New data has found that the expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone has led to a large increase in the number of electric car sales as drivers look to avoid fines.
The Ulez area was expanded in August last year to include all of Greater London, with millions of extra drivers at risk of being hit with a daily fine.
In the three months prior to the expansion of Ulez (June 1, 2023, to August 30, 2023), there were 941 electric cars sold, according to research from Marketcheck.
In the following three months (August 31 to November 29), EV sales saw an eight per cent jump to more than 1,000.
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Sales of electric vehicles increased following the Ulez expansion
PA
Sales of plug-in hybrid vehicles remained largely stable, although there was a small decline of one per cent - falling from 3,164 to 3,132.
Alastair Campbell, from Marketcheck UK, commented on the data, saying that the Ulez has had a clear impact on drivers and their car buying intentions.
He said: “These figures show that Ulez is having a demonstrable influence on the purchase decisions made by people living in postcodes affected by the expansion of the policy.
"Hybrid cars clearly remain the most popular choice, but the data point to the increasing popularity of fully electric vehicles.”
Driving through the Ultra Low Emission Zone can see drivers hit with a hefty £12.50 daily charge if their vehicle is not compliant.
Motorists could be hit with the daily fee if they have a petrol vehicle older than Euro 4 (2005), a diesel vehicle older than Euro 6 (September 2015) or motorcycles, mopeds, motorised tricycles and quadricycles older than Euro 3 (2007).
The Ulez is in operation 24 hours a day, seven days a week, every day of the year, with one exception being Christmas Day, meaning drivers are constantly at risk.
Lorries, vans or specialist heavy vehicles (all over 3.5 tonnes) and buses, minibuses and coaches (all over five tonnes) do not need to pay the Ulez charge, although non-compliant vehicles will be required to pay the Low Emission Zone standard.
There are more than one million electric vehicles registered across the UK, with many drivers looking to switch within the coming years.
Drivers in and around Greater London have the extra security of relying on the extensive public charging network across the capital, which is the largest in the UK.
There are 19,834 chargers around London, with twice as many charging points as Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales combined (17,142).
Transport for London's scrappage scheme is still available for drivers looking to switch from an older petrol or diesel car to an electric vehicle.
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The Ulez was expanded in August 2023 to cover all of Greater London
PAMotorists who do decide to scrap their non-compliant vehicles have the chance to donate their scrapped car or van to Ukraine to help out with the war effort against Russia.
So far, more than 100 vehicles have already been donated to Ukraine, with 13 more already en route via the British Ukrainian Aid (BUAID) charity.
