Eight in ten second-hand petrol cars drivers earmarked for purchase this year already meet the emissions standards set by London’s ULEZ — but just a third of diesels make the grade, new research by the vehicle history checking service carVertical has found.
London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) will expand to the capital’s outer boroughs next Tuesday (August 29). From that date, a £12.50 daily charge applies for driving in the zone if the vehicle doesn’t meet certain emission standards.
Petrol cars need to meet Euro 4, 5 or 6 standards to enter the ULEZ without incurring a charge, while diesels must meet the tougher Euro 6 requirements.
carVertical’s analysis of vehicle history searches by UK drivers on cars they were considering buying found that 86% of petrol models checked by its platform this year met Euro 4 standards or better.
In comparison, just 37% of diesels checked since January met the more stringent Euro 6 standard.
In both cases, this represents an increase on the past two years. In 2021, just over a quarter (26%) of diesel cars checked by carVertical reached Euro 6 standards.
TABLE: carVertical checks on diesel cars by Euro emissions standard
| Date when cars were inspected on carVertical | |||
| Euro standard | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| Euro 1 | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| Euro 2 | 0.2% | 0.5% | 0.4% |
| Euro 3 | 4.7% | 3.9% | 3.2% |
| Euro 4 | 32% | 27.6% | 23.9% |
| Euro 5 | 36.8% | 36.7% | 34.8% |
| Euro 6 (ULEZ standard) | 26.1% | 31.2% | 37.5% |
Source: carVertical analysis.
Meanwhile, the number of petrol cars meeting Euro 4-6 standards has risen slightly from 84% in 2021 to 86% in 2023, although the proportion meeting Euro 6 have increased from 28% to 36%.
TABLE: carVertical checks on petrol cars by Euro emissions standard
| Date when cars were inspected on carVertical | |||
| Euro standard | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| Euro 1 | 1.2% | 1% | 1.1% |
| Euro 2 | 2.6% | 2.4% | 2.5% |
| Euro 3 | 12.5% | 11.3% | 10.3% |
| Euro 4 (ULEZ standard) | 32% | 30.2% | 27.5% |
| Euro 5 (ULEZ standard) | 24% | 23.2% | 22.7% |
| Euro 6 (ULEZ standard) | 27.7% | 32% | 35.9% |
Source: carVertical analysis.
One way drivers can work out whether a car may meet clean air standards is to check when it was manufactured. In general, petrol cars from 2005 are likely to meet the minimum Euro 4 standards, while diesel vehicles from 2015 should meet the Euro 6 standards in most cases.
Checks for older diesels on carVertical have fallen by 15%. Diesels produced before 2015 made up 74% of all diesels checked on carVertical in 2021, but this has fallen to 63%.
Meanwhile, in 2021, 16% of checks on petrol cars on carVertical were for vehicles produced before 2005. However this has fallen to 14% in 2023.
Matas Buzelis, car expert at carVertical, comments: “The expansion of London’s ULEZ will have prompted many drivers to wonder whether their car would make the grade if a similar scheme was rolled out in their area.
“However, our research suggests that an increasing number of drivers are already buying vehicles that meet clean air requirements — especially when it comes to petrol cars.
“It is more challenging to buy a diesel that makes the grade, as they are inevitably newer cars and therefore likely to be more expensive.
“While only a few UK cities have clean air standards at the moment, many more could be introduced in the coming years as part of the push towards net zero.
“To future-proof themselves, drivers buying a used car should consider checking how polluting a vehicle is before they part with their money.”
