As London marks the first anniversary of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) expansion, data from Auto Trader reveals drivers of non-compliant vehicles continue to face limited affordable alternatives. Of the 39,294 used cars currently on sale[1]across London which meet the capital's emission standards, only c.1,600 cost less than £2,000 - the amount Sadiq Khan is offering eligible Londoners as part of the £210 million scrappage scheme set to close next week.

Although it does mark an increase on the 885 vehicles that were available last year, it represents just 4% of those compliant London cars advertised on Auto Trader last month. The wider Southeast region offers a similarly limited choice as figures show there were only 2,284 compliant cars under £2,000 available in July, which is 2.4% of the 95,000 that meet the strict regulations.

More broadly, around just 3.7% (1,492) of the total c.41,000 used cars advertised on Auto Trader within the London region in July did not comply with ULEZ rules. Promisingly, this is a slight decrease on the 6% share recorded at the same time last year. And across the wider Southeast, nearly 9% (8,998) of the used cars advertised were non-compliant, but it's down on the 13% recorded 12 months earlier.

[1] As advertised on Auto Trader in July 2024.