motorcycles | Not 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.
Daily charge and penalties
£9 a day for a car below the standard, and a £120 penalty if it goes unpaid.
Daily charge
| Vehicle | Per day |
|---|---|
| Cars, taxis, private hire vehicles, vans and minibuses | £9 |
| Buses, coaches and HGVs | £100 |
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 does not refund a charge paid in advance for a journey that did not happen, or one paid for the wrong date or vehicle. It refunds a charge if a compliant vehicle was wrongly shown as non-compliant (apply within six months of the first payment, with DVLA evidence) or if a diversion took you into the zone.
Parked and resident vehicles
A vehicle that is parked in the zone and does not move is not charged. A resident with a vehicle below the standard pays only on days it makes a journey.
Diversions
If a road closure diverts you into the zone and you follow the signed diversion route, there is no charge. Driving elsewhere in the zone earns a penalty notice.
If the charge is not paid
| Stage | Penalty |
|---|---|
| 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 Bristol.
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, worker or Blue Badge exemption Bristol
The Blue Badge exemptions ended on 31 March 2023, and the Financial Assistance Scheme exemption on 31 July 2023. The national exemptions listed above still apply.
Specialist and emergency vehicles Bristol
Vehicles in tax classes 4, 8 and 11 (specialist vehicles) and tax class 12 (emergency vehicles) can apply to the council. The exemption is free, lasts 12 months and has to be renewed. A decision takes up to 15 working days, and the vehicle is not exempt until it is approved.
Bristol Royal Infirmary patients and visitors Bristol
Some patients and visitors to the Bristol Royal Infirmary complex are exempt. The hospital trust sets the eligibility and handles applications.
These are the national categories GOV.UK lists. If an exemption or a vehicle record is wrong, contact Bristol 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.
Bristol notices have 10 digits and start BS5 or BS6. You owe the penalty and the unpaid daily charge, and the 50% reduction applies to the penalty only. Pay online with the notice number and registration, on the 24-hour automated line on 0117 903 6402, or by cheque to Bristol City Council, Payment Processing (Parking PCN), PO Box 3399, Bristol BS1 9NE.
How to appeal.
Appeal in writing, online or by post to Parking Services (PCN Appeals) at the same PO box, within 28 days of the date of service. Each notice needs its own appeal. After a Charge Certificate you cannot appeal online. If you have the certificate but never received the notice, use the council’s PCN contact form.
If it stays unpaid.
The council may register the notice at the County Court, which adds a £9 court fee, and then instruct bailiffs. Bailiff fees are added to what you owe.
Deadlines
- 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. Appealing puts the notice on hold and freezes the amount until the council replies. The council may disregard representations that arrive after 28 days.
- 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.
- If it becomes overdue
A Charge Certificate adds 50%
The penalty then rises to £180.
Questions drivers ask
Short answers about Bristol, with the national rules behind them.
Does my car have to pay in Bristol?
How much is the Bristol Clean Air Zone charge?
What are the Bristol Clean Air Zone hours?
How do I pay the Bristol Clean Air Zone charge?
Do I pay for a short trip or just driving through Bristol?
Can I pay after I have driven in?
What happens if I do not pay the Bristol charge?
Do motorcycles pay in the Bristol Clean Air Zone?
Does a hybrid or plug-in hybrid meet the standard?
What if the emissions record for my car looks wrong?
Is there a Bristol ULEZ?
How does the Bristol Clean Air Zone work?
Is there a resident discount in the Bristol CAZ?
Do I pay if I am diverted into the Bristol CAZ?
Are Blue Badge holders exempt in Bristol?
Other charging zones
England’s zones set their own charges, penalties and exemptions.
Sources and how this was checked
Where each rule comes from, and when it was last reviewed.
Boundary: Bristol City Council / West of England Combined Authority, Open Government Licence v3.0, simplified.
Illustrative, not a legal enforcement boundary.
- Bristol City Council: Clean Air ZoneCouncil guidance for this zone
- Bristol City Council: charges and vehicle checkerDaily charges by vehicle type
- Bristol City Council: exemptionsNational and local exemptions
- Bristol Clean Air Zone Charging Order 2022Clean Air for Bristol, with the zone plans
- University Hospitals Bristol: Clean Air ZoneHospital patient and visitor exemption
- GOV.UK: driving in a clean air zoneNational guidance on standards, exemptions and payment
- The Road User Charging Schemes (Penalty Charges, Adjudication and Enforcement) (England) Regulations 2013legislation.gov.uk
- Boundary data: Bristol City CouncilThe published feature service, simplified here
Bristol City Council’s Clean Air Zone 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.