A new online emission zone checker has been launched to help drivers and businesses prepare for forthcoming clean air zones (CAZs) in Birmingham and Leeds, which are due to begin in July.
Leeds City Council is bringing in a ‘Class B’ clean air zone later this year, which won’t affect private cars. However, that’s not the case with Birmingham City Council’s more stringent ‘Class D’ charging zone. Covering all roads within the A4540 Middleway Ring Road, it will operate at all times and work to the same restrictions as London’s ULEZ. That means vehicles that don’t meet Euro 6 standard for diesel or Euro 4 for petrol (roughly pre-2016 and pre-2006 respectively) will face charges to enter. Non-compliant cars, taxis, LGVs and minibuses will face an £8 daily charge, while HGVs, coaches and buses will cost £50.
Thankfully for classic fans, vehicles registered with either disabled, military or historic tax class – exempted for the duration of the CAZ, automatically identified thanks to their tax class. Those with younger classics could face charges, however. To access the checker, visit www.gov.uk/check-clean-air-zone-charge.
The checker is not completely fool proof yet, though. The RAC has found some Euro 6 diesel vehicles are not compliant for Birmingham’s CAZ but are for London’s ULEZ.
RAC spokesman Rod Dennis said: “A number plate is not a reliable way of finding out a car’s Euro emissions standards, so we recommend drivers double-check with their vehicle manufacturer to be sure.”
The Department for Transport said it was ironing out issues on the new site. “The website has only just been released and we are learning from customer feedback,” a spokesperson said.
