The Leeds Clean Air Zone is expected to come into effect from September 28th, 2020. This means that if you’re driving a vehicle that does not comply with Clean Air Zone regulations, you will need to pay a fee if you take trips that start, end or pass through certain parts of Leeds.

Where is the Clean Air Zone?

The Clean Air Zone will cover all of Central Leeds and areas north of the city centre. The Clean Air Zone is bounded by the A6120 and A6110 to the East, North and West, and by the M621, A61, A62 and M1 to the South.

See a map of the Leeds Clean Air Zone here.

Vehicle emissions standards

To avoid paying the applicable fee, your vehicle will need to meet certain vehicle emissions criteria, including:

1. Vehicles with up to 4 passenger seats must meet Euro 4 Petrol-hybrid standards (including LPG-retrofits)
2. Vehicles with 5 to 8 passenger seats must meet Euro 6 Diesel or Euro 4 Petrol standards (including LPG-retrofits).

Find out if your vehicle will be charged to drive in the Clean Air Zone here.

Temporary Exemptions

Temporary exemptions are in place until December 2021 which may enable you to avoid Clean Air Zone fees in Leeds even if your vehicle does not meet the criteria. You may have to apply for some of these exemptions, however others may be automatic if your vehicle is licensed with Leeds City Council.

1. Vehicles with up to 4 passenger seats have a temporary exemption until December 31st, 2021 if they were licensed on or before October 17th, 2018 and meet Euro 6 diesel or Euro 4 petrol emissions standards
2. Vehicles with 5 to 8 passenger seats have a temporary exemption until December 31st, 2021
3. Vehicles for disabled passengers (e.g., UberACCESS eligible cars) have a temporary exemption until December 31st, 2027

For more information on these and other exemptions available, visit the Leeds City Council website here.Terms and Conditions apply. Exemptions are determined by Leeds City Council or the relevant local authority, and Uber does not guarantee your eligibility for any exemption.

Clean Air Zone fees

The Clean Air Zone fee will be £12.50 per day (or £50 per week for vehicles licensed in Leeds). These fees will be enforced all 365 days of the year and are fixed whether you enter the zone once or multiple times in a day. Find out more here.

Upgrade your vehicle

To avoid Clean Air Zone charges, you might consider renting or buying a compliant vehicle like a petrol-hybrid or an electric vehicle. This may help to reduce your fuel costs and avoid charges, as well as being better for the environment.

How much could you save per week by upgrading to a compliant vehicle?

Licensed with Leeds City Council

Vehicles licensed in Leeds benefit from a reduced weekly Clean Air Fee of £50 per week. Since the daily charge is £12.50 per day, if you enter the Clean Air Zone less than 4 times per week you would only be charged on a daily basis since the fees would be less than £50. For example, if you drive into the zone 2 days per week, you would be charged £25.00 (2x £12.50/day), whereas if you drive into the zone 3 days per week, you would be charged £37.50 (3x £12.50/day).

• Mo is licensed by Leeds City Council and drives into the proposed Clean Air Zone in Leeds 5 times per week. By upgrading to a compliant vehicle, Mo could have avoided £50 per week in Clean Air Zone fees, or approximately £200 per month (£50/week x 4 weeks).

Licensed by another local authority

Vehicles licensed by another authority are charged £12.50 per day.

• Tomasz is licensed by another local authority (not Leeds) and drives into the proposed Clean Air Zone in Leeds 5 times per week. By upgrading to a compliant vehicle, Tomasz could have potentially avoided £62.5 per week in fees (£12.50/day x 5 days), or approximately £252 per month (£62.5/week x 4 weeks).

• Charles is licensed by another local authority (not Leeds) and drives into the proposed Clean Air Zone in Leeds 6 times per week. By upgrading to a compliant vehicle, Charles could have avoided £75 per week in fees (£12.50 x 6 days), or approximately £300 per month (£75/week x 4 weeks).

How Uber is helping

We know that for Partners who do not intend to to upgrade to a compliant vehicle, the introduction of the Clean Air Zone can increase your costs. This is why we are always looking at new ways to help Partner-Drivers make the transition to cleaner vehicles. These are some ways we are helping you lower your costs.

UberPro

UberPro is our customer loyalty program for Partner-Drivers. UberPro includes discounts on fuel, maintenance, insurance and much, much more. Find out more here.

• Free 24/7 breakdown assistance with the AA
• Fuel savings with Shell Go+
• Discounted car maintenance with the AA
• Free MOT with the AA
• Vehicle interruption cover with AXA XL
• Partner Protection from AXA
• 100% tuition coverage with The Open University
• Gympass membership from £9.99
• Discounted Private Hire Motor Insurance from INSHUR

Insurance Partnerships

Uber has been working with a number of Uber-selected insurance providers that offer a range of private hire insurance products that suit the needs of Uber Partner Drivers. Find out more here.

Acorn/Motorcade | Fare cover | INSHUR | Nelson | Zego