Aberdeen LEZ
The Aberdeen LEZ (low emission zone) takes in the city centre. It runs 24 hours a day, every day, and enforcement began on 1 June 2024. There is no daily fee. Instead, if your vehicle doesn't meet the rules and you drive in, you'll get a £60 penalty, though paying it promptly within a fortnight brings the cost down to £30. Whether your own car is okay depends on what fuel it uses and how old it is.
Aberdeen LEZ
Most cars meet the rules if first registered from2006 (petrol) or Sept 2015 (diesel)Plenty of petrol cars built between 2001 and 2005 also meet the rules. Type your car's number plate, or the year it was first registered, to get your own answer. Any that don't meet the rules are charged a £60 first penalty.
Scotland's official vehicle checker reads the record held for your vehicle and gives the final answer.
Compare your vehicle across the UK's other zones
- London ULEZ£12.50 a day unless it meets the rules
- London lorry and large van zone (LEZ)Cars don't pay
- Birmingham£8 a day unless it meets the rules
- Bristol£9 a day unless it meets the rules
- BathCars don't pay
- BradfordCars don't pay
- SheffieldCars don't pay
- PortsmouthCars don't pay
- Newcastle and GatesheadCars don't pay
- Oxford£2 to £10 a day (electric cars don't pay)
- Glasgow£60 fine unless it meets the rules
- Edinburgh£60 fine unless it meets the rules
- Aberdeen£60 fine unless it meets the rules
- Dundee£60 fine unless it meets the rules
Which cars are allowed in the Aberdeen LEZ
Every car carries a Euro standard, a rating that says how clean its exhaust is. The newer the car, the higher the number. Under Aberdeen's rules, petrol cars qualify at Euro 4 and diesel cars at Euro 6. Motorbikes are not covered by the scheme entirely.
If your petrol car was first registered in 2006 or later, it most likely meets Euro 4, and plenty of cars from 2001 do as well. For diesel, Euro 6 usually applies to cars first registered from September 2015 onwards. Hybrids follow their engine, so a petrol hybrid counts as a petrol car. Electric cars are always fine.
Aberdeen LEZ at a glance
- £60first penalty, doubling each time
- 24 hours a dayevery day
- £30if you pay the penalty within 14 days
- 1 June 2024when charging or enforcement began
These figures come from Transport Scotland.
Aberdeen LEZ boundary map
Scotland's penalties, step by step
The first penalty is £60. Each time the same vehicle enters the same zone within 90 days, the next one doubles. It stops rising at £480 for a car or light van, and at £960 for a bus, coach or lorry. After 90 days without a penalty it goes back to £60.
| Penalty | Amount | Paid within 14 days |
|---|---|---|
| 1st penalty | £60 | £30 |
| 2nd penalty | £120 | £60 |
| 3rd penalty | £240 | £120 |
| 4th penalty | £480 | £240 |
These figures come from mygov.scot.
What does your car's year tell you?
The year your car was first registered gives a quick first guess. Here is the typical outcome for cars registered in March of each of these years.
| March of registration | Petrol | Diesel |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Normally fails | Normally fails |
| 2001 to 2005 | Mixed: some get in, some don't | Normally fails |
| 2006 to 2014 | Normally passes | Normally fails |
| 2015 | Normally passes | Mixed: some get in, some don't |
| 2016 to 2017 | Normally passes | Normally passes |
Changeover years saw new cars moving over to the newer standard, which is why two cars of the same age can come out differently. Take a diesel first registered in March 2014: it is normally too old for Euro 6 and would be hit with a £60 fine if it entered the zone.
The year only points to a likely answer. Before you drive in, use the official mygov.scot checker, which reads your vehicle's record and gives the final answer.
How to find your car's age and Euro standard
Number plates show a car's age for anything registered from September 2001 onwards. Look at the 2 digits that follow the first 2 letters. A March plate uses the year itself, so 14 means March 2014. September plates add 50 to the year, so 76 means September 2026.
On newer vehicles, TfL says the Euro standard can appear in section D.2 of the V5C, the vehicle's logbook.
What happens if your car doesn't meet the rules?
You cannot pay your way in. Each time a vehicle that doesn't meet the rules enters, a penalty follows. The first is £60, dropping to £30 if you settle it inside 14 days. The penalty doubles each further time that vehicle enters that zone within 90 days. Cars and light vans stop at £480, buses and lorries at £960.
| Penalty in the 90-day window | Car total | Car total with 14-day payment | Bus or lorry total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | £60 | £30 | £60 |
| 2nd | £180 | £90 | £180 |
| 3rd | £420 | £210 | £420 |
| 4th | £900 | £450 | £900 |
| 5th | £1380 | £690 | £1860 |
| 6th | £1860 | £930 | £2820 |
A car's penalties run £60, £120, £240, then £480. From that point on, each further penalty stays at the £480 ceiling.
Common questions
Does Aberdeen have a ULEZ or an LEZ?
It's an LEZ. ULEZ belongs to London, where a failing car pays £12.50 a day. Aberdeen has nothing like that daily charge.
Where else in Scotland are there LEZs?
Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee have them too. Glasgow's came first, on 1 June 2023; Edinburgh's followed on 1 June 2024, and Dundee's arrived on 30 May 2024. All 3 apply Euro 4 to petrol and Euro 6 to diesel, just like Aberdeen, and the first penalty is the same £60.
Will a car that clears Aberdeen also clear Glasgow and Edinburgh?
Yes, as long as it meets Euro 4 on petrol or Euro 6 on diesel. Every Scottish zone sets identical rules for cars, so a car that passes in Aberdeen also passes in the other cities.