ULEZ: Londoners scrapping non-compliant cars could get MORE THAN £2,000 - here’s how

Motorists trading in their non-compliant cars ahead of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) expansion are receiving an average of £600 beyond their £2,000 grant payment, the mayor of London has said.

Sadiq Khan was speaking to LondonWorld following the announcement that the ULEZ scrappage scheme is being widened to include all Londoners with non-compliant cars or motorbikes, with increased funding for groups such as charities and small businesses also being introduced.

Under the scheme, eligible applicants can apply for various support packages, including payment or retrofitting support.

The latest TfL data on the scrappage scheme shows more than £38 million has been committed up to July 23, from a total pot of £160m.

For those trading in their older, more polluting cars, TfL has said they are able to receive a £2,000 grant payment, or less if they choose payment plus one or two adult-rate annual bus and tram passes.

They are also potentially able to receive a separate, additional payment from the authorised treatment facility (ATF) which scrapped the vehicle, which does not impact the grant payment from TfL.

When asked last Friday (August 4) about the scheme, Mr Khan told LondonWorld successful applicants have been receiving on average around £600 per car from the ATF, potentially bringing their overall payment up to £2,600.

He said once TfL has received evidence of the car being scrapped, the claims will begin to be processed. The mayor then added: “You’ll get £600, on average, from the company that scraps your vehicle.”

Asked to confirm this figure, a TfL spokesperson said the potential additional payment “fluctuates from week to week”, as it is based on the scrap value of the car, which is linked directly to the global price of commodities such as recycled steel.

They said: “Once car and motorcycle scrappage applicants have passed initial checks of the eligibility criteria, they have 30 days to scrap their vehicle at an authorised treatment facility, and provide evidence of this to TfL by way of the certificate of destruction provided by the facility.

“The certificate enables a grant payment of £2,000 to be issued (for a car) or £1,000 for a motorbike, or a reduced grant payment plus one or two adult-rate Annual Bus & Tram Passes. The government’s end of life vehicles guidance for authorised treatment facilities is that at least 95% of the vehicle is recycled and recovered.”

Mr Khan said his team had recently looked at one second-hand car website and found there were more than 5,000 compliant vehicles available in London for under £2,000.

The ULEZ is due to be rolled out to cover the whole of greater London from August 29. The mayor and TfL say more than 90% of cars and 80% of vans seen driving in outer London are already compliant, meaning the vast majority of people are not likely to be impacted.

It has, however, come under strong criticism due to it being expanded during a cost-of-living crisis, with several protests calling for it to be scrapped.

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