There's a new in Newcastle! Here's everything you need to know.
What is the Newcastle Clean Air Zone?
In 2017, the UK government issued a legal direction which required councils in Newcastle & Gateshead to take quick action to reduce illegal levels of traffic-related pollution in certain areas. In order to achieve this, local authorities have approved plans for a phased introduction of a Newcastle & Gateshead's Clean Air Zone (CAZ). The CAZ, which is now live, means that all commercial and private-hire non-compliant vehicles will charged a daily fee to enter the zone.
Why does Newcastle & Gateshead need a Clean Air Zone?
"Reducing the number of older, more polluting vehicles on our roads is one way that we can help to improve our air quality and protect our health." - Councillor John McElroy, cabinet member for the environment and transport at Gateshead Council
The CAZ has been introduced to encourage those driving older, more polluting vehicles to upgrade to cleaner models. Cameras are used to monitor vehicles entering the zone, so make sure you pay the charge in Caura if you need to!. Charging has now started for non-compliant taxis, private hire vehicles, buses, coaches and HGVs. However, non-compliant vans and LGVs will not face charges until July 2023 to allow extra time for vehicle replacements, which are currently affected by a national supply shortage.
If you drive a private car or motorcycle, you do not have to pay a charge.
For all commercial & private hire vehicles, you don't have to pay a charge if your vehicle meets the following emission standards:
What you need to know
Newcastle & Gateshead is a Class C Zone, meaning buses, coaches, taxis, private hire vehicles, heavy goods vehicles, vans, minibuses & LGVs are all included in the charge.
Newcastle & Gateshead CAZ operating times
The Newcastle and Gateshead Clean Air Zone operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. All year round.
When will charging start for the Newcastle Clean Air Zone
Charing for non-compliant taxis, private hire vehicles, buses, coaches and HGVs has started from 30 January 2023.
Non-compliant vans and LGVs will not face charges until July 2023 to allow extra time for vehicle replacements, which are currently affected by a national supply shortage.
How much is the Newcastle Clean Air Zone charge?
The charge you need to pay is dependant on your vehicle type. Taxis, minibuses and vans need to pay a £12.50 fee whereas private HGVs, trucks, lorries, coaches and buses have to pay a £50 fee. Private cars and motorcycles are exempt from this charge.
Charges apply daily, so if you're entering and exiting the zone multiple times on the same day, you will only need to pay once.
But, if you drive in the zone across two days, for example before midnight and after midnight, you'll need to pay two daily charges.
Fines for the Newcastle & Gateshead CAZ
If you forget to pay the fee, you’ll get a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) in the post for a £120 fine. This is reduced to £60 if you pay it within 14 days.
Newcastle & Gateshead CAZ charge exemptions
There are two types of exemptions:
National exemptions - these exemptions are automatic and you don't need to apply for them.
Local exemptions - if your vehicle falls under any of these categories, you will need to apply for exemption via the Newcastle City Council website.
Is there any support available?
If your vehicle is one of the above types and it does not meet the Clean Air Zone emissions requirements, you can apply for funding to help replace or upgrade it. Applications can be made online via the Newcastle City Council website.
Funding for the grants has been provided by government and the following amounts have been agreed for each vehicle type:
The funding can be used to help purchase a compliant vehicle, either new or second hand, to replace one that does not meet the emissions standards (Euro 6 diesel or Euro 4 petrol). This can include minibus replacement where the vehicle is licensed as a taxi or where a community transport permit or operator’s licence is in place.
Pay your clean air charges in seconds
How much of Newcastle & Gateshead does the zone cover?
The Clean Air Zone includes most of Newcastle city centre, as well as routes over the Tyne, Swing, High Level and Redheugh bridges.
How do I know if I'm about to drive into the CAZ?
As you drive towards Newcastle city centre, you’ll start to see CAZ signs. The signs will have a symbol with the Letter C, showing the Clean Air Zone class.
Newcastle CAZ charge, sorted in Caura
Caura makes paying for Clean Air Zones simple.
Once you enter your vehicle registration number in-app, you'll be able to see if your vehicle is exempt from the charge or not. If it's not, Caura will tell you exactly how much you need to pay, and from there you can pay in just two taps. Receipts are also stored in-app, and can be exported to your email if you need it.
Caura makes car admin a breeze
Whether you're managing just one vehicle or multiple vehicles, add them all to the same account and keep all your car admin from MOT to tax renewals in-app. Doing it this way means you'll never miss a renewal again!
Plus, looking to renew your car insurance policy? Get competitive car insurance quotes from market-leading insurers in under a minute! Easy.
Questions?
Find answers to common questions here. If you can't find what you're looking for then email us on support@caura.com and we'll get back to you.
Yes. To enjoy the benefits of Caura, like timely reminders for tax and insurance, and ultrafast city charge and toll payments, you’ll need to create an account. This is so we can let you know about important expiry dates and booking details.
You can’t currently change your email address on Caura (but we are working on it). As a workaround, you can log out of your current account and sign up with a new email address. We won’t be able to transfer the history over.
Easily done. Just tap ‘Forgot Password’ on the Log In screen - we’ll send you a password reset link via your registered email address. If you used your Google or Apple profile details (instead of an email address) to create your account, you’ll need to continue to use this sign-in method.
Your account may be suspended as a precaution if we see evidence of fraud or a violation of our terms of service. Please email support@caura.com or send us a message in-app, and we can investigate this with you.
Please email support@caura.com or send us a message in-app, and we can take care of that for you. Please feel free to let us know why you want to leave, as we’re always working to improve Caura for drivers like you.
To add a vehicle, simply swipe to the left on your current vehicle or tap the ‘+’ icon on the Home screen. To remove a vehicle, tap and hold on the vehicle image.
All vehicles registered with the DVLA should show on Caura. Please make sure you are entering a valid number plate recognised by the DVLA. If the problem persists please email support@caura.com.
If you have made the update on Caura (e.g. paid for tax on Caura), it should update automatically within a few days. If it doesn't, you can pull down the image of your vehicle from the Home screen, which will refresh the app.
You can add, remove and set your default payment method via the Payment Methods screen, accessed via the Account tab. To remove a payment method, swipe it to the left. To set a payment method as the default option, swipe it to the right.
Go to your AutoPay account in-app (by going to the City Charges screen). From your AutoPay account, tap the current payment method selected. You can then choose to change your payment method tied to your AutoPay, either select an existing payment method or add a new card to Caura.
Clean Air Zones are coming soon to many UK cities, helping our air stay fresh for future generations. All vehicles are allowed in CAZ zones – but if their emissions are above a certain level, they’ll have to pay to pass through.
You can learn more about different Clean Air Zones and the charges in place here.
You can find details of all active and planned Clean Air Zones here.
Currently, you can pay for Birmingham’s Class D Clean Air Zone charge, as well as the London Ultra Low Emission Zone charge and the Oxford Zero Emission Zone charge, in two-taps on Caura.
We’re working hard to bring more Clean Air Zones to Caura very soon. We’ll notify users via email or in-app notification when new zones launch, as well as communicate this on social media. In the meantime, if there is a charge payment you really want to see on Caura, let us know by emailing support@caura.com (it may just be what we focus on next!).
There are four types (class) of Clean Air Zone. The class of Clean Air Zone dictates which vehicles have to pay for entering the zone.
For each of the class types, the following non-compliant vehicle types have to pay:
Please refer to the class type of the Clean Air Zone to understand which vehicle types have to pay.
You will also be able to see exactly what you have to pay for a given Clean Air Zone, based on your vehicle’s type and emissions.
The Clean Air Zones use ANPR cameras to automatically detect your vehicle when you drive into the charging zone. Look out for signs that clearly indicate the boundary of the zone.
If you try to pay for a charge that you're exempt from then Caura will not process the transaction, and you will not be charged.
Currently, you can pay for either today, tomorrow or yesterday in-app on Caura. Make sure you pay for the right date for any trips you make, as we’re unable to offer a refund for any payments made for the wrong day by mistake.
Caura charges no additional fee to pay for any Clean Air Zone, or to make any other transaction via the app. We don’t take any of the money for your payment and once it’s made it goes straight to the end provider.
If you’ve paid for the wrong day, unfortunately we aren’t able to offer a refund. We don’t take any of the money for your payment and once it’s made it goes straight to the end provider. We’re unable to recover funds so we aren’t able to offer a refund. If you paid for a charge unnecessarily then you can request a refund from the zone operator, referencing the transaction ID on your payment receipt in the Caura app.
You can view any payments you’ve made by going to the History tab in Caura. Tap on any payment in the list to view more detail. From there, you can even export a receipt to your email.
The CAZ will see commercial and private-hire non-compliant vehicles charged a daily fee to enter the zone. You can read more about the charge CAZ charge here.
The Clean Air Zone includes most of Newcastle City Centre as well as routes over the Tyne, Swing, High Level and Redheugh bridges. View a map of the Newcastle & Gateshead Clean Air Zone here.
The charges apply 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. All year round.
Taxis, minibuses and vans need to pay a £12.50 fee.
Private HGVs, trucks, lorries, coaches and buses have to pay a £50 fee.
Private cars and motorcycles are exempt from this charge.
There are quite a few exemptions to the charge. You can find a full list of all the categories exempt from the charge here. National exemptions will be applied automatically. However, any local exemptions must be applied for via the Newcastle City Council website.
If your vehicle is one of the above types and it does not meet the Clean Air Zone emissions requirements, you can apply for funding to help replace or upgrade it. Applications can be made online via the Newcastle City Council website. Read more about the support available here
If you forget to pay the fee, you’ll get a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) in the post for a £120 fine. This is reduced to £60 if you pay it within 14 days.
The Newcastle and Gateshead Clean Air Zone is not live yet.
Non-compliant taxis, private hire vehicles, buses, coaches and HGVs will only be charged from 30 January 2023.
Non-compliant vans and LGVs will not face charges until July 2023.
Caura charges no additional fee to pay for the Newcastle and Gateshead CAZ, or to make any other transaction via the app. We don’t take any of the money for your payment and once it’s made it goes straight to the end provider.
If you’ve paid for the wrong day, unfortunately we aren’t able to offer you a refund. Caura doesn’t take any of the money for your payment and once it’s made, it goes straight to the end provider. We’re unable to recover funds so we aren’t able to offer a refund.
You can view any payments you’ve made by going to the History tab in Caura. Tap on any payment in the list to view more detail. From there, you can even export a receipt to your email.