Bradford Clean Air Zone
If you drive your own private car into the Bradford Clean Air Zone, you won't be charged anything. The daily fee applies to vans, taxis, lorries and buses that fall short of the emissions rules. The zone has been running since 26 September 2022 and it never switches off, charging around the clock all year.
Bradford 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 Bradford?
Whatever its age or fuel type, a private car is never charged. The fee only reaches commercial and licensed vehicles that miss the required standard.
Whether your vehicle passes comes down to its Euro standard. That's the emissions level it was built to, and the newer the vehicle, the higher the standard it usually meets. In Bradford, diesel vehicles need Euro 6 and petrol ones need Euro 4.
Bradford 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
- 26 September 2022when charging or enforcement began
These figures come from Bradford Council.
Bradford Clean Air Zone boundary map
What will you pay each day if your vehicle fails?
| Vehicle | Charge per day if it fails |
|---|---|
| Car (private) | Nothing |
| Van | £9 |
| Taxi or private hire | £7 |
| Lorry, bus or coach | £50 |
These are the amounts set out by Bradford Council's list of daily charges. To give an example, a diesel car registered in March 2014 owes nothing in Bradford, while a diesel van registered that same month owes £9 each day.
Using the Bradford CAZ checker
Our checker is based on when your vehicle was first registered. That's usually a reliable guide, though some years sit on the boundary. In those years the new standard was being phased in, so vehicles from the same year can pass or fail.
Take a car first registered in March. Diesels generally fail up to 2014, 2015 is a boundary year, and from 2016 on they generally pass. Petrol cars generally fail in 2000, are mixed between 2001 and 2005, and generally pass from 2006 onwards.
For the definitive answer, use the official GOV.UK checker, which looks up your vehicle's own record. TfL notes that on newer vehicles the Euro standard can appear in part D.2 of the V5C, which is the logbook, the paper record of the vehicle that the owner holds.
Where and when does the zone apply?
The zone takes in Bradford city centre plus the Aire valley corridor. It operates 24 hours a day, all year round, so there's no off-peak window when a failing van can slip in without paying.
Paying the charge and penalties
Payment is open from 6 days before the day you drive in until 6 days after it. So there's no need to pay upfront, provided you settle up within those 6 days following your journey.
Miss the payment and you may receive a penalty charge notice. That's the fine you get for leaving the charge unpaid. In Bradford it's £120, reduced to £60 if you pay promptly.
Questions people often ask
So what is a clean air zone, in plain terms?
It marks out an area in which vehicles below a set emissions standard must pay to enter. Vehicles that meet the standard drive through at no cost.
How does it compare with London's ULEZ?
They're not the same thing. Cars do get charged in London's zone. A failing car, van or motorbike pays £12.50 a day, and the zone stretches across all 32 London boroughs plus the City, according to TfL. A diesel car that costs nothing in Bradford might still face a charge in London.
Are cars charged in Bath's clean air zone?
Bath follows Bradford's approach to private cars, meaning no charge. Failing vans and taxis are charged £9 daily, with lorries and buses at £100, per the figures given by Bath & North East Somerset Council.
Can a number plate reveal a vehicle's age?
On plates issued from September 2001 onwards, the age is shown by the two digits that follow the first two letters. March plates carry the year itself, so 14 means March 2014. For September plates, add 50 to the year.