The Birmingham Clean Air Zone launched last summer, and we wrote about the huge cost to local drivers. Over 113,000 were fined in July alone, totalling £7m in penalty charge notices. The council took steps to inform drivers about the zone, and signs were in place around the zone perimeter, but was this enough? A large proportion of drivers got caught out. New zones are launching in other UK cities, and we want to stop drivers getting fined unnecessarily.

The next Category D zone (affecting privately owned cars, as well as commercial vehicles) to be aware of is launching in Bristol. We’ve pulled together everything you need to know in this article, including a Bristol Clean Air Zone map and how much you’ll need to pay.

Why are Clean Air Zones being launched?

Poor air quality is an increasing problem across the UK, and transport emissions are a major contributor to this. These Clean Air Zones are predicted to bring an 18% decrease in nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in major cities [1]. In London, it’s already brought about a 44% decrease in NO2. There are tangible health benefits that come from introducing a Clean Air Zone, as well as reducing congestion and encouraging public transport use. Overall, it’s one big step towards a low carbon future.

You can read more about Clean Air Zones here.

Bristol Clean Air Zone

The Bristol Clean Air Zone start date is set for November 28th 2022, so get this date in your diary [2].

It’s estimated that currently 75,000 non-compliant vehicles are driving into the charge zone per day, that’s a lot of people needing to pay the charge. These charges apply 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

If you’re driving to Bristol or driving in Bristol city centre, you’re going to need to be aware of the charge. It’s your responsibility to work out when you need to pay or not – the zone is well sign-posted but you won’t receive a notification or reminder.

Here’s a Bristol Clean Air Zone map to show you where the chargeable zone is.

Not sure whether your vehicle will need to pay the Bristol Clean Air Zone? Download Caura and we’ll tell you whether your vehicle is exempt or not, and how much you’re going to need to pay to drive into the zone. You’ll be able to see this for all other Clean Air Zones too, including nearby Bath and Birmingham.

If Caura shows you have a non-compliant vehicle and do need to pay, the cost for Bristol is £9 for cars, taxis and LGVs, and £100 for HGVs, coaches and buses. Compliant vehicles include:

• Euro 4, 5 and 6 petrol vehicles (roughly 2006 onwards)
• Euro 6 diesel vehicles (roughly end of 2015 onwards)

We’ve made paying the charge simple. To pay, head to the City Charges page on Caura, select the charge and day you need to pay for, and pay in two quick taps!

Financial support is available for the Bristol Clean Air Zone, check out the Bristol gov.uk page to see what you can receive [3].

Read more about the Bristol Clean Air zone here.

Other upcoming Clean Air Zones

• Bradford, September 26, 2022: Commercial Clean Air Zone - only commercial non-compliant vehicles will need to pay the Bradford Clean Air Zone
• Newcastle and Gateshead, Early 2023: Commercial Clean Air Zone - only commercial non-compliant vehicles will need to pay the Newcastle Clean Air Zone
• Sheffield, Spring 2023: Commercial Clean Air Zone - only commercial non-compliant vehicles will need to pay the Sheffield Clean Air Zone

How Caura can help?

The best way to keep yourself one step ahead is to download Caura. We’ll let you know about any upcoming zone launches you’ll need to be aware of, if you’re liable to pay the charge and give you an easy way to pay in two taps on the app.

Having to drive into zones means that the cost of driving is going to increase. We wanted to find a way to help you bring the cost of running your car down. You can refer your friends to Caura so they can stay up to date on upcoming zones, and you’ll both get £50 off your next insurance renewal too.

Let’s make sure no-one gets fined for the next Clean Air Zone launch!

Sources:

[1] https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/04/uk-clean-air-zones-save-lives-and-money/#:~:text=By%20restricting%20the%20most%20polluting,NO2%20across%20eight%20key%20cities

[2] https://www.bristol247.com/news-and-features/news/is-bristol-prepared-for-the-clean-air-zone

[3] https://www.bristol.gov.uk/residents/streets-travel/bristols-caz/financial-support