The Birmingham Clean Air Zone: what you need to know

The Birmingham Clean Air Zone (also known as Birmingham CAZ) operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you drive in the city with an older car or van then you may have to pay a daily fee.

Like other Clean Air Zones in the UK, the Birmingham CAZ is designed to reduce harmful emissions in the air. It does this by discouraging drivers of the most polluting vehicles from entering the city. 

We've created this guide to help you understand how the Birmingham Clean Air Zone (CAZ) works, how much you might have to pay and which areas it covers within the city. 

How do I pay the Birmingham Clean Air Zone charge?

You can pay the Birmingham Clean Air Zone charge 6 days before you travel, on the day, or up to 6 days after you have driven through the zone.

There are two ways to pay the Birmingham Clean Air Zone charge:

• Pay online via the Government’s Clean Air Zone Service
• Pay by phone by calling 0300 029 8888, Monday to Friday, 8am to 4.30pm

Once paid, the Birmingham Clean Air Zone charge will be valid from midnight to midnight. 

Cost of the Birmingham Clean Air Zone

The Birmingham Clean Air Zone charges drivers whose vehicles do not meet modern emissions standards.

Non‑compliant cars and vans must pay a daily fee of £8, while larger vehicles such as lorries, buses and coaches are charged £50 each day they enter the zone.

The scheme operates continuously, covering all hours and every day of the week, and applies to the area within the A4540 Middleway ring road.

To avoid the charge, petrol vehicles generally need to meet Euro 4 standards and diesel vehicles must meet Euro 6. Payments must be made within the permitted timeframe to prevent additional penalties.

How do I check my vehicle is compliant with the Birmingham Clean Air Zone?

The Birmingham Clean Air Zone applies to most vehicles, with exemptions in place for motorbikes and mopeds.

If your car or van meets the following criteria or emissions standard, you will not be charged to drive in the Birmingham Clean Air Zone:

• Diesel Euro 6
• Petrol Euro 4 standard or better
• Gas – Euro 6
• Electric vehicles or a vehicle with zero tailpipe emissions

If you drive a hybrid or plug-in hybrid vehicle then it will only be exempt from the daily charge if it meets the above requirements. 

• Euro 1 to Euro 7 guide – find out your vehicle's Euro emissions standard​
• What is Euro 7 and when does it start?
• How to check your car battery health

Birmingham Clean Air Zone map

Birmingham Clean Air Zone exemptions

You do not need to pay the Birmingham Clean Air Zone if you are travelling to the following places:

• Birmingham Children's Hospital
• Badger Medical
• Bath Row Medical Practice (Attwood Green Health Centre)

Please note, you will need to collect a voucher when you go to your appointment. You can then use this voucher to cover the cost of the Birmingham Clean Air Zone.

If you live and/or work in Birmingham, you may be able to apply for a temporary exemption permit. 

Birmingham Clean Air Zone Penalty Charge Notice (PCN)

You may get a £120 penalty charge if you drive a non-compliant vehicle within the Birmingham Clean Air Zone and fail to pay the required fee.

If you receive a Birmingham Clean Air Zone PCN, you have 28 days to pay from the ‘date of service’ on the notice. The standard penalty charge is £120, reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days of the date of service.

Birmingham Clean Air Zone vehicle checker

The Government’s Joint Air Quality Unit have an online vehicle checker to help drivers prepare for Clean Air Zones.

Just enter your vehicle’s registration number and this free tool will tell you if there will be a daily charge to drive your vehicle in a specific Clean Air Zone. More cities will be added as final plans become approved.

To check whether you’ll be charged for driving in the London ULEZ or LEZ, use the TfL vehicle checker instead.

The table below serves as a quick guide showing which vehicles conform to which standards.

Changes to Birmingham Clean Air Zone in 2026

A major confirmed change is that the vehicle upgrade funding scheme closed on January 30^th 2026.

This scheme paid out more than £5.5 million to help people transition to compliant vehicles.