Edinburgh Low Emission Zone: Surge in inquiries about scrapping cars as city-centre ban introduced

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The launch of Edinburgh's Low Emission Zone sparked a surge of inquiries from people in the Capital wanting to scrap their cars, according to new figures.

Data from scrap price website Scrap Car Comparison has revealed that demand for car scrappage quotes in Edinburgh were 72 per cent higher in May and June 2024 compared to the same period in 2023.

The low emission zone came into force in Edinburgh on June 1The low emission zone came into force in Edinburgh on June 1
The low emission zone came into force in Edinburgh on June 1 | Contributed

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The city's LEZ came into force on June 1 , meaning vehicles which do not meet strict emission standards are banned for a 1.2 square mile area of the city centre. The ban applies 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

And drivers ignoring the ban face a £60 fine, halved t £30 if it is paid within 30 days, but a second offence within 90 days will see the penalty double up to a maximum of £480 for cars and light commercial vehicles and £960 for heavy duty vehicles.

The LEZ had officially been declared in 2022, but councillors agreed a two-year grace period to allow drivers to prepare for the restrictions.  Similar bans came into effect in Aberdeen and Dundee around the same time while Glasgow had been operating an LEZ for a year already.

Shortly before the LEZ launch, Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop announced that since 2019, over 4,000 non-compliant vehicles had been disposed of or retrofitted with cleaner technology thanks to £13 million of funding from the Scottish Government's LEZ Support Fund.  The figures  included support for taxi drivers, with over 450 taxis being retrofitted with the help of grant funding since 2019.

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To find out exactly how many more drivers in Scotland had considered scrapping their cars since the end of the grace period, Scrap Car Comparison analysed their own figures for scrappage quotes in May and June 2024, in comparison to 2023 numbers. 

The data showed that the demand for quotes had increased significantly, with overall numbers for Aberdeen, Dundee and Edinburgh up by almost two-thirds, going to show the increased number of car-owners considering sending their vehicles to the scrap heap. 

Inquiries from EH postcodes rose by 72 per cent, those from Aberdeen postcodes 40 per cent and those from Dundee postcodes by 77 per cent. 

David Kottaun, operations manager at Scrap Car Comparison, said: “We've definitely seen an increased demand in and around the Scottish cities that are subject to these LEZ restrictions since the end of the grace period, as people are seeing the direct impact of the penalties and restrictions on their day-to-day routines. 

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“The LEZ restrictions leave many drivers’ vehicles non-compliant, meaning that in many cases they’re now too expensive to run. The value of these vehicles will also have dropped in these areas since the introduction of the penalties, so scrapping the vehicle will be the most sensible, and convenient, decision for lots of owners." 

Vehicles affected by the ban include most diesel cars and vans registered before September 2015 and most petrol cars and vans registered before January 2006. But it is worth using the online vehicle checker because it can vary from one make and model to another.

Petrol and diesel taxis and private hire vehicles which do not meet Euro 6 emission standards are also banned from the LEZ, along with HGVs, buses and coaches that fail to meet the Euro 6 standards. Motorcycles and mopeds are not affected.

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