UK Van Drivers Spending £780 a Year on Clean Air Zone Charges and Penalties, Research Finds

Commercial van drivers are spending an average of £780 a year on Clean Air Zone and Low Emission Zone charges and penalties, according to new UK research.

The figures were published by Peugeot on Tuesday, 25 August following a survey of 1,000 commercial van drivers carried out by OnePoll in July 2026.

Drivers surveyed reported spending an average of £65 per month on charges and penalties connected with Clean Air and Low Emission Zones, equivalent to £780 over a year.

London produced the highest average cost in the research, with van drivers reporting expenditure of £99 per month, or almost £1,200 a year.

Drivers using the Tyneside Clean Air Zone, covering Newcastle and Gateshead, reported the next-highest average at £82 per month.

Peugeot compared the figure with other costs reported by commercial van drivers. Average annual maintenance expenditure, including servicing, repairs and MOTs, was put at £715, while insurance averaged £626.

Fuel remained considerably more expensive, averaging £176 per month or £2,112 a year.

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The figures do not mean every UK van driver pays £780 in emissions-zone charges. The amount is an average reported through Peugeot’s survey of commercial van drivers, and actual costs depend on the vehicle, where it is driven and whether it meets the relevant emissions standard.

Current government guidance states that vans subject to an English Clean Air Zone generally need to meet Euro 6 standards for diesel vehicles or Euro 4 for petrol vehicles to avoid the emissions charge, although exemptions and local arrangements can apply.

There are currently charging Clean Air Zones in Bath, Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Portsmouth, Sheffield and Tyneside. London operates its Ultra Low Emission Zone separately, while Scotland uses Low Emission Zones with a different enforcement model.

Peugeot’s research also found uncertainty among some drivers about whether their vehicle complies with the rules. While 66% of those surveyed said their van met the required emissions standards, 19% said they were unsure.

Separate Freedom of Information requests made by Peugeot found that twelve authorities operating Clean Air or Low Emission Zones had recorded combined income of almost £1.5 billion from charges and penalty notices over the periods covered by the responses.

London accounts for the overwhelming majority of that figure. Peugeot’s compiled data puts combined revenue from London’s ULEZ and LEZ at more than £1.2 billion over the periods included in the Freedom of Information responses.

The figures should not be confused with profit. Revenue collected through charges and penalty notices is not the same as the net financial surplus remaining after the costs of operating and administering the schemes.

For van drivers unsure whether they need to pay, the government’s official Clean Air Zone service allows a registration number to be checked before travelling through participating English zones. London and Scotland operate separate vehicle-checking systems.

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