Did you actually need to pay?
Not if you were in a private car or on a motorbike: none of these five zones charge them. They’re Class B or C zones, so only certain vehicle types pay, and only if they miss the emissions standard: Euro 6 diesel or Euro 4 petrol, and Euro VI for buses, coaches and lorries (GOV.UK).
| Zone | Class | Who pays if non-compliant |
|---|---|---|
| Bath | C | Taxis, private hire vehicles, minibuses, vans, buses, coaches, HGVs |
| Bradford | C | Taxis, private hire vehicles, minibuses, vans, campervans, buses, coaches, HGVs |
| Sheffield | C | Taxis, private hire vehicles, vans, campervans, buses, coaches, HGVs |
| Newcastle & Gateshead | C | Taxis, private hire vehicles, minibuses, vans, buses, coaches, HGVs |
| Portsmouth | B | Taxis, private hire vehicles, buses, coaches, HGVs (not vans) |
Some campervans, pick-ups and 4x4s are recorded as vans and are charged, and Bradford sets a stricter standard for some private hire cars. If you’re not sure, check the registration on GOV.UK’s vehicle checker.
How long do I have to pay a Clean Air Zone charge?
Until 11:59pm on the sixth day after the day you drove in, according to GOV.UK. If you drove in on a Monday, you have until the end of the following Sunday. There’s no extra fee for paying late within the window. One payment covers the whole day, midnight to midnight, so a trip that runs past midnight counts as two days. You won’t get a reminder.
How do I pay a Clean Air Zone charge late?
- Go to GOV.UK’s Drive in a Clean Air Zone service, or call 0300 029 8888 (Monday to Friday 8am–7pm, Saturday 8am–2pm).
- Enter the registration, choose the zone and pick the date you drove in.
- Pay by debit or credit card.
Only pay through GOV.UK. Councils warn that look-alike sites add large fees. If you’re registered for a local discount, the rules differ: in Bath, discounted and exempt journeys go through the council’s MiPermit service; Newcastle, Gateshead and North Tyneside taxis can buy a £50 seven-day permit up to one day after entering; Sheffield’s motorhome discount can’t be paid after the day of travel.
How much is the charge in each city?
| Zone | Taxis, private hire and vans | Buses, coaches, HGVs |
|---|---|---|
| Bath | £9 | £100 |
| Bradford | £7 taxis and private hire, £9 vans | £50 |
| Sheffield | £10 | £50 |
| Newcastle & Gateshead | £12.50 | £50 |
| Portsmouth | £10 (taxis and private hire only) | £50 |
Figures are from each council: Bath, Bradford, Sheffield, Newcastle and Gateshead and Portsmouth. Minibuses pay £9 in Bath and Bradford and £12.50 in Newcastle. Bradford charges campervans £9 up to 3.5 tonnes and £50 above. Larger motorhomes pay £100 in Bath and £50 in Sheffield unless registered for the local discount.
What’s the fine for not paying a Clean Air Zone charge?
A £120 penalty charge notice (PCN) on top of the unpaid daily charge, in all five zones. Pay within 14 days and the penalty is halved to £60, but you still pay the daily charge. That’s the same in Bath, Bradford, Sheffield, Newcastle and Gateshead and Portsmouth, which calls the penalty a late fee.
Ignore it and it gets worse. Bath, Bradford, Sheffield and Newcastle say that after 28 days they can issue a charge certificate raising the penalty by 50%, to £180. After that, the debt can be registered with the court and passed to enforcement agents.
How do I challenge a Clean Air Zone PCN?
Make a formal challenge (a representation) to the council that sent it within 28 days. If the council rejects it, you can appeal to the independent Traffic Penalty Tribunal.
- Check the evidence. Most councils let you see the camera images online with your PCN number and registration.
- Challenge within 28 days if you have grounds: you’d sold the vehicle, it was stolen or cloned, it’s compliant or exempt, you’d already paid, or the penalty is wrong. Don’t pay first: Bath treats payment as accepting the penalty.
- Challenge early. Bradford and Sheffield say a challenge made within the 14-day period keeps the £60 rate open if it fails. Bath says you lose it if you challenge after the first 14 days and lose.
- If the council rejects it, you get a Notice of Rejection. You then have 28 days to pay or appeal to the Traffic Penalty Tribunal, which is free.
Simply not noticing the zone rarely works. Newcastle says reasons like ‘I didn’t see the signs’, ‘I was lost’ or ‘I was only in the zone for a few seconds’ won’t normally be accepted. Our appeals guide covers each ground.
Forgot to pay in Birmingham or Bristol?
Those two zones charge private cars too, and have their own guides: Birmingham and Bristol. Oxford works differently: see forgot to pay the Oxford Zero Emission Zone.
Stop it happening again
EveryDrive detects when your phone enters any of these zones, tells you whether the vehicle you’ve added is charged, and reminds you before the six days are up. It never takes payment: you still pay on GOV.UK. Fleet accounts let one admin see every driver’s zone entries in one place.