Everything you need to know about the Bristol Clean Air Zone
What is Bristol's Clean Air Zone (CAZ) and what does it mean for you?
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Understanding the Bristol Clean Air Zone
To stick with the government’s legal limits for pollution, Bristol has set up its own Clean Air Zone (CAZ) to help clean up the city air, much like London’s Low and Ultra Low Emission Zones (LEZ and ULEZ).
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What is the Clean Air Zone in Bristol?
Bristol’s Clean Air Zone was set up to tackle the city’s air pollution by discouraging drivers of older petrol and diesel cars from entering the city centre.
The UK is seeing more and more Low Emission Zones (LEZ) crop up in major cities including Bath, Glasgow, Birmingham and Oxford, to name a few.
When did it come into effect?
Bristol’s CAZ was launched by the Bristol City Council in November 2022 and is monitored by a series of Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras
This zone charges all high-emission vehicles, such as older petrol and diesel cars, taxis, vans, buses, trucks – anything with a number plate that qualifies.
Where is the Bristol Low Emission Zone?
The Bristol Low Emission Zone spans all the roads in the city centre, including some major roads in and out of the city.
Bristol Clean Air Zone map
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How do I know if I’ve entered the Bristol Clean Air Zone?
You’ll know straight away if you’re approaching and entering Bristol’s Clean Air Zone because you’ll see a green sign with a white cloud and the letter ‘D’ on it.
This marks the beginning of a ‘zone D’ CAZ (the ‘D’ just means that Class D vehicles can be charged for entering).
Alternatively, you can look at the interactive map to get a better idea of where the zone starts and finishes.
What are the Bristol Clean Air Zone charges?
Most vehicles are required to pay £9 for entering the zone, but not all are the same.
Motorcycles – £0
Private cars – £9
Taxis – £9
Minibuses – £9
Cars, pickup trucks, campervans – £9
Coaches and buses – £100
Lorries and trucks – £100
How to pay the Bristol CAZ
You have a few options to pay your Bristol CAZ charge:
Six days before travel
One the day of travel
Up to six days after you drove through the zone
Payment is either via the Government website or the clean air support service via phone on 0300 029 8888.
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How do I know if I have to pay CAZ?
Bristol’s Clean Air Zone operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It’s a daily charge, which means you’ll need to pay for two days if you leave your car parked in the zone overnight.
However, vehicles parked in the zone that don’t move don’t have to pay the charge. The same applies if you’re forced to drive into the zone due to a diversion – no charge will occur.
Once you pay the charge, this covers you for the entire day, meaning you can drive in and out of the zone as many times as you need without paying extra.
Bristol LEZ fines
Failure to pay the charge will result in a fine.
You will be required to pay the Penalty Charge Notice of £60 plus the CAZ charge. But fail to pay this within 14 days of the fine and you’ll have to pay £120 plus the CAZ charge.
Checking if your car complies with the Bristol LEZ regulations
Not all cars have to pay the fine and if your car is the following, you likely don’t need to pay:
Euro 4, 5, and 6 petrol vehicles (from 2006)
Euro 6 diesel vehicles (from late 2015)
Electric cars
Vehicles registered with the Energy Saving Trust’s Clean Vehicle Retrofit Accreditation Scheme (CVRAS)
Additionally, there are more exemptions that may apply:
Disabled passenger vehicles
Military vehicles
Historic vehicles
Certain agricultural vehicles
The best way to find out is by popping your number plate into the online system or by calling 0300 029 8888.