Introducing… Clean Air Zone in Bristol

As of today, Monday 28th November, Bristol has introduced their first ever Clean Air Zone (CAZ) to the city centre! CAZs are put in place to improve air quality by reducing the pollution caused by older vehicles. Setting a £9 daily charge for vehicles that aren’t CAZ compliant is a way to encourage Bristolian car owners to either ditch their car, or upgrade to a lower emission vehicle.

Bristol City Council estimates that the introduction of the zone will reduce the traffic travelling into the city by approximately 1,500 vehicles per day - helping to ease congestion as well as reducing air pollution.

The map below shows where the CAZ is in place, but if you’re looking for more detail you can see an interactive map of the zone here.

Source: bristol.gov.uk

How will the Clean Air Zone impact me as a car owner?

The good news is, an estimated 71% of vehicles in Bristol already meet the zone’s emission standards and won’t be charged. However, if your vehicle doesn’t meet the minimum standard of Euro 6 (diesel) and Euro 4 (petrol), you’ll need to pay the £9 charge when travelling into the zone. If you’re unsure on whether you need to pay the £9 charge or not, you can check your vehicle here.

If you own a non-compliant vehicle and are looking to avoid the Clean Air Zone by opting for alternative modes of transport, you can rent out your car in the meantime in exchange for extra income whenever it's not in use – or explore cleaner car options through Karshare’s Lease and Share scheme, which makes driving an electric vehicle easy and affordable.

How will the Clean Air Zone impact me when I rent with Karshare?

When picking which car to rent on Karshare, you can use our filter to only show ULEZ compliant vehicles to be 100% sure that the car you’re renting is compliant.

If you’re driving a vehicle that isn’t compliant, you'll need to pay the £9 daily charge which you can do so here. This can be paid 6 days before, the day of, or 6 days after the day you head into the zone.

Through car sharing, you can have access to a range of affordable vehicles within your residential area – ranging from Euro 6 compliant cars to 100% electric vehicles, which are exempt from the CAZ charges. These are easily bookable using the Karshare app and require no key handover with the car owner thanks to an entirely contactless process using keyless technology.

What if I don’t pay the charge?

Anyone who doesn’t pay the daily charge but drives in the CAZ will be sent a £120 PCN fine. This, like many other fines, can be reduced to £60 if it’s paid within 14 days. You can find out more about reporting fines on our Help Centre here.