Sheffield Clean Air Zone
Driving into Sheffield's clean air zone costs £10 a day for vans and taxis that fall short of its standard, and £50 a day for lorries. Ordinary private cars pay nothing at all, so there's no charge for taking your car into the centre. The zone runs 24 hours a day, every day, and charges started on 27 February 2023.
Sheffield 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 £10 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
What each vehicle pays in the Sheffield zone?
How much you pay, if anything, comes down to what you drive and how clean its engine is. The zone uses a Euro emissions rating, which is a European measure of engine cleanliness. Sheffield wants Euro 6 for diesel engines and Euro 4 for petrol ones. These are the daily amounts Sheffield City Council applies to vehicles that don't pass:
| Vehicle | What it costs per day when it doesn't meet the standard |
|---|---|
| Private car | Nothing to pay |
| Van | £10 |
| Taxi or private hire | £10 |
| Lorry | £50 |
Any vehicle that passes the standard is free to enter, no matter its type.
Sheffield Clean Air Zone at a glance
- £10a day for a van, unless it meets the rules
- 24 hours a dayevery day
- £120penalty if you don't pay, £60 if paid early
- 27 February 2023when charging or enforcement began
These figures come from Sheffield City Council.
Sheffield Clean Air Zone boundary map
The area the zone covers
The boundary follows Sheffield's inner ring road, and everything inside it, including the city centre, is within the zone. Day or night, weekday or weekend, the charge applies.
Will your van pass the standard?
A good starting point is when your van was first registered. Since September 2015, Euro 6 has applied to all new cars, and according to TfL, diesel vans bought new from September 2016 will normally comply. For petrol vans, registration from January 2006 onwards usually means Euro 4.
So a diesel van registered new in March 2014, for instance, would owe £10 a day in Sheffield. Electric vans are always compliant.
Another option is checking your V5C, the vehicle's logbook. TfL notes that on more recent vehicles the Euro standard can sometimes be found printed in section D.2.
Checking your vehicle with a Sheffield CAZ tool
CAZ is just an abbreviation for clean air zone. A tool based on registration dates gives a useful indication, though certain years were transition periods, so some vehicles from those years pass and others don't. The official GOV.UK checkers look up your specific vehicle, so their answer is the one that counts.
Payment and penalties
The charge for a given day can be paid from 6 days before you drive in, right up to 6 days after. That's handy if paying slips your mind until you're back home.
Miss the deadline and a £120 penalty can be issued. Pay that promptly and it drops to £60.
Questions people often ask
Do cars pay the Clean Air Zone charge in Sheffield?
No. Cars are exempt in Sheffield, even an old diesel that wouldn't meet the standard. Be aware the same car may face charges elsewhere. Birmingham, for instance, asks £8 a day and Bristol £9.
Is there a Clean Air Zone in Manchester?
Greater Manchester has no charging zone. Its Clean Air Plan was approved by the government without charges in January 2025, per Clean Air Greater Manchester.
How does Bradford's zone compare?
Bradford exempts private cars too, and its charges are slightly lower. Per Bradford Council, a van that fails is charged £9, taxis £7 and lorries £50. The zone takes in the city centre plus the Aire valley corridor.
Does London's zone work the same way?
London's version goes by the name ULEZ, and it does charge cars. Cars, vans and motorbikes that fail pay £12.50 a day, and the zone reaches across all 32 London boroughs plus the City of London. Its penalty is £180, reduced to £90 if settled within 14 days.