ULEZ compliance anomalies

[Ihavenojob]

I was having a discussion about ulez and said my old car-a 2007 diesel Hyundai Santa Fe was compliant, others said no, it's too old. So I checked it again, and it comes up as being ulez compliant. Punched a few reg numbers for similar cars for sale, even a newer 2012 model, and none are compliant. Strange.

 

[Brigadier]

AFAIK, they are only "anomalies" if you don't understand how the compliance status is determined.

It is whether the vehicle is above or below a certain emissions level; age of vehicle is a rough guide, but not binding.

ULEZ checker - Is your car exempt from the Ultra Low Emission Zone?

London was the first city in the world to introduce an “ultra low emission zone”. Is your car exempt from the ULEZ, what area does the ULEZ cover and is it being expanded?

www.driving.co.uk

"Petrol cars with engines that are compliant with Euro 4 emissions regulations, which were introduced in 2006, avoid the ULEZ charge."


While the above is ambiguously-written, I read it that Euro 4 was introduced in 2006, and therefore some petrols newer than 2006 may still be non-compliant.

Similarly,

"Diesel-powered cars will only be exempt if the engine complies with the Euro 6 vehicle emission rules, which came into force much more recently, in September 2015; if your diesel car is older than that, it’s possible it will be subject to the ULEZ charge."


"..... if your diesel car is older than that[ Sept 2015], it’s possible it will be subject to the ULEZ charge."

POSSIBLE. Not DEFINTIELY.


My (skim)-reading of it, anyway.

 

[Ihavenojob]

AFAIK, they are only "anomalies" if you don't understand how the compliance status is determined.

It is whether the vehicle is above or below a certain emissions level; age of vehicle is a rough guide, but not binding.

I understand how it works, had it with my daughters van. She looked at 2, same model, same year, same emissions, one was and one wasn't compliant. Same with my old car, they only used the one engine but with either manual or auto gear box. Mine was manual, so was the newer ones, one compliant and one not. I went by the TFL site, put the reg in, if they say it's compliant, it's compliant.

 

[algas]

My old car a Megane 1.5 dci 2005 was far more fuel efficient than my newer 2014 Megane 1.5 dci, the newer one has stop start which by the way I think is dangerous and a 6 speed box and is a so called eco model, still not ulez compliant. The older car was far nicer to drive and probably about 15 to 20 % more fuel efficient, no one has been able to explain this, so if a car is that much more fuel efficient why is the new one badged an eco and is not ulez compliant, just another stealth tax imo

 

[Notch7]

My old car a Megane 1.5 dci 2005 was far more fuel efficient than my newer 2014 Megane 1.5 dci, the newer one has stop start which by the way I think is dangerous and a 6 speed box and is a so called eco model, still not ulez compliant. The older car was far nicer to drive and probably about 15 to 20 % more fuel efficient, no one has been able to explain this, so if a car is that much more fuel efficient why is the new one badged an eco and is not ulez compliant, just another stealth tax imo

I’d guess newer models are tweaked for lower emissions at the expensive of fuel economy.

No doubt fuel economy calcs are fiddled to be not representative of real use.

 

[Brigadier]

My old car a Megane 1.5 dci 2005 was far more fuel efficient than my newer 2014 Megane 1.5 dci, the newer one has stop start which by the way I think is dangerous and a 6 speed box and is a so called eco model, still not ulez compliant. The older car was far nicer to drive and probably about 15 to 20 % more fuel efficient, no one has been able to explain this, so if a car is that much more fuel efficient why is the new one badged an eco and is not ulez compliant, just another stealth tax imo

Euro 6 (the one relevant to you, as you are citing diesels) is not about fuel efficiency, AFAIK; it is about emissions. NOx and PMs (oxides of nitrogen, which contribute to asthma, IIRC; and PMs (diddy ickle particles), which go right to the very bottom of the lungs, and beyond. Contributes to CV conditions, again IIRC).
Hence, you can fit aftermarket (but approved) bits to a non-compliant car, which may bring it into compliance. Like catalytic reduction systems. Again, if I understand correctly.

 

[Brigadier]

I’d guess newer models are tweaked for lower emissions at the expensive of fuel economy.

No doubt fuel economy calcs are fiddled to be not representative of real use.

A cynic's (realist's?) view, but not that of a pragmatist.
What is a fuel economy figure (used) for?
As a means of comparison between vehicles.

To make a valid comparison (between anything), you have to reduce the differences between any other relevant factors to as insignificant as practical.
In this case, driving style.

You might say that the test conditions are not reflective of "real-world driving", but that is semantics; they enable fuel consumptions to be reliably compared.

 

[Brigadier]

. I went by the TFL site, put the reg in, if they say it's compliant, it's compliant.

Could be, as you have already said, an anomaly.

Could also be valid: the two could have different emission levels.
Do autos have their ECUs set differently to manuals? This could send emissions either way of a compliance / non-compliance level.
Has one reg. had a compliance device fitted, which has then brought it into ULEZ compliance? I'd guess that if someone went to that trouble, they'd have it validated, and added to the vehicle's documents?

 

[Brigadier]

A cynic's (realist's?) view, but not that of a pragmatist.
What is a fuel economy figure (used) for?
As a means of comparison between vehicles.

To make a valid comparison (between anything), you have to reduce the differences between any other relevant factors to as insignificant as practical.
In this case, driving style.

You might say that the test conditions are not reflective of "real-world driving", but that is semantics; they enable fuel consumptions to be reliably compared.

Also, and I don't know if this is the case, the test parameters for "urban", "extra-urban", and "combined" may have changed over the years: if that's the case, a "50mpg" yr 2000 car might have been tested under different conditions to a "50mpg" 2020 car.

I also suspect the parameters for "urban", "extra-urban", and "combined" were set after many representations between environmental groups, health groups, manufacturers, trade associations, testing organisations' representatives, etc etc etc.
It would be daft to set parameters that could not be achieved (reasonably economically, in the case of consumer products), or could not be tested for / measured.

 

[Ihavenojob]

Could also be valid: the two could have different emission levels.

The car in question (my old 2007 one) is a euro4, even ones from 2012 are euro4 and they come out as not ulez compliant. I wonder if the new owner has got it as a ulez compliant vehicle because it says it is (on TFL site) and what would happen if TFL suddenly cotton on that they are wrong?

 

[Mottie]

Some

Could also be valid: the two could have different emission levels.
Do autos have their ECUs set differently to manuals? This could send emissions either way of a compliance / non-compliance level.

I know that from new, the same vehicle but with different size of tyres could push a vehicle into a higher taxation bracket, as could an automatic gearbox as they both contribute to the vehicle drag which affects fuel consumption figures and emission levels. It’s plausible that the same vehicles could be ULEZ and non-ULEZ compliant.

 

[Brigadier]

The car in question (my old 2007 one) is a euro4, even ones from 2012 are euro4 and they come out as not ulez compliant. I wonder if the new owner has got it as a ulez compliant vehicle because it says it is (on TFL site) and what would happen if TFL suddenly cotton on that they are wrong?

Diesels have to comply with Euro6

Euro4 is for petrols

In your OP, you stated yours was a diesel

 

[Tetrarch]

This could be a TFL problem. My 2019 Volvo Petrol XC40 is coming up as non-compliant on the TFL checker, but compliant on the Motorway version

ULEZ Checker: Check Your Vehicle Compliance For Free | Motorway

In August 2023, London's ULEZ is expanding to create a single, larger zone. Use our free ULEZ checker to check if your car is compliant.

motorway.co.uk

This could be something to do with the fact that I have a private plate, but the vehicle is identified correctly

Regards

Tet

 

[Brigadier]

This could be a TFL problem. My 2019 Volvo Petrol XC40 is coming up as non-compliant on the TFL checker, but compliant on the Motorway version

Could just as well be a Motorway version problem.

 

[cwhaley]

My 1964 Singer Gazelle is compliant and exempt from the charge. My 2001 Peugeot 406 is not. Not that I would ever drive to London, but I wonder if there's an exemption for 'classic cars'?