Glasgow LEZ checker
Check whether your car can enter Glasgow’s low emission zone (LEZ), often called the Glasgow ULEZ. Free to use. There is no daily charge.
Glasgow 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 © Glasgow 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
- 3.03 km²About 2.2 by 2.1 km, calculated from the council boundary.
Where the Glasgow zone is
3.03 km² of the city centre, enforced every hour of every day since 1 June 2023.
The zone
- Where
- Glasgow city centre, about 3 km²The council describes the zone as the city-centre area bounded by the M8 motorway to the north and west, the River Clyde to the south and Saltmarket/High Street to the east. The M8 itself is not in 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 Glasgow City Council, simplified. Illustrative, not a legal enforcement boundary.
Always check individual streets on Glasgow 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
| 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. Glasgow’s count is separate from Aberdeen’s, Dundee’s and Edinburgh’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 Glasgow.
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 time-limited exemptions Glasgow
Glasgow City Council can grant exemptions of up to one year to vehicles that do not meet the standard. Who can apply, and on what conditions, is for the council to say, so ask it before relying on one. An exemption granted by another city does not apply in Glasgow.
If an exemption or emissions record is wrong, contact Glasgow 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.
Glasgow’s online page for paying a notice and viewing its details was loading on 7 October 2026. The council says it can take up to 24 hours from the time a notice is issued before it appears there. If yours is not there yet, try again the next day, and keep to the deadline on your notice.
Deadlines
- Within 28 days of service
Pay, or make representations
Pay the penalty, or write to Glasgow City 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 Glasgow, with the national rules behind them.
Is there a Glasgow ULEZ?
Can I check a van in the Glasgow LEZ?
Can I pay a daily charge to drive in Glasgow’s LEZ?
Does the Glasgow 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: Glasgow City Council, simplified.
Illustrative, not a legal enforcement boundary.
- Glasgow City 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: Glasgow City CouncilThe council’s published feature service, simplified here
Scottish rules reviewed . Glasgow City Council’s published summary of its LEZ rules, as quoted by Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, 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.