Edinburgh is not a charging zone. A vehicle that does not meet the standard may not enter the city centre, and there is no charge you can pay instead. Penalties have been issued since 1 June 2024.
Checked against the operating authority's own published figures on 28 September 2026.
Cars are covered, but not by a charge: a non-compliant car entering the zone gets a penalty. You cannot pay in advance.
| Vehicle | Charge | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cars, vans, buses, coaches and HGVs | Not charged | No charge exists — non-compliant vehicles are banned |
| Motorcycles and mopeds | Not charged | Outside the scheme entirely |
There is no charge to pay here. This is a ban, not a charging zone: a non-compliant vehicle cannot buy its way in, and entering means a penalty.
Charges only ever apply to vehicles that miss the emissions standard. Euro 4 for petrol cars and vans, Euro 6 for diesel cars and vans, Euro VI for diesel buses, coaches and HGVs. Fully electric vehicles are unrestricted.
Not sure which side of the line your vehicle falls? Check the registration here and we will show every zone at once, or use the government's own checker.
About 1.2 square miles of the city centre — from Tollcross in the south to Palmerston Place in the west, along Queen Street in the New Town to Picardy Place, round Abbeyhill onto Holyrood Road, along the Pleasance in the east and back past the Meadows to Tollcross. The boundary roads themselves are outside the zone, so you may drive round it.
Hours: 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, enforced by camera.
Entering the zone: There is no payment window, because there is nothing to pay. The only lawful ways in are a compliant vehicle or a registered exemption.
Penalty: £60, reduced to £30 if paid within 14 days, doubling on each further detection within 90 days up to £480 for a car or van and £960 for a bus, coach or HGV. Ninety clear days resets it to £60.
Already had one? What to do if you forgot to pay, including how to challenge it.
Exemptions are granted by the authority, not by us, and most need applying for before you travel.
No. There is no daily charge and no way to pay in advance. A non-compliant vehicle entering the zone receives a penalty, so the options are a compliant vehicle, a registered exemption, or driving round the boundary.
£60, halved to £30 if paid within 14 days, doubling on each repeat entry within 90 days up to £480 for a car or van.
Yes. The boundary roads are outside the zone, so any vehicle may use them.
CAZ Tracker watches for the moment you cross into a zone and reminds you, with a link straight to the official payment page. It is a reminder, not a guarantee — read when it won't alert you before relying on it.
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Charges and rules change. The authority's own page above is the final word; if you spot something out of date here, tell us at [email protected].