A new report published by Transport for London (TfL) reveals that more than 53,000 vehicles have been removed from London’s roads under the city-wide ULEZ scrappage scheme.
A total of 35,095 cars and 17,964 vans were either scrapped or upgraded to a ULEZ-complaint vehicle, helping to significantly reduce harmful emissions and improve the air quality in the city.
The scheme, which has had its funding increased twice and been expanded significantly due to its success, has proven exceptionally effective in driving down emissions.
Since 2019, air quality in London has improved at 99% of monitoring sites across the city. Thanks to all phases of the ULEZ, NOx emissions from road transport were estimated to be 36% lower across London in 2024.
The scrappage scheme, which offers financial incentives for the uptake of ULEZ-compliant vehicles and taking alternative methods of transport over driving non-ULEZ-compliant vehicles, has benefited outer Londoners the most, the report found.
Outer Londoners received 88% of the distributed funding, and the boroughs of Croydon and Hillingdon saw the highest number of successful applications.
“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 has 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 lasting difference to our capital,” said London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan.
“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.”
TfL Director of Strategy Christina Calderato said that ULEZ compliance had increased substantially as a result of the scrappage support schemes.
“The scrappage support schemes have played a vital role in helping Londoners, London-based charities and businesses to remove more than 53,000 older and more polluting vehicle from the capital’s roads.”
“Londoners have continued to upgrade their vehicles to cleaner models with 97.1 per cent of vehicles seen driving in London now ULEZ compliant, up from 91.6 per cent in June 2023 and 39 per cent in February 2017, when changes associated with the ULEZ began,” Calderato said.
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