If you own a vehicle that falls below the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) standards and thought you escaped the ULEZ charge, think again! Mayor of London Sadiq Khan wants to expand ULEZ to cover the whole of Greater London by 2023. The new boundaries for the zone would see all highly polluting petrol and diesel vehicles be charged £12.50 a day to drive into the capital – this will also be on top of the £15 Congestion Charge.

The ULEZ programme was first introduced back in 2019 to help lower pollution levels in central London – the programme was then expanded last year to the North and South Circular roads, and now the mayor wants to go further. Since the programme started, Sadiq Khan says that nearly 4 million people in the city have enjoyed cleaner air.

“The triple challenges of tackling toxic air pollution, the climate emergency and congestion mean we need to further reduce emissions from vehicles in London”, Khan said in a press release. “We simply don’t have time to waste. The climate emergency means we only have a small window of opportunity left to reduce carbon emissions to help save the planet. And despite the world-leading progress we have made over the last few years, there is still far too much toxic air pollution permanently damaging the lungs of young Londoners and leading to thousands of deaths every year, with the greatest number of deaths attributable to air pollution in outer London boroughs”, Khan continues.

By expanding the ULEZ programme further, it is thought that the number of highly polluting cars on London’s roads would be reduced to as little as 20,000 cars per day, and carbon dioxide emissions in outer London could be lowered to as little as 135,000 tonnes a year.

Whatever your views are on the ULEZ programme, it is helping make the city more breathable. If your vehicle falls below the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) standards and you’re looking for one that doesn’t, LMC has a wide range of vehicles for you to choose from. So, avoid the ULEZ cost and get yourself a new car with us at LMC.