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Confusion about the London Ultra Low Emission Exemptions

With the expansion of the London Ultra Low Emission Zones set to extend to take in the entire Greater London area as from the end of August 2023 you, like me, might have believed the information given out that vehicles classified as ‘Historic Vehicles’ were automatically exempt. However, a letter appearing in the May edition of Real Classic magazine showed that this was not so. So I did a check on my own bikes that were classed as ‘Historic Vehicles’ with the DVLA and found that the five which dated from 1959 to 1971 were indeed shown as exempt but one from 1979 was not exempted.

I then did a check on one of my son’s bikes of the same age and found that it was also not exempted and he later did a check on another of his bikes which was from 1976 and found that was not exempted either even though he thought he remembered that he checked that one for the last ULEZ expansion and found it was exempt then. My son reckons that what they have done is they have exempted all vehicles pre 1973, when all historic vehicles, including commercials were exempt but then somehow have not added on the extra years for the non commercial historic vehicles since then to their database and that seems the most likely explanation.

The letter in the magazine goes on to say that the matter can be resolved using the Transport For London ‘on screen’ instructions on their database but it does seem to mean that they are possibly not going to alter their own system but at the moment leaving everyone affected to try and get their machines registered individually with Transport For London. So if you have a vehicle that is DVLA registered as a ‘Historic Vehicle’ but is post 1973 then check it out on the TFL website for compliance and get it altered on their database if you intend using it within the GLC area. The ULEZ cameras are working on the TFL information not DVLA and you might possibly get a fine if it is not shown as exempt on their database. You will probably be able to successfully challenge it but no doubt TFL will make it as difficult as possible for you in the process. So best get it sorted out before then. At least if you do leave it in the hope that TFL will update their system then please check your vehicle before the ULEZ start date to make sure.

With many areas of the country now setting up these ULEZ areas (in fact the co-editor of the magazine found herself accidentally going through one by using the Bradford bypass) perhaps it might be a good thing for SatNav companies to start offering alternative routes on their menus for avoiding ULEZ areas, if indeed they aren’t already.

Colin Atkinson (May 2023)