A low emission zone (LEZ) is an area where vehicles that miss a set emissions standard are banned or must pay, to cut air pollution. Each city or country sets the vehicles, the standard, the hours and the penalty, and London, Brussels, Antwerp, the Netherlands and France say foreign vehicles are covered. This guide compares what a car needs, the rules for foreign plates and the penalty, from official pages read on 16 October 2026.
How the zones differ
| Place | What a car needs | Foreign plate | Penalty |
|---|---|---|---|
| London (ULEZ) | Euro 4 petrol, Euro 6 diesel, or 12.50 pounds a day | Meet it or pay, and register with TfL | 180 pounds, 90 within 14 days |
| English clean air zones | Cars pay only in Birmingham and Bristol (Class D) | GOV.UK's checker cannot check it | Penalty charge notice |
| Scotland (4 cities) | Euro 4 petrol, Euro 6 diesel | mygov.scot's checker cannot check it | 60 pounds, 30 within 14 days |
| Brussels | Euro 5 diesel and Euro 2 petrol no longer enough since 2026 | Register free, except compliant Dutch plates | 350 euros |
| Antwerp | Diesel Euro 5 and 6, petrol Euro 2 to 6 | Register once, free, except compliant Dutch plates | 150 euros at first |
| Dutch cities | Diesel cars only, by emission class | No registration | 130 euros plus costs |
| Germany | Green sticker, valid in every zone | Not stated on the UBA pages | 100 euros |
| France (ZFE) | Crit'Air sticker, classes set by city | Applies whatever the origin | 68 euros |
Your Euro standard is in field V9 of the registration certificate (Brussels, Antwerp) or section D.2 of a V5C (TfL); without it, the date of first registration decides.
United Kingdom
TfL says the ULEZ runs every day except Christmas Day and covers all London boroughs but not the M25. Non-UK vehicles must meet the standard or pay, and be registered with TfL even if they comply. You pay by midnight on the third day after the journey or up to 90 days ahead, only through TfL's official channels.
Of the seven English clean air zones on GOV.UK (guidance updated 12 February 2026), only the Class D zones in Birmingham and Bristol charge cars, payable by 11:59pm on the sixth day after driving in or up to six days before. Scotland's four zones (Aberdeen, Dundee's city centre, Edinburgh, Glasgow) run 24 hours a day, Christmas Day included, and cannot be prepaid: mygov.scot puts the first penalty at 60 pounds, doubling for each repeat entry of the same zone within 90 days, up to 480 pounds for a car.
Brussels
The Brussels LEZ covers the whole region, 24 hours a day, every day. After a Constitutional Court ruling of 11 September 2025, Euro 5 diesel and Euro 2 petrol vehicles have not met the criteria since 1 January 2026; for them, a first offence brings a warning letter. A vehicle registered abroad must be registered (free, valid five years) before entering or within five days; a Dutch one only if it does not comply. An unregistered foreign car risks 150 euros even if it complies; a non-compliant vehicle without a pass or exemption risks 350 euros, once per vehicle every three months. Day passes cost 20 euros for a motorcycle, 35 euros for a car, van, bus or coach and 50 euros for a heavy goods vehicle, at most 24 a year per plate.
Antwerp
Antwerp's zone covers the city centre and Linkeroever. On 28 November 2025 the Flemish Government scrapped the planned tightening, so diesel Euro 5 and petrol Euro 2 are still admitted; diesel Euro 4 or lower needs a day pass (45 euros, 12 a year). Foreign plates register once, free, by the day after entering; compliant Dutch cars are registered automatically. The registration counts in every Flemish zone, Ghent included, but not in Brussels. Fines are 150 euros, then 250 and 350 within 12 months.
The Netherlands
Milieuzones in Nederland says the Dutch car zones cover diesel only: petrol, LPG and electric cars can enter all of them. Den Haag admits diesel cars from emission class 4 (green zone); Amsterdam, Arnhem and Utrecht from class 5 (blue zones). Eindhoven adds a blue zone on 1 January 2027. Foreign vehicles are covered, with no registration, and the fine is 130 euros plus costs. The online check does not work for foreign plates; tables by date of first registration do.
Germany
The German Environment Agency (UBA) says only vehicles with a green emissions sticker may enter the existing zones, and that the sticker is valid in every zone. Its list had 35 zones in force and 23 lifted, last changed on 26 August 2026. Driving into a zone without a sticker or exemption is an offence; the Bußgeldkatalog, no. 153, sets 100 euros.
France
The ecology ministry counts 25 ZFE in mainland France. The local authority decides which vehicles and Crit'Air classes are restricted, and signs at the entrance say which. The Mieux respirer en ville FAQ says the rules apply to every vehicle whatever its origin, that a Crit'Air sticker is needed even for an occasional trip, and that the fine is 68 euros for light vehicles. The Crit'Air sticker guide covers ordering and the zones; driving in France the other French rules.
What BlitzBuddy does
BlitzBuddy does not check or pay a zone. Its speed camera warnings work in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France and Türkiye and switch on by themselves on arrival; in the UK, Ireland and every other country you get none, while your speed, your trips and reports from other drivers still work. In France, article R413-15 of the Code de la route punishes holding, carrying or using a device that can detect or disturb the equipment used to record traffic offences with a fifth-class fine and the loss of six points, and its paragraph V, added by a decree of 3 January 2012, extends this to devices or products meant to warn of or inform about the location of that equipment; using these warnings is the driver's own responsibility. In Germany, § 23 (1c) StVO forbids drivers to use a speed camera warner while driving; the warnings can be switched off under Profile, Warnings, and the driver is responsible.
Tolls explained and the Austria vignette guide cover the other charges on the way; all these guides are under driving abroad.
Sources
- Ultra Low Emission Zone, Transport for London
- Ways to meet the standard, Transport for London
- Paying the ULEZ charge, Transport for London
- Penalty charges for ULEZ, Transport for London
- Clean Air Zones, GOV.UK (updated 12 February 2026)
- Drive in a clean air zone, GOV.UK
- About Low Emission Zones in Scotland, Scottish Government
- Vehicles, Scottish Government
- Fines, Scottish Government
- LEZ Brussels, Bruxelles Fiscalité
- LEZ Brussels: Day pass, Bruxelles Fiscalité
- LEZ Brussels: Controls and fines, Bruxelles Fiscalité
- LEZ Brussels: Registration, Bruxelles Fiscalité
- Low emission zone, City of Antwerp
- Conditions for admission, City of Antwerp
- Foreign vehicle registration, City of Antwerp
- Fine and monitoring, City of Antwerp
- LEZ day pass, City of Antwerp
- English, Milieuzones in Nederland
- Personen- en bestelauto's, Milieuzones in Nederland (in Dutch)
- Handhaving, Milieuzones in Nederland (in Dutch)
- Emissieklasse, Milieuzones in Nederland (in Dutch)
- Umweltzonen in Deutschland, Umweltbundesamt (in German, updated 10 December 2025)
- Umweltzonen, Durchfahrtsbeschränkungen und Luftreinhaltepläne, Umweltbundesamt (in German, last substantive change 26 August 2026)
- Bußgeldkatalog-Verordnung, Anlage, Federal Ministry of Justice (in German, no. 153)
- Straßenverkehrs-Ordnung, § 23, Federal Ministry of Justice (in German)
- Les zones à faibles émissions (ZFE), Ministère de la Transition écologique (in French, updated 13 August 2025)
- Foire aux questions, Mieux respirer en ville (in French)
- Permis de conduire : barème des points retirés par infraction, Service-Public (in French, verified 27 February 2026)
- Commentaire de la décision n° 2021-948 QPC, Conseil constitutionnel (in French; quotes article R413-15)
Sources read on 16 October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What is a low emission zone?
An area where the most polluting vehicles are banned or must pay, to improve air quality. The German Environment Agency defines it as an area where only vehicles meeting certain exhaust standards may drive.
Is there one low emission zone map?
No. Each country or city publishes its own: the German Environment Agency's map, the French ministry's ZFE map, lez.brussels, milieuzones.nl, GOV.UK's clean air zone maps and the Scottish councils' own pages.
What is the fine for entering a low emission zone with the wrong car?
For a car: 350 euros in Brussels, 150 euros at first in Antwerp, 130 euros plus costs in Dutch cities, 100 euros in Germany, 68 euros in France, 60 pounds in a Scottish zone and 180 pounds in London if the daily charge is not paid.
