Driving in Birmingham

United Kingdom: 1 scheme to know about before you drive in.

The short answer for Birmingham

Birmingham has one driving restriction on our books: the Birmingham Clean Air Zone (Class D) (low emission zone). The published charge is £8.00 per day. What is a low emission zone?

What it means for your car

Petrol or LPG. Euro 4 standard or better. A hybrid is judged on its petrol engine; fully electric and zero-emission vehicles are not charged.
Diesel. Euro 6 (VI) standard or better. Gas vehicles are held to the same Euro 6 (VI) standard as diesel, not to the petrol one.

Sources last read on 2026-09-10, from Birmingham City Council (Brum Breathes). The next scheduled check is 2026-12-09.

The schemes, one by one

• Birmingham Clean Air Zone (Class D) Low emission zone

  £8.00 per day.

  Birmingham's Clean Air Zone went live on 1 June 2021 and has charged since 14 June 2021: £8 a day for cars, taxis and vans that do not meet the standards, £50 for coaches, buses and HGVs, anywhere inside the A4540 Middleway ring road — but not on the Middleway itself. You pay the government's central service, not the council.

  Nothing will tell you that you owe it: the council states there is no text or email, the onus is on the driver, and if the payment window closes the penalty is £120, reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days.

Driving to Birmingham?

Starting from

Check the route to Birmingham

Lists the schemes on the road you would take, and when you would reach them.

Before you set off

Other cities in United Kingdom

• Sheffieldabout 104 km away, 1 verified scheme
• Bristolabout 124 km away, 1 verified scheme
• Bathabout 126 km away, 1 verified scheme
• Bradfordabout 148 km away, 1 verified scheme
• Londonabout 162 km away, 2 verified schemes
• Portsmouthabout 195 km away, 1 verified scheme

And 4 more in United Kingdom