Ulez expansion will force two in five Londoners to change or give up their car – and millennials and men will be the most likely to have to change their vehicle
- ULEZ expansion could force 40% of drivers to buy a new car sooner than planned
The expansion of the Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) across all London boroughs later this year could force more than two in five drivers in the capital to give up their current car, research has found.
More than a third will also be forced to buy a new car sooner than planned, the study commissioned by personal finance company Credit Karma revealed.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan announced his flagship green policy last year in an effort to clean up London’s air and improve public health, but it has proven controversial among drivers who will soon be out of pocket.
The zone currently covers an area bounded by the North Circular and South Circular roads, but under the expansion which comes into effect on 29 August non-compliant vehicles across all 33 London boroughs could face a daily charge.
The charge of £12.50 potentially adding up to £4,550 per year, and not paying the ULEZ charge can land motorists with a penalty of up to £180 per offence.
The Ultra Low Emissions Zone expansion across all London boroughs later this year will see more than two in five drivers have to give up or change their current car, research has found
Nine out of ten cars seen driving in outer London already meet the ULEZ emissions standards.
However, 40 per cent of car-owners living in London claimed that they will have to change their existing vehicle sooner than they planned because of the controversial expansion.
Nearly one in five Londoners – 18 per cent of the 4,000 surveyed – told researchers they are planning on using some kind of credit to buy a car in the next year.
The issue of having to replace their cars is disproportionately affecting millennials, with half (50 per cent) saying they will be unable to afford to keep their car.
Male drivers were also found to be worse affected than their female counterparts, the research suggested.
Of male car respondents, 44 per cent said they will be prompted to buy a new car sooner than planned, compared to 29 per cent of female car owners.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan at an air quality monitoring station last year
Londoners on low income or disability benefits have been encouraged to take up the Mayor’s new scrappage scheme, which awards grants to scrap or retrofit vehicles that do not meet the ULEZ emissions standards.
They may also apply for discounts or grants to help with more sustainable forms of transport, such as e-bikes or car club credit.
From the end of August, the daily ULEZ charge, which runs from midnight to midnight each day, will include areas as far out as Heathrow Airport, Chingford and Sutton in an attempt to improve air quality across the city.
TfL hopes that, by reducing the number of cars in London that do not meet emissions standards, air pollution will continue to be reduced in the UK capital.
But expanding the ULEZ zone might only prevent at maximum one case of lung cancer every year, according to a TfL-commissioned review.
A 197-page document, used to justify Sadiq Khan’s controversial decision to widen the scheme, which began in 2019, acknowledged the impacts on cancer rates specifically would be ‘nominal’.
It comes as the London Mayor’s policy to tackle toxic air is facing a High Court challenge from five Tory councils in the coming weeks.
They have claimed Mr Khan acted unlawfully in the way he proposed to widen the zone, and want to stop its expansion from going ahead.
The Mayor’s Office has been contacted for comment.