Newcastle Clean Air Zone
Newcastle's clean air zone is run together with Gateshead, and private cars don't have to pay anything. Instead, the zone charges vans and taxis that fall short of its emissions standard £12.50 for each day, and lorries £50 a day.
Newcastle and Gateshead 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 £12.50 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 the Newcastle CAZ?
How much you pay comes down to two things: what kind of vehicle you drive, and how clean its engine is. Private cars pay nothing, no matter how old they are or what fuel they use.
| Vehicle | Daily charge for vehicles below the standard |
|---|---|
| Private car | Nothing to pay |
| Van | £12.50 |
| Taxi / private hire | £12.50 |
| Lorry | £50 |
Charging happens round the clock, every day of the year. It began on 30 January 2023, on the word of the two councils, Newcastle's and Gateshead's.
Newcastle and Gateshead Clean Air Zone at a glance
- £12.50a day for a van, unless it meets the rules
- 24 hours a dayevery day
- £120penalty if you don't pay, £60 if paid early
- 30 January 2023when charging or enforcement began
These figures come from Newcastle and Gateshead councils.
Newcastle and Gateshead Clean Air Zone boundary map
Most of Newcastle city centre and the Tyne, Swing, High Level and Redheugh bridges.
The area covered by the Tyneside zone
Most of Newcastle city centre sits inside the zone. Four river crossings are included too: the Tyne Bridge, plus the Swing, High Level and Redheugh bridges. Drive a van, taxi or lorry that misses the standard across any of them, and the daily charge applies.
Will your van or taxi meet the rules?
Each vehicle is measured against its Euro standard. That's the emissions level it was built to, fixed at the point of manufacture. To be inside the rules, diesel vehicles need Euro 6 and petrol ones need Euro 4.
For a rough idea, TfL says petrol vans first registered from January 2006 normally hit Euro 4, and diesel vans bought new from September 2016 normally hit Euro 6. Vans from the gap between those dates vary.
On some newer vehicles, the Euro standard appears in section D.2 of the V5C. That's the logbook, the registration document the DVLA sends out. For the definitive answer, use the official GOV.UK checker, which looks directly at your vehicle's record.
How to pay the daily charge
Payments are accepted from 6 days before the day you enter up to 6 days after it. So there's a small cushion if it slips your mind, but once the 6th day passes, the option is gone.
Miss that deadline and a penalty charge notice arrives in the post. It's a fine for failing to pay, set at £120, or £60 if you settle it early.
One diesel van across different zones
Picture a diesel van whose first registration was in March 2014. In Newcastle and Gateshead it costs £12.50 a day. Elsewhere, the same van is charged differently.
| Zone | What this van pays each day |
|---|---|
| Newcastle & Gateshead | £12.50 |
| London ULEZ | £12.50 |
| Sheffield | £10 |
| Bristol, Bath, Bradford | £9 |
| Birmingham | £8 |
| Portsmouth | Nothing to pay |
Questions people often ask
Does Manchester have a clean air zone charge?
No. Greater Manchester's Clean Air Plan was signed off by the government in January 2025 with no charging element, according to the Clean Air GM site.
Do private cars pay in Bradford?
They don't. Bradford leaves private cars alone, just like Newcastle. Bradford Council asks £9 a day for vans, £7 for taxis and £50 for lorries that miss the standard. The zone takes in the city centre plus the valley of the River Aire.
Do cars that miss the rules pay in London?
They do. London's ULEZ differs from Newcastle here, charging cars along with vans and motorbikes. TfL sets it at £12.50 for each day of use, with Christmas Day the only exception. Every one of London's 32 boroughs, plus the City itself, falls inside it.
What's the setup in Scotland?
In Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee there's no daily charge and no way to pay to drive in. A vehicle below the standard draws a £60 penalty, which drops by half if you pay within 14 days. Each further entry by the same vehicle into the same zone within 90 days doubles the penalty again.