Fleet compliance: ULEZ expansion 2024 cheat sheet

Fleet compliance is a phrase used constantly within the industry, especially following the advent of Clean Air Zones (CAZ), Ultra Low Emission Zones (ULEZ), and Electric Vehicles (EVs) – but what does it mean?

 

The traditional definition:

 

Fleet compliance is the meeting of all the standards and regulations required by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) on key areas such as accident risk, safety management, vehicle maintenance, driver training, and driver behaviour.

 

These days, fleet compliance has expanded to encompass the environmental aspects as the industry focuses on the harmful impact of tailpipe emissions. A compliant fleet significantly improves, air quality, road safety, business operations, protects your company’s reputation, and more.

 

 

What is CAZ & ULEZ?

 

A Clean Air Zone (CAZ) is a dedicated region within a city where a local authority has issued emission measures to improve the air quality.

 

Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) are effectively Clean Air Zones that cover the London area, operating 24/7 with few exceptions such as Christmas Day (25 December).

 

Vehicles that are not ULEZ exempt and fail to meet the ULEZ emission standards must pay a £12.50 daily charge to drive inside the zone.

 

There are currently two types of Clean Air Zones: non-charging and charging.

 

Non-charging CAZs are a soft approach to encourage behaviour that lowers air pollution without imposing fines on vehicles entering the zone. In a charging CAZs, drivers must pay a fee to enter the area if their vehicle fails to meet the required environmental standards (based on a Euro emissions standards) for that zone.

 

With the recent ULEZ & CAZ expansions taking place, it can be confusing to know if your fleet is still compliant. Our FREE guide makes fleet compliance simple, saving you the time and effort, and money.

 

 

2035 deadline

 

The government delayed the initial 2030 deadline to 2035 for the end of the sale of new ICE vehicles. However, you need to start planning your phased transition to electric now to be in a good place by then.

Don’t wait, plan ahead now.

 

 

Understanding the ULEZ compliance thresholds

 

To comply with the ULEZ emissions standards for your vehicle, the vehicle must meet the required Euro standard for its emission type. Euro standards are a set of regulations that confirm the acceptable amount of exhaust emissions released from EU vehicles. The current ULEZ standards are Euro 4 for petrol and Euro 6 for diesel.

 

The latest updates can be found on the TFL official website:

 

• Euro 4 became mandatory for all new cars in 2005 and light vans in 2006.
• Euro 6 became mandatory for all new heavy-duty engines for goods vehicles and buses from January 2014, September 2015 for cars and light vans, and September 2016 for larger vans up to and including 3.5 tonnes gross vehicle weight.

 

On 29 August 2023 the ULEZ expansion began, now covering all London boroughs.

 

 

£160m Government-funded scrappage scheme

 

Following concerns from Londoners about the financial impact of the ULEZ expansion along with a rising cost-of-living crisis, the government announced an improved scrappage scheme beginning August 2023 – including:

 

• Every Londoner with a non ULEZ-compliant car will be eligible for a £2,000 grant.
• Small businesses and sole traders will be able to receive up to £21,000 in grants to scrap up to three vans.
• Grants to replace a non-compliant van with electric van increase from £7,500 to £9,500.

 

 

Flexible business hire options for a complaint fleet.

 

 

Avoid being trapped in long-term contracts for outdated vehicles with Northgate’s business hire options, giving you the flexibility to modernise your fleet in line with the changing market as new technology emerges. Our hire options suit every business need from short-term flexibility to long term predictability, with the added benefit of spreading the costs over the rental period of the van to improve your cashflow.

 

 

Drive towards a sustainable fleet

Transitioning to an electric fleet can seem confusing and long-winded, that’s where we come in.

 

Our award-winning Drive to Zero programme gives you support at every stage of your transition journey. From EV suitability and vehicle choice to charging infrastructure and driver adoption, and more.

 

 

Telematics that modernises your business operations

 

Do you know how to leverage the full benefits of telematics for your business operations?

 

Our telematics packages can be fitted by Northgate to both Northgate and YourFleet (non-Northgate) vehicles, using data to optimise your route planning, save on fuel costs, and reduce your carbon footprint (and more) for a reliable, efficient fleet with reduced downtime.