Nearly a million vehicles liable for ULEZ fees

About 700,000 car drivers could be liable to pay the daily £12.50 Ultra-Low Emission Zone when the scheme is expanded in August.

According to data from the DVLA, 691,559 licensed cars in the whole of Greater London would be liable for the charge, and that figure rises to 851,065 when counting all non-compliant vehicles.

However, that number is likely to increase exponentially when factoring in vehicles from outside Greater London that enter ULEZ.

RAC head of roads policy Nicholas Lyes said: “Cleaning up London’s air should undoubtedly be a priority, but the sheer number of vehicles that don’t meet ULEZ emissions standards in Greater London suggests there will be a massive financial impact on motorists and businesses through having to fork out £12.50 every day they drive in the zone.

“Changing to a compliant vehicle at such short notice simply won’t be something many will be able to afford, especially during a cost-of-living crisis and at a time when second-hand car prices are so high.

“We need more creativity from London’s Mayor and his team to help people out as the current scrappage scheme is akin to using a plughole to drain an Olympic-sized swimming pool – it’s simply not big enough for the scale of the job.

“We believe he should consider introducing an additional one-year sunset period for certain key workers or a scheme where TfL partners with a leasing company to provide discounted, ULEZ-compliant vehicles to smaller businesses or traders, enabling them to avoid daily charges while still reducing roadside emissions.”