Bath Clean Air Zone
Bath's Clean Air Zone takes in the centre of the city, but private cars are never charged for driving through it. Vans, taxis and lorries that fall short of the emissions standards have to pay a charge each day. The zone operates around the clock, all year, and charges started on 15 March 2021.
Bath Clean Air Zone
Most vans meet the rules if first registered from2006 (petrol) or Sept 2016 (diesel)Type your van's number plate, or the year it was first registered, to get your own answer. Any that don't meet the rules are charged £9 a day.
GOV.UK's official clean air zone 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)Vans don't pay
- Birmingham£8 a day unless it meets the rules
- Bristol£9 a day unless it meets the rules
- Bath£9 a day unless it meets the rules
- Bradford£9 a day unless it meets the rules
- Sheffield£10 a day unless it meets the rules
- PortsmouthVans don't pay
- Newcastle and Gateshead£12.50 a day unless it meets the rules
- 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
Who has to pay in Bath?
What you pay, if anything, comes down to the kind of vehicle you drive and how clean its engine runs. The council's daily charges apply just to vans, taxis and lorries. Private cars pay nothing at all, no matter what fuel they run on or how old they are.
| Vehicle | What you pay each day if the rules aren't met |
|---|---|
| Private car | Nothing to pay |
| Van | £9 |
| Taxi or private hire | £9 |
| Lorry | £100 |
For the complete rules and a map of the zone, where you can get a close-up view of your own street, see the charges page of Bath and North East Somerset Council.
Bath Clean Air Zone at a glance
- £9a day for a van, unless it meets the rules
- 24 hours a dayevery day
- £120penalty if you don't pay, £60 if paid early
- 15 March 2021when charging or enforcement began
These figures come from Bath and North East Somerset Council.
Bath Clean Air Zone boundary map
Bath city centre.
The emissions standards for vans and taxis
Your vehicle counts as compliant if the engine reaches a Euro emissions standard. Euro standards are European limits on exhaust pollution, and each new one is tougher than the one before. Bath asks for Euro 6 from diesel vehicles and Euro 4 from petrol vehicles.
Usually this comes down to when the vehicle was made. A petrol van first registered from January 2006 will normally meet Euro 4. A diesel van bought new from September 2016 will normally meet Euro 6. Vans registered slightly before those dates are a mixed bunch, so some comply and some don't.
Say you have a diesel van registered new in March 2014. Bath would typically charge it £9 a day. That van would normally face £9 a day in Bristol and £8 a day in Birmingham.
How to find your vehicle's Euro standard
On many newer vehicles, the Euro standard appears in section D.2 of the V5C, the DVLA logbook for your vehicle. TfL explains how to check this in its guidance. If that box is blank, the first registration date of your vehicle is a useful starting point.
Your number plate shows that date for any plate issued from September 2001. The two digits that follow the first two letters tell you the age. A March plate uses the year itself, so 14 means March 2014, and a September plate adds 50. The DVLA's guide to number plates explains this system.
A date can only tell you what's probable. The official GOV.UK checker looks up your vehicle's actual record, and that's the answer that counts.
How to pay the Bath charge
Payment opens 6 days before you drive in and stays open until 6 days after. Other clean air zones in England use the same window, so there's no need to pay before you leave home.
Miss that window and you'll get a penalty charge notice. This is a fine for the unpaid trip, set at £120, or £60 if you pay it quickly.
Questions people often ask
Can I take a diesel car into Bath?
Yes, and there's nothing to pay. A diesel car registered new in March 2014 enters free of charge, even though the same car would normally be charged £12.50 a day in London, £9 in Bristol and £8 in Birmingham.
If a car is free in Bath, is it free in other zones?
Not always, so check before a longer journey. Bristol asks £9 a day from cars that fall short, and Birmingham asks £8. Private cars pay nothing in Bradford, Sheffield, Portsmouth or Newcastle and Gateshead.
Is the zone switched off at night or at weekends?
No, it operates 24 hours a day, every day of the year. A non-compliant van pays for every day it enters, no matter what time it shows up.
Do lorries pay more than vans?
Yes. A lorry that misses the rules pays £100 a day, against £9 for a van or taxi.