…if you drive a van.
Clean Air Zone charges have been in place for some vans and light goods vehicles since 17 July 2023.
On this page you will find information about:
Which vehicles are affected and how to check whether you will be charged;
How much the CAZ charge is and how to pay;
Vehicle upgrade grants, including how much is available and who can apply;
Exemptions, including temporary exemptions after your eligibility for funding has been confirmed.
Which vehicles are affected and how to check whether you will be charged
The Clean Air Zone affects certain vans and light goods vehicles driving into Newcastle city centre as well as those using routes over the Tyne, Swing, High Level and Redheugh bridges.
Charges only apply to older vehicles that don’t meet Clean Air Zone emissions standards, so it’s important that you check to see whether you would be affected.
To meet minimum emissions standards your vehicle must have a Euro 6 diesel or a Euro 4 petrol engine. In general, this will be diesel vans registered after September 2016 and petrol vans registered after January 2006.
You can check whether your vehicle would be charged to enter the CAZ using the government’s online vehicle checker.
How much the CAZ charge is and how to pay
The charge for vans and light goods vehicles that do not meet the minimum emissions standard is £12.50 per day.
If you need to make a payment you must do so within six days of your journey.
To pay the charge you will need to go to the national payment system that has been set up by the government. For details see our How to Pay page.
Vehicle upgrade grants, including how much is available and who can apply
If you own a non-compliant van, light goods vehicle or minibus you can apply for a grant of up to £4,500.
The amount of funding available for grants is limited and therefore we are prioritising support for those who operate more regularly within the Clean Air Zone.
If your vehicle is registered to a business or home address in Newcastle, Gateshead or North Tyneside local authority areas, you can apply for funding without having to provide evidence of your business activity within the CAZ.
If your vehicle is registered to an address in other local authority areas within Tyne and Wear or in Northumberland or County Durham, you will be required to provide details of your regular business activity within the zone. This means you will need to show that you have carried out business at a location within the zone at least twice a week over the last three months. if you are just travelling through the zone to reach another destination you will not qualify for funding.
If you are applying for funding to upgrade a minibus, you must have either a Section 19 or a Section 22 permit.
The amount of funding you receive will be based on the sale and purchase prices of your old and new vehicles. Please speak to the financial provider handling your grant application before agreeing a vehicle sale or purchase.
Please be aware that due to financial auditing requirements, grants cannot be provided if the vehicle sale or purchase has been made using cash.
Visit our grants page for more information.
Exemptions, including temporary exemptions after your eligibility for funding has been confirmed
We will send you an approval letter if you are eligible for funding.
At this point, you will also receive an automatic 90-day exemption from CAZ charges. This will start from the date of your approval letter from us.
This means that you won’t have to pay CAZ charges while you complete your funding application and your purchase of a compliant vehicle.
If you have applied for funding but have not received an approval letter your vehicle will not be exempt and you will still need to pay CAZ charges.
If your exemption has expired and you are still waiting for your replacement vehicle you can apply to extend this exemption providing you have proof that a vehicle has been ordered.
Find out more about exemptions and how to apply.
If you would like to be sent updates regarding the CAZ please register your details here.