Portsmouth CAZ 2026: Cars, Bikes and Vans Pay Nothing
Clean Air Zone (Class B) · United Kingdom · Active since 2021
Source: official source · Verified: 2026-09-19
Portsmouth is England's only Class B zone: cars, motorcycles and vans are never charged. Non-compliant taxis pay £10 a day, HGVs, buses and coaches £50, and unpaid charges draw a £120 penalty.
Locally the zone is called Clean Air Zone Portsmouth (United Kingdom) — that is the wording on the boundary signs, on the official portal and on any penalty notice, so it is the phrase to search for once you are there.
Next
- Check your own car against Portsmouth — enter your fuel and Euro class, get a yes or no in one step.
- Oxford has a zone too — the nearest one to Portsmouth, and the rules are not identical.
- If a fine arrives after you get home — who pays on a hire car, and what is actually enforceable across borders.
Practical answers for Portsmouth
- When is the Portsmouth zone active?
- 24/7 That means there is no free window — the restriction applies on Sundays and public holidays too.
- How much does it cost to drive into Portsmouth?
- GBP 10/day non-compliant taxis and PHVs; GBP 50/day non-compliant HGVs, buses and coaches; cars, motorcycles and vans free · None — no sticker; Class B charge paid via GOV.UK Get it wrong and the penalty is Up to GBP 120 (GBP 60 if paid within 14 days), plus the original CAZ charge.
- Do I need to register or buy anything first?
- None — no sticker; Class B charge paid via GOV.UK
- Who is exempt in Portsmouth?
- Electric vehicles, Disabled tax class vehicles, Military vehicles and Historic vehicles (1977 or older). Exemptions are usually not automatic — most require registering your number plate in advance.
Portsmouth Clean Air Zone (Class B) Map
Interactive map of the zone location — zoom in to see the streets around the marker, and confirm the exact boundary signs on arrival.
Requirements
Who pays in a hire car, whether insurance covers it, and how to appeal.
Can My Vehicle Enter Portsmouth?
Select your fuel type and Euro emission class to check instantly.
Exemptions
Driving Guide: United Kingdom
Speed limits, traffic rules, and equipment requirements for United Kingdom.
View driving guideNearby zones in United Kingdom
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Portsmouth runs the narrowest charging scheme in England. It is the country’s only Class B zone, which means private cars, motorcycles and vans all drive through free, however old they are. Charges land on two groups only: non-compliant taxis and private hire vehicles at £10 a day and non-compliant HGVs, buses and coaches at £50. The zone launched on 29 November 2021, and a chargeable journey can be paid for six days before, on the day, or six days after. Leave it and the notice is up to £120, halved to £60 within 14 days.
| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Zone type | Clean Air Zone, Class B — the only one in England |
| Free, any age | Private cars, motorcycles, vans and other light goods vehicles |
| GBP 10 a day | Non-compliant taxis and private hire vehicles |
| GBP 50 a day | Non-compliant HGVs, buses and all coaches |
| Launched | 29 November 2021 |
| Payment window | Six days before to six days after travel |
| Refunds | Requested by 6pm the day before travel, GBP 3 admin fee |
| Penalty | Up to GBP 120 plus the original charge, GBP 60 within 14 days |
| Operating hours | 24 hours a day |
Can your car enter Portsmouth caz?
Enter your vehicle's fuel + Euro class → instant verdict for Portsmouth caz (CAZ). Fine if wrong: Up to GBP 120 (GBP 60 if paid within 14 days), plus the original CAZ charge.
Portsmouth Emission Zone
The zone covers a defined part of the city rather than the whole of Portsea Island, and it is enforced by camera against the national vehicle database. There is nothing to display and nothing to register before arriving.
🛞 Check your car: Emission Zone Checker — instant verdict for 596 European emission zones, free.
The Class B line
GOV.UK sets the classes by vehicle type. Class A is buses, coaches, taxis and private hire vehicles; Class B adds heavy goods vehicles and stops. Vans arrive only at Class C and cars only at Class D. Portsmouth chose B, so a 2005 diesel van doing deliveries in the city pays nothing — the same van would be chargeable in Bradford or Sheffield.
Paying
Payment goes through the GOV.UK service: up to six days ahead, on the day, or up to six days after, ending at 11:59pm on the sixth day. A refund is available if it is requested by 6pm the day before travel, less a £3 administration fee.
If the charge is missed
The result is “a Penalty Charge Notice of up to £120, as well as the original CAZ charge”. Settling within 14 days of service reduces the penalty to £60.
Where drivers go wrong
Reading the £120 as a daily charge. It is the penalty for an unpaid charge, and it cannot reach a car at all.
Assuming a van is caught because vans are caught elsewhere. Portsmouth is the exception.
Taking a coach party in without checking. Coaches are charged here whether or not they are local.
Relying on a navigation app to route around it. Apps do not model clean air zones reliably; the boundary map does.
Recent changes to this page
- Verified against cleanerairportsmouth.co.uk and GOV.UK. The Class B scheme launched on 29 November 2021 and charges non-compliant taxis and private hire vehicles £10 a day and HGVs, buses and coaches £50 — figures this page did not carry. The £120 in the opening paragraph was described as a daily charge; it is the penalty for not paying, and private cars, motorcycles and vans are outside the scheme entirely. Added the six-day payment window.
- Title, description and introduction rewritten from this page's own data (no shared template wording).
- Re-verified fine (GBP 120) and requirements against United Kingdom authority portal.
- Confirmed CAZ compliant remains mandatory; 2026 ruleset unchanged.
- Updated enforcement procedure notes after seasonal review cycle.
Part of the TyreMap Emission-Zone Dataset — 596 verified European emission zones, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, and neither do motorcycles or vans. Portsmouth is a Class B zone — the only one in England — and Class B reaches buses, coaches, taxis, private hire vehicles and heavy goods vehicles without touching cars or light goods vehicles.
£10 a day for a non-compliant taxi or private hire vehicle, and £50 a day for a non-compliant HGV, bus or coach. A vehicle in those classes that already meets the standard pays nothing.
The Clean Air Zone launched on 29 November 2021. It covers part of the city rather than the whole island, and it has operated on the same Class B basis since.
Six days either side of the journey, the same window as every other English charging zone, with the cut-off at 11:59pm on the sixth day after travel. Refunds are possible if requested by 6pm the day before travel, minus a £3 administration fee.
A penalty charge notice of up to £120 follows, alongside the original clean air zone charge. Paying within 14 days of service halves the penalty to £60.
No. A private hire vehicle in the licensing sense is chargeable, but a hire car you rent and drive yourself is simply a car, and cars are outside the scheme whatever their age.