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With the expansion of Ultra Low Emission Zones and Clean Air Zones across cities we look at how they work and how leasing your next vehicle can be the answer to comply with the new regulations.
It can seem a little complicated but Low Emission Zones usually operate in city centres with heavy traffic and aim to improve the air quality by discouraging or restricting polluting vehicles. They encourage the use of electric vehicles and hybrids and charge polluting vehicles to enter.
The charging system works by employing Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR). This works with cameras that log vehicles as they enter into the zone. If it finds the vehicle doesn’t meet required standards for clean air then the driver is automatically sent a bill. If the driver doesn’t pay then the penalties become higher!
London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone works within the Low Emission Zone and was the first charging low emission zone in the country and the system has now been expanded to many other cities in the UK.
Charges are issued by local authorities and vary depending on the type of vehicle you are driving and its purpose.
Clean Air Zones work in cities too and are there to improve air quality and operate in the same way as ULEZ or LEZ. If your vehicle exceeds emission standards then you need to pay a charge. It is interesting to note that in some cities businesses have switched to cleaner vehicles faster than expected so consequently air pollution was down and there was no need to introduce the zones and associated charges.
Nobody is banned from driving through low emission zones but simply charged for doing so. There are four classes of low emission zones and they charge different types of vehicle:
London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) was originally introduced in 2019 and applies to cars and motorcycles. ULEZ charges are applied to:
Vehicles need to meet these standards to travel through ULEZ, without paying a charge. If your vehicle doesn’t meet these standards you may have to pay a charge to enter. It is your responsibility as the driver to check you’re compliant. You can use the Government Clean Air Zone online tools to see whether you’ll need to pay – you just need to know your number plate to start.
The aim of European emission standards is to reduce the levels of harmful emissions, including carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons and particulate matter. To be ULEZ compliant, hybrid cars must meet the same standards as petrol or diesel cars (Euro 4 and Euro 6 respectively). All electric cars are ULEZ compliant as they produce zero tailpipe emissions.
So with this in mind, is leasing your next vehicle a good way to tackle the growing amount of low emission and clean air zones? Well the newer the vehicle the more likely it is to meet the emission standards. So in short, yes it could be the way to go. Take a look at our latest Car, Van and Pickup Special offers here. We also include the technical data, so you can check out the vehicle emissions from right here on our website.
BVRLA (British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association) data indicates that virtually 100% of leased cars are CAZ-compliant. These figures are well ahead of the average for all UK cars. For the commercial vehicle sector the percentage of lease vans meeting CAZ-compliant standards is again well above the figure for the UK van fleet.
BVRLA is the representative of the rental and leasing market for vehicles in Britain and is fully supporting the development of CAZ and ULEZ and is working in partnership with city leaders and central government to drive down pollution.
MW Vehicle Contracts is a member of the BVRLA and as a consequence is working towards a future of cleaner transport. Our sales team are very knowledgeable and friendly and can talk to you about finding a CAZ compliant vehicle. Call us today or take a look at the section of our website dedicated to Electric and Hybrid Vehicles.
