ULEZ scrappage scheme

No. According to the scrappage page from Transport for London (TfL), the scheme ran from 30 January 2023 until 8 September 2024, when it stopped taking new applications. It paid people to scrap or change cars that didn't meet the rules, and by the time it ended close to 54,000 vehicles had been scrapped or swapped.

Whether you have to pay depends on two things: your fuel and your car's Euro standard. A Euro standard is the level of exhaust pollution a car was built to, and newer cars are built to cleaner levels. Petrol cars need to meet Euro 4. Most petrol cars first registered in 2006 or later do, and so do many from 2001 to 2005. Diesel cars have to meet Euro 6, which most diesel cars registered from September 2015 reach.

A hybrid (a car with an engine and a battery) is judged by its engine, so a petrol hybrid follows the petrol rule. Electric cars always meet the rules. On newer vehicles you may find the Euro standard in box D.2 of the V5C, the paper logbook from the DVLA, the government office that registers vehicles.

Registration year is a useful first guide, but the official TfL vehicle checker is the only way to check your car's actual record and get a definite answer.

A car that doesn't meet the rules pays £12.50 for each day in the zone, and the zone runs around the clock, every day of the year apart from Christmas Day. It covers the whole of London, but not the M25 motorway around it. You can pay up to 90 days before your trip. If you forget, you can still pay up to midnight three days after your trip.

If you drive in often, it adds up quickly. Here's roughly what it costs over a year, leaving a few weeks off for holidays:

TfL lets you pay through its Pay to drive in London website, the free app, over the phone, or with Auto Pay. Auto Pay costs nothing to set up and bills you once a month, so you won't get a fine for a day you forgot to pay. TfL advises you not to pay through unofficial websites.

If you drive in without paying, TfL sends a penalty charge notice (PCN). The fine is £180, but it drops to £90 if you pay within 14 days. To pay it or challenge it, you have 28 days. If you do neither, TfL sends a second letter, a charge certificate, and the fine goes up to £270. Each day of driving can bring its own PCN, so a few missed days can get costly.

Some vehicles are exempt, which means they never pay the ULEZ charge at all, as listed on TfL's discounts and exemptions page:

• anything made before 1 January 1973
• cars and vans in the disabled tax class, until 24 October 2027
• one wheelchair accessible vehicle for each person, until 25 October 2027, once TfL accepts your application
• one vehicle for someone on certain disability benefits, until 25 October 2027, once TfL accepts your application
• minibuses run by charities and community groups, until 24 October 2027
• London taxis
• fairground and circus vehicles (called showman's vehicles), once registered with TfL