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Are you wondering, ‘Is my postcode in ULEZ?’ Don’t worry;
The ULEZ postcode checker is very easy to use. Simply enter your postcode in the following format E1 6AA, EC2A 3HX, EC4R 9AF and you will get your result immediately.
You can also enter a full address if you prefer that.
The ULEZ postcode checker will check your postcode against the latest ULEZ map. The zone operates across all London boroughs and the City of London. The M25 is not in the zone. Read our guide on how to pay ULEZ.
Add this postcode checker to your website. See our guide.
In an attempt to reduce pollution, London has been implementing an Ultra Low Emission Zone since 2019. Any vehicle that emits too much pollution will need to pay a charge.
The ULEZ area covers a vast space of London, meaning that many popular tourist destinations, businesses, residential areas, parks, and more fall within this zone. This means that if you don’t have a compliant car, you could have to pay more just to go to these locations. Use our ULEZ checker to see if your car is ULEZ compliant.
To prepare you for your journey into London and to see if where you’re going falls in the ULEZ zone, it’s a good idea to use a ULEZ postcode checker. This tool will allow you to search any London postcode so that you know if you’re able to avoid the ULEZ zone or not. We also have a Congestion Charge Zone Checker.
The ULEZ postcode checker is a straightforward tool to use and operate. All you need to do is enter the property’s postcode or destination you want to check. This can be an office, a residential property, a venue, or anything else.
Our tool will then search your postcode against the known areas affected by the ULEZ zone. The tool will inform you if the searched postcode falls within the ULEZ zone. The tool is quick, finding a result in seconds so you can quickly start planning your journey to that destination.
After you enter your postcode, the ULEZ postcode checker will put a pin within the map of your postcode so that you can see how far into the ULEZ zone it is. This is useful as it gives you an idea of the potential public transport links that can be used to get to that location instead.
If you’re travelling to a new location in London, it’s an excellent idea to see if that location falls into the ULEZ area. This is because if you enter the Ultra Low Emission Zone, you could have to pay a fee of £12.50 a day if your car is not compliant. With all the London boroughs being in the ULEZ zone, there’s a high chance that many properties and destinations are in the zone.
Knowing if your destination is in the zone can help you prepare for your journey and inform you about what charges you should expect. This is particularly crucial as not paying a bill in time, simply because you weren’t expecting it, could result in a much larger fine.
Plus, if you’re moving to a location in London, it’s good to check the postcode to see if it’s in your best interest to upgrade to a ULEZ-compliant vehicle to save money when travelling and commuting.
The ULEZ zone is an area that spans all of London’s boroughs and aims to restrict access to cars with harmful emissions and force them to pay a fee when entering.
The ULEZ area intends to reduce the number of non-compliant vehicles entering the zone, thus drastically improving the air quality and pollution levels within the city.
The Mayor of London first introduced the ULEZ in 2019, which only spanned the same area as the congestion charge. This meant that only the most central areas of London, like Westminster and Soho, were covered.
In 2021, the area under ULEZ grew to include everything within the A406 in the north and the A205 in the south. This means that areas like Tottenham in the north, East Ham in the east, Brixton and Lewisham in the south, and Acton in the west are all now within the ULEZ area.
In August 2023, the ULEZ area grew again to include all of greater London. No matter where you go in London, you will be charged the ULEZ if you drive without an appropriate vehicle. This means that new areas as east as Romford will be affected, as well as Chessington and more.
You can learn more about this expansion by checking out our ULEZ 2023 Expansion Guide.
You get charged a daily fee if you drive in this area without a compliant car. You’ll get a new charge each day you go into the zone, which could soon add up if you’re entering the location frequently.
Many people confuse the ULEZ with the congestion charge, thinking it’s the same thing. Although they operate in overlapping areas, the two charges are entirely separate.
The congestion charge’s aim is to reduce the traffic within central London. Any vehicle that enters this zone, regardless of its emission output, will have to pay a fee.
Fees for the congestion charge cost either £15 or £17.50 if you pay it after the day you travel. Unlike the ULEZ zone, the congestion charge only operates at set times, being 7am and 6pm on weekdays and 12pm – 6pm on the weekends. This means that if you travel outside of these times, you shouldn’t be charged.
The ULEZ area is very well signposted, with green signs informing drivers that they’re about to enter the zone. This makes the ULEZ zone very obvious and easier for drivers to plan around.
Various cameras will also patrol the ULEZ area and the different regions within the zone. These cameras record who enters or exits a ULEZ zone and track the number plates of each vehicle so that they can be checked against the DVLA’s database. If the car checked has the wrong emission standard, it will be charged.
Only some vehicles that go into the ULEZ zone have to pay a charge. In fact, it’s only cars that are under a certain threshold of emissions need to pay the daily fee.
This threshold changes and alters depending on what type of vehicle you’re driving. If you’re driving a petrol car, it must have a Euro Emission Level 4 or higher. If you’re driving a diesel car, it needs to have Euro Emission 6, the highest it can get.
When your car is first registered, its emissions are checked to see what level it is put into it. The DVLA then stores this information for your vehicle, which is checked when the ULEZ cameras search your car. This level cannot be changed.
Most petrol cars made after 2006 will likely have an Emission Level of 4, and most diesel cars made after 2021 will have an Emission Level of 6. This is not guaranteed, so it’s essential to check.
Suppose the car that you’re driving is an electric or hybrid vehicle. In that case, you won’t have to pay any charges at all, as the emission output will be very low or even non-existent with fully-electric vehicles.
The zone operates across all London boroughs and the City of London. To help you determine if your destination or residence is within the ULEZ boundary, we have provided a list of postcodes that fall within the zone:
When finding that the postcode that you’ve checked is in the ULEZ area, you may begin to stress and feel concerned about how much money you may potentially lose from the charges.
Of course, it’s important to first remember that you’ll only be charged if your vehicle is not compliant. This means that you should be okay if your car falls within the Euro Emission Level 6 for a diesel car and Euro Emission Level 4 for a petrol car.
If your car isn’t compliant, all hope isn’t lost, and there are many things you can do to help you get to this ULEZ postcode without paying the charge.
The first thing that you can do is check for any public transport routes near the location. If the postcode you’ve searched is close to a bus or train station, consider using public transport to get to that location.
London is very well connected through the tube, trains, and busses, so you could always drive to a location outside the ULEZ zone, park there, and then use public transport to complete your journey. This is an excellent option if your journey to that postcode is just a one-off.
However, suppose the postcode you’ve searched is a new home address, an office, or any other location you will be driving to frequently. In that case, you may want to avoid having to use public transport.
Instead, one of the better things you can do is upgrade your vehicle to one that is compliant. This will involve selling or trading in your current vehicle and paying for a new one, which could be expensive initially. However, after time, you will save a lot of money which will eventually justify and pay off the initial purchase. Many modern cars that are ULEZ compliant also have meagre running costs, helping you save money.
To see if your postcode is within the ULEZ zone, simply enter your postcode or full address in the search bar above and you will get an instant result.
You can pay the ULEZ charge in many ways, most of which are fairly easy and quick. The most direct way is to pay on the TFL website or app, where you first need to create an account and manually pay each time you want to clear a charge.
You can pay for your ULEZ either before your journey or after it, with you being able to pay for a planned trip into the zone 90 days before your drive. Alternatively, you could also pay after your journey once TFL contacts you.
One of the easiest ways to pay for ULEZ charges is to use the AutoPay feature. This is where you sync your vehicle with your account and pay for each charge automatically once you drive through the ULEZ zone. When set up correctly, the instant you're car is recognised by a ULEZ camera, the required charge will leave your bank account. AutoPay is an excellent option if you live within London and will make many journeys through the area.
When paying for your ULEZ charge, remember that the daily charges run from midnight to midnight, meaning that if you make a late-night journey that starts at 23:45 on one day and ends at 00:15 the next day, you will be charged for two days.
The daily charge is £12.50 for most vehicles, which covers non-compliant cars, motorcycles and vans under 3.5 tonnes. Heavier vehicles do not have to pay ULEZ but do need to pay LEZ charges if they don’t meet those requirements.
The ULEZ zone is always in effect almost every day of the year and operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This means that unlike the congestion charge, which only has set times that it's in operation, you will be charged if you enter the zone with a non-compliant vehicle, no matter the time or day.
There is only one exception to this, which is for Christmas Day, when not many people are travelling anyway.
That said, although the zone is constantly in use, the cameras that monitor the area may only sometimes be in operation. As there's a large network of hundreds of cameras, there is a chance that some of them will be down for maintenance or simply off to save on costs. This means that if you drive the right route and pass cameras that are not in use, you can avoid getting charged.
However, it's impossible to know if a camera is in operation or not as that information is kept private.
Over the years, the pollution within London has gotten pretty bad, reaching the point where it has become a health risk to its residents. There was an increase in respiratory problems in the capital, and the pollution levels were far exceeding the values in other large cities in both the UK and wider Europe.
The ULEZ was introduced in 2019 to limit this, encourage fewer drivers within central London, and make those who do drive switch to cleaner vehicles. The aim is to make London's air a clear and safe thing to breathe.
Currently, the scheme is working well, as the CO2, NOx, and PA levels have all dropped considerably.
In fact, some areas of London have already reduced their pollution levels by 50%, making the area much safer and cleaner.
Some cynical people claim that the ULEZ was introduced to increase the amount of money TFL can obtain from the public. Although TFL has indeed gained an additional £90 million from the total cost of charges in 2021, this money isn't used to line the pockets of those in charge. It is instead used to improve the framework of London highways.
That extra £90million has been used to clear potholes, pay for road improvements and improve the roads in and around central London.
The ULEZ area around London is heavily signposted, meaning that you'll be well informed if you're on a route leading you into the area. Green signs should be located at every entrance and exit point into the Ultra Low Emission Zone. This is in place so that you avoid accidentally making a wrong turn into the zone if you are trying to avoid it.
There are no barriers or toll booths around the boundary of the ULEZ area, meaning that it is possible to enter the zone without meaning to if you weren't paying attention. Instead, most signs that alert drivers to the zone will also have a camera to record who enters and exits. These cameras are used to check your details and check if you need to pay ULEZ.
