Confusion re clean airzone Citroen c3

[Neilcmusic1]

Good morning , I've recently had to scrap a 2002 Citroen c3 petrol which was exempt from Birminghams clean airzone charge , I went to buy another one , 2004 , same spec , same engine size , still petrol but when I checked it wasn't exempt , is there any obvious reason for this , I can't see why this would be the case , thanks

[GiveMeABreak]

I think they can make it up as they go along to be honest. Take car tax - some vehicles had low £30 tax at the time of registration, but later, cleaner vehicles were taxed at the full rate.

So it may have to do with the legislative category the vehicle was in at the time the vehicle was first registered and as that changed going forward they may have decided to exclude previously accepted vehicles - much like the car tax system.

If you have the VINs of both vehicles pop them up and I'll have a look at the Euro categories and engine specs. Please post your VIN in full without spaces - it will be automatically masked from public view after submitting your post & will only be visible to staff.

[Neilcmusic1]

Thanks Marc , I havent got either VIN unfortunately as I scrapped the 2002 one and the 2004 was a potential purchase that I didnt go ahead with. It was lucky i checked actually as I was about to purchase the 2004 one this morning assuming it was exempt and it wasnt , id have been stuck with it ,

The whole thing is as annoying as hell as my job has been relocated to the centre of Birmingham from my current location on the outskirts so I need a "new" vehicle , and of course no one wants to buy my current Peugeot as isnt exempt so ive been shortchanged there as well.

[GiveMeABreak]

It's a total PITA all this nonsense - you have my sympathies!

[HaroldHare]

I think there is a problem with Birmingham's database. I have a 2003 C5 (petrol) which has a Euro 4 engine. This is exempt from the London ULEZ and all other low emission zones EXCEPT Birmingham and Bristol, even though both say that Euro 4 is OK. See here: https://www.brumbreathes.co.uk/info/25/ ... ration-1/2

[GiveMeABreak]

It depends on the exact engine - for example a MK I C5 2004 1.8 Petrol (EW7J4) is NOT Euro 4, it's Euro 3, so would not be compliant according to the info on that website.

If you have your VIN, I can check your specific C5. Please post your VIN in full without spaces - it will be automatically masked from public view after submitting your post & will only be visible to staff.

Looking at a 2003 Citroen C3 1.4 Petrol (TU3JP), that also is a Euro 3 vehicle so wouldn't be compliant according to that website.

A 2008 C3 II 1.6i Petrol 16V (TU5JP4) is Euro 4 Compliant, so would be ok.

I note on that website there is a link at the bottom that you can contact if you believe the vehicle is compliant - it takes you to the Government website here, where you can enter the registration to see if you will be charged which itself has further details for support.

https://vehiclecheck.drive-clean-air-zo ... er_details

The wording on the 'brumbreathes' website does state

If your vehicle meets the following criteria you should not need to pay the daily fee:

Diesel – Euro 6 (VI) standard or better
Petrol - Euro 4 standard or better
Gas – Euro 6 (VI) standard or better
Hybrid electric – the diesel/petrol engine must meet the relevant criteria above
Full Electric or Zero Emission vehicles
Use the vehicle checker to confirm whether or not your vehicle meets the emission criteria of the zone.

So they have a cop-out by saying 'should not'. But I would challenge that if you can show your vehicle is Euro 4.

[HaroldHare]

Thanks for offering to look up the details of my car, but since TfL think it is complant and I have no intention of driving in Birmingham, I think I'll let sleeping dogs lie.

[GiveMeABreak]

No worries.