Clean air zone costs hit £250m as fleets turn to smarter compliance tools

May 28, 2026

Low-emission and clean air zones generated more than £250 million from UK drivers last year, with fleets increasingly facing a mix of daily charges, fines and growing operational complexity across different cities.

Fresh FOI data shows UK schemes raised £147.1m through daily access charges for non-compliant vehicles in 2025, alongside a further £103.4m in fines. London’s ULEZ alone accounted for £180m of that figure, including £57m in penalties.

Birmingham generated £30.7m in total revenues, while Bristol raised £22.4m. Scottish schemes operate differently, issuing fines without daily access charges.

For fleets, the figures underline how emissions compliance is now becoming an operational management issue rather than simply an environmental one. Older diesel vans and cars running into urban areas regularly can quickly become expensive through daily charges, fines, administration and unplanned route changes.

That is driving more fleets towards live compliance monitoring, telematics and route-planning software that can help drivers avoid costly mistakes before they happen.

Platforms such as FleetCheck and Jaama are increasingly being used by fleets to centralise vehicle compliance data, manage replacement planning and monitor operational risk, while telematics specialists including Lightfoot and ABAX help operators monitor routes, driver behaviour and vehicle usage in real time.

The pressure is also accelerating replacement cycles into compliant hybrid and electric vehicles, particularly for urban van fleets where repeated clean air zone charges can materially impact total operating costs.

What Car?, which sourced the data, said drivers still face difficulties navigating different charging structures and rules between regions, something fleet operators managing national vehicle fleets are increasingly having to factor into procurement and route-planning decisions.