How the ULEZ works for an imported car
The Ultra Low Emission Zone covers every London borough, 24 hours a day, every day except Christmas Day. A car that does not meet the standard pays £12.50 for each day it is driven inside the zone. Miss the payment and the penalty is £180, cut to £90 if paid within 14 days.
The rule is the same for a car on UK plates and one on foreign plates. What decides it is the European emissions standard the car was built to, called its Euro standard.
| Car | Standard needed | Usually means |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | Euro 4 | Built 2006 or later. Some cars from 2001 to 2005 meet it too. |
| Diesel | Euro 6 | Built from September 2015 onwards |
| Electric | No exhaust, always meets it | Any year |
| Built before 1 January 1973 | Exempt | Any fuel |
| Over 40 years old | Exempt once in the historic tax class | You have to apply to DVLA first |
Cars from Japan and the USA
Cars built for the Japanese or American market were never given a European Euro rating, because those countries use their own emissions rules. A car can be perfectly clean and still show as non-compliant, simply because nobody has recorded a Euro standard for it.
If TfL's checker lists your car as not meeting the standard and you believe it does, TfL asks for a copy of the registration document and evidence from the manufacturer: a letter from its homologation department stating the Euro standard, or a Certificate of Conformity showing the emissions. Checking can take up to 10 working days, and you pay the charge in the meantime and claim it back once the car is accepted. Whether a manufacturer can give that evidence for a car built for another market varies from car to car, so it is worth asking before you buy.
The historic exemption
A car over 40 years old is exempt from the ULEZ once DVLA has put it in the historic vehicle tax class. It does not happen by itself: you apply for it, and a car used for business cannot go in that class. The same class also means no vehicle tax to pay. Our historic vehicle tax checker shows whether your car qualifies and from which date.
Questions
Does ULEZ apply to foreign-registered cars?
Yes. A car on foreign plates has to meet the same standard or pay £12.50 a day. If TfL has no details for the car, you register it with TfL before driving in the zone.
Is a classic car exempt from ULEZ?
Every vehicle built before 1 January 1973 is exempt. A car over 40 years old is exempt once it is in DVLA's historic vehicle tax class, which you have to apply for.
Is a 2005 petrol car ULEZ compliant?
Often, but not always. Petrol cars have met Euro 4 since 2001, and most from 2006 onwards do. For a car from 2001 to 2005 the answer depends on the exact model, and the Certificate of Conformity shows it.
How much is the ULEZ charge?
£12.50 for each day the car is driven in the zone. A car that goes in every weekday would pay about £62.50 a week.
Sources
Checked on 26 September 2026: TfL, ULEZ standards for cars; TfL, discounts and exemptions; TfL, non-UK vehicles; GOV.UK, historic vehicles. This checker gives an indication from the year and fuel only. TfL's own checker is the final word once the car has a UK registration.