London's ULEZ scrappage scheme removed 50,000 polluting ICE vehicles

London’s vehicle scrappage scheme to support the Ultra-low Emission Zones (ULEZ) have proved to be a success, according to a report by Transport for London (TfL).

The Mayor of London and TfL launched the London-wide ULEZ scrappage scheme in January 2023 to support the expansion of the ULEZ to outer London. It followed the success of the Mayor’s previous scrappage scheme to support the ULEZ to central London and expansion to inner London (October 2021).

Since then, the initial funding of £110 million has been increased twice, first to £160 million and then to £210 million, alongside eligibility criteria widening to include small businesses, those in receipt of Child Benefit, and all Londoners with an eligible non-ULEZ compliant car or motorcycle.

The report has found that, thanks to the scrappage scheme, more than 53,000 older, polluting vehicles were removed from London's roads, and saved the equivalent CO2 saving of running 1,000 homes in a year.

The mayor of London’s scrappage schemes have proved key in reducing London’s road emissions, as NOx emissions from road transport are estimated to be 36 per cent lower across London in 2024. This is 3,4000 tonnes of emissions less, which is equal to one year of emissions from all passenger car trips in Los Angeles.

Ninety-nine per cent of air quality monitoring sites in London have reported an increase in air quality since 2019, with London additionally seeing improvement faster than anywhere else in England. 

For those living in the most deprived communities near London’s busiest roads, there has been an 80 per cent reduction in people exposed to illegal levels of pollution, compared to without the ULEZ.

The mayor of London said “I am proud that the scrappage scheme—the biggest in the UK—has supported so many Londoners to switch to cleaner, greener forms of transport. This was made a huge difference to our air quality, and also encouraged many Londoners to take up more sustainable ways of travelling, which will make a last difference to our capital.

“ULEZ compliance is now more than 97 per cent, bringing cleaner air to millions of Londoners. London’s air quality is now improving at a faster rate than the rest of England and we’ve also made a difference overseas, with hundreds of vehicles supporting the medical and humanitarian efforts in Ukraine.

“I will continue to take bold, world-leading action to improve London’s air quality and the health of Londoners, as we build a better, fairer, greener capital for all.”