Bristol's clean air zone: Find out how much the charges and fines are

Credit: PA

Bristol's clean air zone launches today (28 November) - and people who do not comply will face fines of up to £120.

The zone will cover a small portion of the city and aims to cut air pollution levels.

It means drivers of older, more polluting cars will be charged £9 a day from November 28. Taxis and Light Goods Vehicles will also be charged £9. Heavy goods vehicles, buses and coaches will have to pay £100 to enter the zone.

The scheme will apply 24 hours a day, seven days a week - affecting an estimated 75,000 drivers a day.

Bristol City Council has revealed people who fail to pay will be issued with a penalty charge notice of £120, which is reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days.

The clean air zone covers a small area of central Bristol. Credit: Bristol Live

Vehicles will only be charged to enter the zone once in a 24-hour period. But if you drive in the zone across two days, for example before midnight and after midnight, you will need to pay two daily charges.

The charges will not apply to petrol vehicles that meet Euro 4, 5 and 6 emission standards (those dating from roughly 2006 onwards) or to Euro 6 diesel vehicles (those roughly dating from the end of 2015 onwards).

You can use the government's registration checker to see if your vehicle will be impacted by Bristol's clean air zone.

Temporary exemptions set up for eligible businesses and individuals, to give them time to prepare for the zone, have been extended to the end of March 2023.

Exemptions will be in place for certain eligible groups such as residents in the zone, people working within the zone and earning less than £26,000 a year as well as Blue Badge holders. 

Patients and visitors attending hospitals in the zone would also be covered by the exemptions.

Bristol City Council say 71% of vehicles travelling into Bristol already meet the zone's emission standards.

As a guide, the charges will not apply to:

  • Euro 4, 5 and 6 petrol vehicles, roughly 2006 upwards

  • Euro 6 diesel vehicles, roughly end of 2015 onwards

  • Fully electric vehicles and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles

  • Modified or retrofitted vehicles registered with the Energy Saving Trust's Clean Vehicle Retrofit Accreditation Scheme (CVRAS)  

  • Motorbikes

Charges do not apply if a vehicle is parked in the zone but does not move. You can find a full list of the conditions and exemptions here.