Van drivers across the UK are being slapped with hundreds of pounds a year in fees and penalties for travelling in Clean Air Zones.
New data has found that the average UK driver is spending £780 a year, or £65 per month, to travel inside Clean Air Zones, Low Emission Zones and the Ultra Low Emission Zone.
Van drivers in London are facing the highest costs when dealing with the controversial Ulez scheme, spending around £99, equivalent to almost £1,200 a year.
Owners of non-compliant vehicles can face a daily charge of £12.50 when driving in London, which applies to cars, motorcycles, vans and specialist vehicles (up to and including 3.5 tonnes) and minibuses (up to and including five tonnes).
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Vehicles that fail to pay the Ulez charge in a timely manner will be slapped with a £180 penalty charge, although this will be cut to £90 if paid within 14 days.
Motorists will also be slapped with hefty fines from the Tyneside Clean Air Zone, which covers Newcastle and Gateshead.
Drivers travelling inside the Clean Air Zone will spend an average of £82 per month, or £984 a year, with the daily charge matching the £12.50 seen in London.
In total, there are 13 emissions-based charging zones across the UK, including Clean Air Zones, Low Emission Zones, Oxford’s Zero Emission Zone and the London Ulez.
These are seen in Bath, Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Portsmouth, Sheffield, Tyneside, London, Oxford, Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Scotland’s Low Emission Zones do not have a daily fee, but rather ban non-compliant vehicles from certain areas of the city. A fine can be imposed if this is breached.
New research from Peugeot highlights that commercial van drivers pay more to travel in Clean Air Zones than they spend on parking and related fines.
This is in addition to the soaring cost of servicing vehicles, MOTs, insurance and fluctuating fuel prices.
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Steve Wass, managing director of Peugeot UK, said: “With rising fuel and living costs, our research highlights how much commercial van drivers face in terms of annual expenditure.
“For those regularly driving into Clean Air Zones, the cost of running a non-compliant van can add up, proving there has never been a better time to switch to cleaner and more sustainable transportation.”
Mr Wass noted that Peugeot was offering drivers the opportunity to minimise their costs by switching to zero emission vehicles.
Peugeot’s range of electric vans includes the E-Partner, E-Expert and E-Boxer, all of which are available on monthly finance deals to match their diesel equivalents.
Drivers can make further savings by using the Government’s Plug-in Van Grant, helping them save £2,500 on the E-Partner and £5,000 on the E-Boxer and E-Expert.
Freedom of Information requests to 13 councils operating Clean Air Zones across the UK show that 12 zones have generated a combined revenue of almost £1.5billion between launch and March 31, 2026.
London’s Ulez and Low Emission Zone have generated a combined total of £1.2billion, which was aided by the expansion of the scheme to the whole capital in 2023.
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