ULEZ BEATING CLASSICS FROM ACROSS THE DECADES

London’s Ultra Low Emissions Zone is set to move from the North and South Circulars to the Greater London Boroughs on 29 August 2023, meaning any non-compliant car is liable for a £12.50 charge to drive inside the zone.

Historic vehicles aged 40 and over have long been – and continue to be – exempt from ULEZ billing, though owners of these cars will still need to pay the £15 daily Congestion Charge if they want to drive in Central London.

Transport for London confirmed with Lancaster Insurance Services that any car built before 1973 was exempt on its records; cars that have since become eligible for tax exemption also enjoy free ULEZ travel provided the DVLA has updated its records.

Historic tax is granted on a rolling 40-year exemption, and it’s done by changing the tax class on the log book (V5) from ‘PLG’ to ‘historic’. However, the situation isn’t as straightforward as you might think, as you can’t claim tax exemption ‘to the day’ as you might expect.

Only cars registered before 8 January 1983 qualify for historic tax from 1 April 2023, as they are assumed to have been built in 1982.

The process is done at a post office, but cars registered from 8 January 1983 have a default build date (as far as the DVLA system is concerned) of the end of December 1983, and thus unfortunately, can’t have historic tax applied until 1 April 1984.

Owing to this anomaly, you may have to give evidence to the DVLA that a car registered between 1-7 January 1983 was actually built the previous year, as the post office's systems may not recognise it as a 1982 vehicle - thanks to that default later build date.

In this case, you'll need to do the tax change process via the DVLA instead of at your local post office. Manufacturers and car clubs can help with build sheets or Heritage Certificates etc, to prove when the car was made – this varies by make and model.

The best way to check if your car (or any car you’re sizing up) can drive into the ULEZ is via Transport for London’s compatibility checker; both have been updated to show what cars are liable for, based on registration plate data.

While owners of classics from the 50s, 60s and 70s don’t have to pay ULEZ charges, only the earliest of 80s classics are liable for the rolling 40 year tax exemption. 90s cars – even legacy designs like the Rover Mini – aren’t old enough to qualify yet under current regulations.

For early Noughties cars, many of them old enough to be now considered modern classics, the plot thickens – and why it’s crucial you have the compatibility checker to hand before making a purchase on a car that age if you want to drive into the ULEZ.

ULEZ allowances are based emissions standards; any petrol car built to Euro 4 (from 1 January 2006) standards is deemed ‘clean’ enough not to be charged ULEZ entry.
Many – but not all – manufacturers were building cars to Euro 4 requirements from 2000 onwards. CO2 emissions were added to the visible section of the V5 (log book) and used as a basis for the graduated tax scheme.

It's a simplification to understand Euro 4 as ‘just’ being about CO2; it’s a complicated collection of homologation paperwork standards that manufacturers had to keep in front of. From an industry standard, this was going on the background well before it needed to be declared as ‘Euro 4’ on public paperwork; this didn’t happen on log books until 2006, when the standard became mandatory.

Car makers were building Euro 4 compatible engines well before Euro 4 itself (the ULEZ standard, let’s not forget) was a legal requirement; car club researchers found that many 2001-2002 cars met the Euro 4 standard, meaning a whole host of now classic vehicles won’t fall foul of ULEZ charges.

Our ULEZ busting classic picks are below; all are affordable, and all are British, but you don’t have to fly the flag in order to stay compliant – an awareness of the rules and how they function is all that’s needed.

All the information in this feature was correct at the time of writing (February 2023) but we urge you to check with Transport for London if you have any further questions about the ULEZ.

FIFTIES – MORRIS MINOR
The quintessential starter classic still makes a great deal of sense with which to tackle the ULEZ.
The earliest Series MM cars (1948-1951), known colloquially as ‘Lowlights’, aren’t really up to sustained dual carriageway or motorway use, but would be fine around town.

Staying in the 50s, the A-Series-engine Series II arrived in 1953; looking similar to the last raised-headlight Series MM cars, performance was boosted by the arrival of the (new to Morris from the BMC merger with Austin) 803cc A Series engine. Four door and Traveller models also became available during the Series II’s time on market.

While high speeds still wouldn’t be a great idea in an unmodified Series II, they can accept later A-Series engines – the 948, 1098 and 1275cc units, provided the gearbox and other running gear is upgraded to suit. After 1956, the so-called ‘Series III’ or Morris Minor 1000, became available; parts and technical support for the 1000, and other Minors, is second-to-none.

The Morris Minor Owners’ Club would be your first port of call; it even has an MMOC Young Members section (formerly YMMOC) aimed at getting youngsters on to the road in Morris Minors.

SIXTIES – MGB

Well, it had to be, didn’t it? Either in chrome or rubber bumpered form, there’s an MGB to suit your budget – and the scope for modification is pretty much endless (and determined only by your wallet). All qualify for ULEZ exemption, from the earliest three-bearing ‘pull handle’ roadster to the last rubber bumper LE (just).

Small enough to fit on a suburban street yet powerful enough to hold its own on any ULEZ road, the GT, sold from 1965, would be our choice: think of it as a two-seater hatchback and it’s surprisingly versatile, with overdrive gearbox options upping the fuel economy. MGC wheel sizing makes a good number of modern grippy tyres available; the MG Owners’ Club, among others, will keep it happy.

SEVENTIES – CITROËN 2CV

Not a car you would necessarily associate with the Seventies – but after seeing sales drop in the previous decade, the 2CV’s fuel economy brought it back to relevance.
2CV sales resumed in the UK from 1975 after 14 years away, and the 2CV6 now benefitted from a 602cc engine.

That may not sound impressive but the 2CV was still a featherweight – and its air-cooled flat twin could be run at full pelt all day if needed. Handily, it was capable of the National Speed Limit – 70 mph – on motorways and was more than capable of dealing with towns.

Skinny tyres meant (and still means) that parking is easy, even with unassisted steering. Removeable seats and a roll-back canvas roof allows surprisingly large loads to be carried, and, thanks to a pair of horizontal coils springs running the length of the chassis, its ride quality on the rougher London roads is unmatched.

Parts availability is excellent; they’re even making galvanised chassis again. Scores of specialists, including the 2CV Shop, and clubs (like 2CVGB) are ready and waiting for your purchase.

EIGHTIES – FORD ESCORT MK3

Legacy classics like the Mini (and indeed the 2CV above) ran into the Eighties and beyond – but only the earliest of that decade’s kin, having turned 40 is eligible for ULEZ exemption.

The same is true of the Ford Escort Mk3 – a real nostalgia trip with enough grunt in 1.3- and 1.6-litre form to keep up with traffic in and out of the London boroughs. Owing to DVLA record keeping, you’re limited at the moment to 1982 models if you want to stay ULEZ compliant.

That gets you a Popular, L, GL, Ghia or XR3; all 1.6- (and some 1.3-litre cars by option) had five-speed gearboxes from mid-1982, so, like many of our contenders, fuel consumption (and, in the Escort five-speed’s case, refinement) will be better for faster work.

Depending on what model you buy, you’re not far away from specialist help; GS Classic Fords and the Ford Escort Club can help you keep your Escort Mk3 on the road.

NOUGHTIES – JAGUAR XJR

If you can afford the fuel bills, the 2001-2002 Jaguar XJR (X308) is ULEZ friendly, at least at time of writing. Its length counts against it for parking and tight parking, but its relative lack of breadth goes a long way to making up for it.

Even now it remains a most luxurious means of transporting four people across London; its timeless lines and supple suspension mean that there’s nowhere it can’t get to and won’t look at home, particularly at night. Prices are still affordable and the Jaguar Enthusiasts’ Club can help you keep it happy.

Earlier and later XJRs make staggering performance buys outside of London and other emissions zones, for the moment, if it has to be British and comfortable, there are quicker or more stylish ways to get around the ULEZ than in a 2001-2002 Jaguar XJR – provided the compatibility checker continues to say yes. As ever, check before you buy!