Low Emission Zones, Clean Air Zones and Zero Emission Zones have netted more than £418m for local authorities in fees and penalty charges since March 2021.

The Transport Act 2000 requires local authorities in England to reinvest any surplus revenue from Clean Air Zones into the delivery of local transport policies

The research, published by Peugeot ahead of next week’s expansion of the London ULEZ, found the UK currently has 13 Low Emissions Zones, Clean Air Zones or Zero Emissions Zones – nine of which charge non-compliant vehicles an entry fee and levy Penalty Charge Notices on drivers who fail to pay this.

Of these, London’s Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) issued the majority of fees and fines, accounting for £319,822,943 of income generated between October 2021 (when the ULEZ was expanded) and April 2023.

The research, based on Freedom of Information requests, also found eight zones have generated £418,501,974 in income from motorists since March 2021. The data excluded figures on the Bristol Clean Air Zone as the city council intends to publish this information before the end of the calendar year.

Meanwhile, Oxford’s Zero Emissions Zone, which launched in February 2022 as the first such zone in the UK, has generated £779,306 from motorists up to 30 April 2023.

By law, all net revenue generated by Clean Air Zones must be reinvested back into the delivery of local transport policies.

Birmingham City Council says it has invested over £52m of net surplus revenues from its Clean Air Zone to fund a hydrogen bus trial, upgrade train stations and improve cycling infrastructure. Meanwhile, surplus revenue from Bristol’s Clean Air Zone is used to provide grants and loans to people and businesses that need to replace vehicles which don’t meet the zone’s emission standards.

Adam Wood, managing director, Peugeot UK, said: “Local authorities are turning their focus to improving urban air quality with 13 Clean Air Zones now in place across the UK. To help drivers avoid charges and reduce emissions in our urban centres, Peugeot has introduced a new e-Grant, offering customers a £3,000 saving on the new, all-electric e-208 and e-2008.”

Combined with London’s ULEZ scrappage scheme, this offers customers potential savings of up to £5,000 on a new electric Peugeot.