Birmingham 2026: Clean Air Zone Fees and Left-Side Roads
Birmingham, United Kingdom · CAZ
Birmingham's Clean Air Zone, inside the A4540 Middleway, charges non-compliant cars GBP 8 a day; Euro 4 petrol and Euro 6 diesel pay nothing. Unpaid charges bring a GBP 120 penalty.
Can your car enter Birmingham?
Birmingham’s Clean Air Zone charges older, non-compliant cars GBP 8 a day to drive inside the A4540 Middleway ring road, and leaving the charge unpaid brings a GBP 120 penalty. Compliant cars, petrol from Euro 4 and diesel from Euro 6, pay nothing. Traffic keeps to the left, and the centre is threaded with canals past the Bullring and Brindleyplace.
This page covers driving around Birmingham. For the CAZ standards and boundary, see the Birmingham CAZ details.
Check compliance, then pay on time
The zone runs 24 hours a day, and cameras read every plate. Check your car on the government vehicle checker; if it is not compliant, pay the GBP 8 charge any time from six days before to six days after your visit. Miss that window and the GBP 120 penalty follows, cut to GBP 60 if paid within 14 days. The Middleway itself is outside the zone, so you can drive the ring road without paying.
Left side and limits
Drive on the left; roundabouts run clockwise. The default limit on lit urban roads is 30 mph (48 km/h).
Park on the edge, ride in
Use a park-and-ride on the Metro tram or rail and ride into the walkable centre around the Bullring, the canals and the Jewellery Quarter. Keep the car for Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwick Castle, the Cotswolds and the Peak District.
Sources
- Birmingham City Council, Clean Air Zone: birmingham.gov.uk
- Brum Breathes, charges and operation (GBP 8 daily charge; payment window; GBP 120 / GBP 60 penalty; Middleway excluded): brumbreathes.co.uk
- GOV.UK, Clean Air Zones (Class D standards: Euro 4 petrol, Euro 6 diesel): gov.uk
- GOV.UK, Clean Air Zone vehicle checker: vehiclecheck.drive-clean-air-zone.service.gov.uk
- GOV.UK, speed limits (30 mph on roads with street lights): gov.uk
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Frequently Asked Questions
The Class D zone covers the area inside the A4540 Middleway ring road, around the clock, and cameras check every plate. Petrol cars from Euro 4 and diesel cars from Euro 6 pay nothing; other cars owe GBP 8 a day. You can pay up to six days before or six days after the visit; after that a GBP 120 penalty is sent, reduced to GBP 60 if paid within 14 days. The Middleway itself is outside the zone.
On the left, as throughout the UK, and roundabouts run clockwise. Birmingham has many multi-lane junctions, so take the first drive slowly. Hire cars are right-hand drive.
In a city-centre multi-storey or, if your car is not compliant, at a station or tram stop outside the Middleway, then ride in. The West Midlands Metro and local trains reach the centre, and the core around the Bullring, Brindleyplace and the canals is walkable.
The canal network around Brindleyplace and Gas Street Basin, the Bullring and the Victorian arcades, the Jewellery Quarter, and a busy food and music scene. The canal towpaths are a pleasant car-free way between areas.
Not for the city, which is a major rail hub with trams and a walkable centre. A car helps for Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwick Castle, the Cotswolds and the Peak District. Remember to drive on the left.
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