PORTSMOUTH CLEAN AIR ZONE

Cleaner air for Portsmouth! Here's everything you need to know about the Portsmouth Clean Air Zone.

City Charges screen in the Caura app showing the Portsmouth CAZ charge and CAZ road sign
Payment success screen for the Portsmouth CAZ charge in Caura

What is the Portsmouth Clean Air Zone?

The Portsmouth Clean Air Zone (CAZ) was launched on 29 November 2021 to help accelerate the uptake of low or zero-emission vehicles and reduce congestion in the city centre. The zone will charge high-polluting vehicles whose emissions contribute to over 50% of the city's air pollution.

Why does Portsmouth need a Clean Air Zone?

Portsmouth City Council was identified by the government as one of over 60 authorities that had excessively high air pollution levels.

To tackle this, a daily charge is issued to the most polluting vehicles for driving in the zone. For the Portsmouth charging CAZ, non-compliant vehicles are Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs), buses and coaches, taxis and private hire vehicles that:

  • Do not meet Euro 6 emissions standards (so are Euro 5 or older) if they are diesel.
  • Do not meet Euro 4 emissions standards (so are Euro 3 or older) if they are petrol.

Private cars, motorcycles and vans are not charged to drive in the zone.

Portsmouth CAZ Charge

What you need to know

Portsmouth is a Class B Zone, meaning buses, coaches, taxis, private hire vehicles and Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) are all included in the charge.

Portsmouth CAZ operating times

Portsmouth's Clean Air Zone will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. All year round.

How much is the Portsmouth CAZ charge?

The charge you need to pay is dependent on your vehicle type. Taxis and private hire vehicles will need to pay a £10 fee. HGVs, buses and coaches will pay a £50 fee. Private cars or 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 Portsmouth 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.

The Penalty Charge is payable in addition to the Clean Air Zone daily charge dependant on your vehicle type.

Portsmouth CAZ charge exemptions

You’re automatically entitled to an exemption and do not have to pay a charge if you have:

  • A vehicle that’s Ultra Low Emission
  • A disabled passenger tax class vehicle
  • A disabled tax class vehicle
  • A military vehicle
  • A vehicle retrofitted with technology accredited by the Clean Vehicle Retrofit Accreditation Scheme (CVRAS)
  • A historic vehicle
  • Certain types of agricultural vehicles

There are quite a few other exemptions to the charges. If you’re driving one of these vehicles, you need to apply for exemption on the Portsmouth Council website:

  • All emergency vehicles - exempt for life
  • Specialist vehicles - exempt for life
  • Recovery vehicles - exempt for life
  • School and community transport - exempt until 29 November 2023
  • Emergency rail or bus replacement buses and coaches - exempt if required at a short notice
  • Horse transporters - allowed 10 trips a year at no charge
  • Non-commercial vintage buses - allowed 10 trips a year at no charge

If you were in the middle of a vehicle upgrade before the CAZ launched, you might be eligible for short-term exemption. You should apply for this on the Portsmouth Council website.

Pay your clean air charges in seconds

Download app
Top of city charges screen
Portsmouth CAZ Charge

How much of Portsmouth does the zone cover?

The CAZ is approximately 3 sq km, and is located to the south west of Portsmouth. It includes the car ferry port to the Isle of Wight and north zone of the University of Portsmouth.

The northern part of the zone reaches Kingston Crescent, continues all the way down to Winston Churchill Avenue in the south of Portsmouth and Portsmouth harbour to the west.

Portsmouth CAZ map

How do I know if I'm about to drive into the CAZ?

As you drive towards the south west of Portsmouth, you’ll start to see CAZ signs. The signs will have a symbol with the Letter B, showing the Clean Air Zone class.

Pay the CAZ Portsmouth charge with Caura

Caura is the quickest way to pay the Clean Air Zone charge. Two taps and you’re done.

You can pay for yesterday's, today's or tomorrow's charge in Caura. Downloading Caura’s app takes seconds. Enter your number plate and pay the exact amount you need to pay depending on your vehicle type. The best part? Sort payment without any extra admin fees or charges.

Caura is the only app you need

Welcome to the app for all things car. We don’t just help you with city charges. From vehicle tax to yearly insurance ­– Caura sorts all your car admin needs, all in one place.

Or thinking of heading to London for the day? Plan ahead and pay for Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) and congestion charges, ultra-fast. Then keep all the receipts in the app, just in case you need to check back. Sorted.

Download

Everything car. All in one place.

FAQ

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.

My account
Do I have to sign up to access Caura?

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.

Can I change the email address I use for Caura?

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.

What happens if I forget my account credentials?

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.

My account has been suspended, why?

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.

How do I delete my account?

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.

Managing vehicles
How do I add or remove vehicles from my account?

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.

My vehicle cannot be found when I add my number plate, why not? 

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. 

Why can’t I see my updated vehicle details (e.g. tax, MOT) on Caura?

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.

Managing payment methods
How do I add or remove a payment method?

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.  

What if I need to change my AutoPay payment method?

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. 

City Charges
What is a Clean Air Zone charge?

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.

Which cities have Clean Air Zones? 

You can find details of all active and planned Clean Air Zones here.

What Clean Air Zones can I pay for on Caura?

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!). 

What do the different types of Clean Air Zones mean? 

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: 

  • Class A: buses, coaches, taxis and private hire vehicles 
  • Class B: buses, coaches, taxis, private hire vehicles and heavy goods vehicles
  • Class C: buses, coaches, taxis, private hire vehicles, heavy goods vehicles, vans and minibuses
  • Class D: buses, coaches, taxis, private hire vehicles, heavy goods vehicles, vans, minibuses and cars, and the local authority has the option to include motorcycles too 
How do I know if I have to pay the Clean Air Zone? 

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.

What days can I pay the Clean Air Zone charges for on Caura?

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.

Does Caura charge an additional fee?

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. 

What happens if I pay for the wrong day? 

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.

Where can I view my payment receipts in Caura?

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.

Portsmouth Clean Air Zone
What is the Portsmouth Clean Air Zone (CAZ)?

The Portsmouth Clean Air Zone is an area in the south west of Portsmouth where certain non-compliant vehicles are required to pay a charge. This is part of a larger national scheme to reduce air pollution in cities in the UK. You can read more about the Portsmouth CAZ here.

Where is the Portsmouth CAZ?

The CAZ is approximately 3km2, and is located to the south west of Portsmouth. It includes the car ferry port to the Isle of Wight and north zone of the University of Portsmouth.

The northern part of the zone reaches Kingston Crescent and continues all the way down to Winston Churchill Avenue in the south of Portsmouth and Portsmouth harbour to the west. You can view a map of the zone here.

What time does the Portsmouth CAZ apply?

The charges apply 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. All year round.

How much is the Portsmouth CAZ?

Private hire vehicles and taxis need to pay £10 per day. HVGs, coaches and buses need to pay £50 per day.

Are there any discounts or exemptions?

There are quite a few exemptions to the charge. You can find a list of all the categories exempt from the here. Please note that some exemptions need to be applied for. If you think you are eligible for an exemption, please apply through the Portsmouth City Council website.

Will I get fined if I don't pay the Portsmouth 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.

The Penalty Charge is payable in addition to the Clean Air Zone daily charge dependant on your vehicle type.

Is the Portsmouth CAZ live?

Yes, it has been live since 29 November 2021.

Does Caura charge an additional fee?

Caura charges no additional fee to pay for the Portsmouth 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. 

What happens if I pay for the wrong day? 

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.

Where can I view my payment receipts in Caura?

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.

READ
The Roadeo

Get the latest from Caura.

Dart charge

Forgot to pay the Dart Charge? Here’s what to do

The Dartford crossing is a free-flow toll bridge that takes you across the river Thames on the eastern section of the M25. All drivers will be charged per crossing, however there are some exemptions...

Go to blog