Scrapping a ULEZ Non-Compliant Car

Older petrol and diesel cars that do not meet emissions standards cost money to drive in London’s ULEZ, in two English Clean Air Zones and in Scotland’s four Low Emission Zones. This guide sets out the current rules, how to check your car, and what to weigh up before you scrap it.

Facts checked against GOV.UK and the law on 28 October 2026.

Rules checked on 28 October 2026

Emissions zone rules change. Everything on this page was checked against TfL, GOV.UK and mygov.scot on 28 October 2026. Before you make a decision, check your own car on the official checker for the zone you drive in, because the result for your registration is what counts.

London’s ULEZ: the standards and the charge

The Ultra Low Emission Zone covers all London boroughs (not the M25) and operates 24 hours a day, every day except Christmas Day (TfL: ULEZ). To drive a car in it without paying, the car must meet:

Petrol: Euro 4 (NOx)
Diesel: Euro 6 (NOx and particulate matter)

If it does not, and is not exempt, TfL lists a £12.50 daily charge. The charge runs midnight to midnight, so a journey either side of midnight costs two charges. The penalty for not paying is £180, reduced to £90 if paid within 14 days (TfL: cars). That is in addition to any Congestion Charge.

Is my car compliant? A rule of thumb

TfL enforces the ULEZ on the car's declared emissions, not its age. As a rough guide only, TfL says:

petrol cars that meet the standard are generally those first registered as new after 2005, although compliant petrol cars have been sold since 2001;
diesel cars that meet the standard are generally those first registered as new after September 2015.

Plenty of cars fall either side of those dates. Use TfL's vehicle checkerwith your registration. TfL notes the Euro standard may be listed on newer V5Cs, and the date of first registration is in section B. Do not assume a hybrid is compliant: Scotland's LEZ guidance, for example, treats hybrids the same as petrol or diesel cars. Check the registration.

Clean Air Zones in England

Several English cities run Clean Air Zones, but most do not charge private cars. GOV.UK sorts them into classes A to D, and only Class D includes cars (GOV.UK: Clean Air Zones). The standard for cars is the same as London: Euro 4 petrol, Euro 6 diesel.

City	Class	Charges private cars?
Birmingham	D	Yes
Bristol	D	Yes
Bath	C	No
Bradford	C	No
Sheffield	C	No
Tyneside (Newcastle and Gateshead)	C	No
Portsmouth	B	No

Charges differ by city. Check and pay through the government's Clean Air Zone service linked from the GOV.UK page. Taxis and private hire cars can be treated differently from private cars.

Low Emission Zones in Scotland

Scotland has four Low Emission Zones, in the city centres of Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow. Petrol cars must meet Euro 4 and diesel cars Euro 6 (mygov.scot: LEZ vehicles).

Unlike London, there is no daily charge you can pay to drive in. A non-compliant car that is not exempt gets a Penalty Charge Notice. The first is £60 (£30 if paid within 14 days), and it doubles each time the same car enters the same zone within 90 days, up to £480 for a car (mygov.scot: LEZ fines). Check a car on the Scottish vehicle emissions checker.

Scrappage grants, discounts and exemptions

There is no longer a scrappage grant in London. TfL says the Mayor of London's scrappage scheme ran from 30 January 2023 and closed to new applicants on 8 September 2024, with final grant payments made by the end of July 2025 (TfL: scrappage scheme). Be wary of anyone offering a ‘ULEZ scrappage payment’ now.

In Scotland, mygov.scot says some support may be available to qualifying households and businesses near a LEZ, through the Energy Saving Trust. Check eligibility there rather than assuming.

Before deciding a car has to go, also check whether it, or you, qualify for an exemption. TfL lists discounts, grace periods and exemptions for some drivers and vehicles on its ULEZ pages, and English Clean Air Zones have national exemptions, including for vehicles in the disabled or disabled passenger tax classes (GOV.UK). In Scotland, Blue Badge holders can register for an exemption to drive in a LEZ. These rules have conditions and some are temporary, so read them carefully.

Scrap it, sell it or keep it?

A non-compliant car is not illegal to own or drive. The zones only charge or fine you for driving it inside them. So the choice is practical:

Keep it if you rarely drive into a zone and the occasional charge is cheaper than replacing the car.
Sell it if it is in good order. A buyer who lives and drives outside the zones may value it more than you do.
Scrap it if it is also worn out, has failed its MOT, or would cost more to keep on the road than it is worth. Our scrap or sell guide has a checklist.

Non-compliance on its own does not decide a scrap valuation, which is mainly about the car's weight, parts and condition (how a value is worked out). If it does go for scrap, it must go to an authorised treatment facility, and you must tell DVLA afterwards (GOV.UK: how to scrap your vehicle). Collection is free: see free scrap car collection.

Before a non-compliant car is collected

Check for unpaid charges. Any ULEZ charge or penalty already run up still has to be paid or challenged, whether or not the car is scrapped.
Cancel Auto Pay. If you set up TfL Auto Pay for the car, remove it from your account once the car has gone.
Keep a private plate. Take it off before the car goes if you want to keep it: keeping a private plate.
Tell DVLA once the car has gone. That stops you being treated as the keeper, and any full months of vehicle tax are refunded: vehicle tax refunds.

Questions people ask

Which cars are ULEZ compliant?

Cars that meet Euro 4 for petrol or Euro 6 for diesel. TfL says compliant petrol cars are generally those first registered after 2005 and diesels generally those first registered after September 2015, but the rule depends on the declared emissions, not the age. Use TfL’s vehicle checker to be sure.

How much is the ULEZ charge?

TfL lists a daily charge of £12.50 for cars that do not meet the standards and are not exempt, as at 28 October 2026. The charge period runs midnight to midnight, and the penalty for not paying is £180, reduced to £90 if paid within 14 days.

Is the ULEZ scrappage scheme still open?

No. TfL says the Mayor of London’s scrappage scheme closed to new applicants on 8 September 2024 and final grant payments were made by the end of July 2025.

Do Clean Air Zones outside London charge private cars?

In England, only Class D zones include cars. As at 28 October 2026, GOV.UK lists Birmingham and Bristol as Class D. Bath, Bradford, Portsmouth, Sheffield and Tyneside do not charge private cars.

Does a non-compliant car have to be scrapped?

No. ULEZ, Clean Air Zones and Scottish LEZs only affect where you drive it. You can keep using it outside the zones, sell it to someone who lives elsewhere, or scrap it if it is at the end of its life anyway.

Sources

Who does what

Scrap A Car For Cash (operated by Lead Stack Ltd, company number 15877625) takes your enquiry and passes it to an affiliated vehicle collection company that covers your area.
The collection company values the vehicle, collects it free of charge and pays you on collection, in line with the terms you agree with them.
If the vehicle is completely scrapped, that happens at an authorised treatment facility (ATF), which gives you a Certificate of Destruction. A vehicle that is repaired and resold instead does not get one.

More detail: how it works and our terms and conditions.

Get a free valuation

Enter the registration and postcode, or call us, and the collection company covering your area will contact you with a free, no-obligation valuation.

Get a free valuation Call free: 0800 002 9733

We take enquiries from across England, Scotland and Wales — see the areas we cover.