Edinburgh LEZ checker
Check whether your car can enter Edinburgh’s low emission zone (LEZ), often called the Edinburgh ULEZ. Free to use. There is no daily charge.
Edinburgh LEZ
What it takes to enter
- Standard
- Euro 4 petrol, Euro 6 diesel
- Hours
- 24 hours, every day
- Daily charge
- None
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.
Illustrative outline, not for navigation. Boundary © City of Edinburgh Council, OS, 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
- 3.01 km²About 2.8 by 2.1 km, calculated from the council boundary.
Where the Edinburgh zone is
3.01 km² of the city centre, enforced every hour of every day since 1 June 2024.
The zone
- Where
- Edinburgh city centre, about 3 km²The council describes the boundary as circling the city centre from Tollcross in the south to Palmerston Place in the west, along Queen Street in the New Town to Picardy Place, around Abbeyhill and onto Holyrood Road, then along the Pleasance in the east and back along the Meadows to Tollcross. The council also says: “The boundary itself is not within the LEZ.”
- 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 City of Edinburgh Council, OS, simplified. Illustrative, not a legal enforcement boundary.
Always check individual streets on City of Edinburgh 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
| Vehicle | What it needs |
|---|---|
| Petrol cars and vans | Euro 4 or better |
| Diesel cars and vans | Euro 6 or better |
| Electric cars | Meet the standard |
| HybridsJudged on the engine fuel and the recorded Euro standard. | Petrol or diesel standard |
| Minibuses, buses, coaches and lorries | Euro VI, usually |
| Motorcycles and mopeds | Not 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.
Penalties and repeat visits
£60 for a first penalty, rising to £480 for repeat entries into the same zone.
Penalty ladder
| Penalty | Full | Within 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. Edinburgh’s count is separate from Aberdeen’s, Dundee’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 Edinburgh.
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 Edinburgh
Edinburgh’s council may grant time-limited exemptions of up to 12 months for a vehicle or type of vehicle, but says its policy is otherwise no local exemptions. Its guidance says personal vehicles may not apply. The two classes of specialised HGV it names are vehicles heavily modified for road-rail maintenance work and vehicles adapted to move fragile, unique artwork; applications go to lez@edinburgh.gov.uk. Taxi and private hire retrofit-delay applications closed at 5pm on 12 September 2024 and no more are considered.
If an exemption or emissions record is wrong, contact City of Edinburgh 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.
Edinburgh notice numbers begin EZ.
To pay or challenge online you need the notice number beginning EZ and the vehicle registration, entered exactly as they appear on the notice. The council’s online payment form lets you view the photos the camera captured before you pay.
Challenges must be in writing.
The council says all challenges must be in writing. Its customer portal is the quickest route, it does not accept challenges by email, and you can also post one or hand it in at the Customer Hub, 249 High Street, Edinburgh EH1 1YJ. Each notice must be challenged separately. Representations made after the 28 days may not be considered.
If you believe the car meets the standard.
Send a copy of the V5C, a Certificate of Conformity or a letter from the vehicle’s manufacturer with your challenge. The council says it can then raise the matter with DVLA on your behalf.
Notices passed to sheriff officers.
The council says it cannot accept payment once a notice has been passed to sheriff officers for collection. You must contact the sheriff officer directly for payment options.
Deadlines
- Within 28 days of service
Pay, or make representations
Pay the penalty, or write to City of Edinburgh Council. Quote the PCN number and registration, with evidence. If you have submitted representations, do not pay while you wait for the decision.
- 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.
- If it becomes overdue
A Charge Certificate adds 50%
Recovery through sheriff officers can follow, with further costs.
Questions drivers ask
Short answers about Edinburgh, with the national rules behind them.
Is there an Edinburgh ULEZ?
Can I check a van in the Edinburgh LEZ?
Can I pay a daily charge to drive in Edinburgh’s LEZ?
Does the Edinburgh LEZ apply to visitors?
Does a hybrid or plug-in hybrid meet the standard?
What if the checker’s emissions record for my car looks wrong?
Other low emission zones
Scotland has four zones with the same national rules and separate penalty counts.
Sources and how this was checked
Where each rule comes from, and when it was last reviewed.
Boundary: City of Edinburgh Council, OS, simplified.
Illustrative, not a legal enforcement boundary.
- City of Edinburgh Council: low emission zoneCouncil guidance for this zone
- Scottish Government: low emission zonesmygov.scot
- The Low Emission Zones (Emission Standards, Exemptions and Enforcement) (Scotland) Regulations 2021legislation.gov.uk
- Boundary data: City of Edinburgh CouncilThe council’s published feature service, simplified here
Scottish rules reviewed . City of Edinburgh Council’s LEZ exemptions, penalty charge and boundary pages 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.