Clean Air Zone

Bristol City Council is introducing a Clean Air Zone in the city on 28 November 2022 to make the city a cleaner and healthier place.

The following information is to help people travelling to our hospitals prepare for the zone, once it is introduced.

Please check www.bristol.gov.uk/cleanairzone for updates on the Clean Air Zone. We will update this page once the date has been confirmed. In the meantime please continue to travel to our hospitals as normal.

About the Clean Air Zone

Bristol City Council is introducing a Clean Air Zone on 28 November 2022 to make the city a cleaner and healthier place.

No vehicles will be banned but older and more polluting vehicles will have to pay a daily charge to drive in the zone once it is introduced.

Our Bristol city centre hospitals will be within the zone so if you are travelling to our hospitals - including patients and staff - it's important you check if you will need to pay the charge once it is introduced.

Some temporary exemptions from the charge will be available. Applications for these will open before the zone starts operating.

Full details about the zone and how it will operate can be found at www.bristol.gov.uk/cleanairzone

You can check if your vehicle will be charged on the Government's online Clean Air Zone checker at https://www.gov.uk/clean-air-zones

What vehicles are affected by the zone?

No vehicles are banned but older and more polluting vehicles will have to pay a daily charge to drive in the zone. You can use the government's checking tool to check if you will be charged to drive into the zone.

As a guide, the council says charges will not apply to:

Euro 4, 5 and 6 petrol vehicles, roughly 2006 onwards
Euro 6 diesel vehicles, roughly end of 2015 onwards.

Charges would apply 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Vehicles that don't meet the zone's emission standards will only be charged once in each 24-hour period from midnught to midnight.

If you live within the zone and drive a vehicle that doesn't meet the zone's emission standards, you'll only be charged if you make a journey.

Daily charges for vehicles that don't meet the zone's emission standards will be:

Private petrol and diesel cars - £9
Taxis - £9
Light Goods Vehicle (under 3.5t.) - £9
Heavy Goods Vehicle (over 3.5t.) - £100
Buses and coaches - £100.

Is support available?

Bristol City Council is offering financial support to help people replace vehicles that don't meet the zone's emission standards. Support is also available to help people switch to walking, cycling and public transport.

Visit www.bristol.gov.uk/cleanairzone to find out how the zone will affect you and support to help you prepare for it.

Are exemptions available which mean I wouldn't be charged?

You may be able to apply for an exemption from Bristol's Clean Air Zone charge if you own a vehicle that does not meet the zone's emission standards.

Bristol City Council is offering temporary exemptions for:

residents in the zone
people that work in the zone earning less than £27,000 a year
Blue Badge holders
patients and some visitors attending hospitals in the zone, who will be able to register their vehicle at their appointment to avoid the charge.

Bristol City Council says the exemptions are to give people time to take advantage of financial support and upgrade to a less polluting vehicle.

You won't need to apply for an exemption if your vehicle meets the zone's emission standards.

Applications for temporary exemptions will open before the zone starts operating and you will be able to find out how to apply on the council website at www.bristol.gov.uk/cleanairzone.

There are also permanent national exemptions administered by the DVLA, including ones for vehicles with a disabled tax class. If your vehicle is eligible for a national exemption, you will not be charged to drive in any UK Clean Air Zone. Find out about national Clean Air Zone exemptions and existing support available at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/driving-in-a-clean-air-zone#exemptions