Clean Air Zone: Financial support now live to upgrade your vehicle

From today, people can apply to upgrade their vehicle and receive financial support ahead of the introduction of the Clean Air Zone (CAZ). Information on when charging starts and which vehicles will be charged is online.

If you own a vehicle that would be charged, you might be eligible for support. Private vehicles will not be charged. People will need to check online to see if their vehicle will be charged when the zone goes live on 27 February 2023. The financial support will be available in the form of a grant, an interest subsidised loan or a mix of the two, details of the financial support packages are available on the Sheffield City Council Clean Air Zone website.  

Councillor Julie Grocutt, Co-Chair of the Transport, Regeneration and Climate Policy Committee, said:

“I want to encourage everyone to check their eligibility online and apply for the financial support wherever they can. There is a pot of money for people to apply for and we want people to use these funds whilst they are available.

“The Clean Air Zone is there to protect people in Sheffield from the effects of exposure of NO2 emissions. We know this is vital going forward for our current and future generations. We are committed to doing all we can to limit the public health implications that the effects of NO2 create such as lung cancer and cardiovascular disease. I know the Clean Air Zone will benefit our city hugely, we are thinking about the now and long-term benefits which I know we will all be very grateful for.

“The financial package available is one of the best of any local authority, and I want Sheffield residents and businesses to use it.”

Government have set some exemptions that apply nationally, in some cases you may be eligible for a local exemption which you would need to apply for, please check details of the exemptions and application requirements online.

If you or your business is based in Sheffield or Rotherham and runs LGVs then you could be eligible to apply for a temporary exemption until midnight on the 4th of June 2023 Please visit www.sheffield.gov.uk before driving into the Clean Air Zone to apply.

If you own a Hackney Carriage taxi licensed with Sheffield City Council exemption will be in place until midnight on the 4 June, you will not be charged until 5 June 2023 – this will be set up automatically and you won’t need to apply.

For full information, please visit the dedicated Clean Air Zone website.

For information:

From February 27th, the Class C Clean Air Zone will begin charging non-compliant vehicles. Charges will apply to the following vehicle types that do not meet the minimum standards when entering the Clean Air Zone boundary:

• Taxis, including both hackney carriages and private hire vehicles, which are below Euro 6 Diesel or Euro 4 Petrol standards
• Light goods vehicles (LGVS) such as vans, campervans and pickup trucks and minibuses which are below Euro 6 Diesel or Euro 4 Petrol standards
• Buses and coaches which are below Euro 6 Diesel standards
• Heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) which are below Euro 6 Diesel standards

Private vehicles will not be charged.