Euro Emissions Check: What Euro Standard Is My Car?

A Euro emissions check tells you which European emissions standard a car was built to, from Euro 1 to Euro 6, which is what ULEZ, clean air zones and low emission zones use to decide whether you pay. Enter the registration in the search box above: the free check reads the DVLA record and shows the car's fuel type, first registration date, CO2 figure and, where the DVLA holds it, the Euro status, together with our likely ULEZ verdict. The full report adds the manufacturer's full specification and the history checks that matter when buying: finance, write-offs, stolen markers and previous keepers.

Is my car Euro 6?

The quick answer, by fuel and first registration date:

• Diesel registered from 1 September 2015: Euro 6 in almost every case, because every new car sold from that date had to meet it. Many diesels registered from September 2014 are Euro 6 too, because new models had to comply a year earlier.
• Diesel registered 2011 to mid-2015: usually Euro 5, with a growing number of Euro 6 cars through 2014 and 2015. This is the group that most needs a check, because Euro 5 diesels pay ULEZ and most clean air zone charges and Euro 6 diesels do not.
• Petrol registered from 2006: at least Euro 4, which is all ULEZ asks of a petrol car. Petrols registered from 2011 are Euro 5, and from September 2015 Euro 6.
• Electric cars: no Euro standard applies; they are zero-emission and compliant everywhere.

Registration dates are a good guide, not proof, because carmakers often fitted compliant engines before the deadline and sometimes registered older stock after it. Where the DVLA holds the Euro status for your car, the free check shows it; where it does not, the sections below tell you how to confirm it.

What the Euro emissions standards are

Euro standards are EU limits on what comes out of a new car's exhaust: nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and particulates. Each stage tightened the limits, with separate figures for petrol and diesel. A standard applies first to newly approved models ("new types") and, usually a year later, to every new car registered. They are about local air pollution, not CO2, which is why a car can have a low CO2 figure and a poor Euro standard at the same time.

Dates are for passenger cars (category M1). Light vans and heavier vehicles followed a year or so later at each stage, which is why a van's Euro status needs its own check.

How to find your car's Euro standard

1. Run the free check above. If the DVLA holds the Euro status for the car it is shown on the result, with the fuel type and first registration date. The DVLA only started recording it for newer vehicles, so many cars registered before about 2016 show no figure.
2. Look at the V5C log book. On log books issued since 2016 or so, section D.2 is "Type approval number"; the Euro status is often printed near it, under the heading "Euro status", but only when the DVLA has it. Older V5Cs do not show it at all.
3. Ask the manufacturer. Any dealer or the maker's customer service can confirm the standard from the VIN. The certificate of conformity that came with the car when new also states it.
4. Use the zone operator's own checker. TfL's ULEZ checker and the GOV.UK clean air zone checker look the car up by registration and give a yes or no for their own zone. They are the official answer for whether you pay; they do not always tell you the Euro standard itself.
5. Estimate from the date. If none of the above is available, the table gives the standard the car had to meet when it was first registered. For a diesel registered between September 2014 and August 2015, confirm it before you rely on it.

Why the Euro standard matters

• ULEZ (London): petrol cars need Euro 4, diesels need Euro 6, or a daily charge applies across all of Greater London. The ULEZ check explains the rules and the exemptions.
• Clean air zones (England) and LEZs (Scotland): Birmingham, Bristol, Bradford, Sheffield, Portsmouth and others use the same Euro 4 petrol and Euro 6 diesel thresholds, though which vehicles are charged differs by city; Scotland's LEZs fine non-compliant cars rather than charging them. The clean air zone check covers each zone.
• Resale value: a Euro 5 diesel is harder to sell near any zone, and that is already priced into the used market. Buying one is fine if you never drive into a zone, but allow for it when you sell.
• Vehicle tax: the Euro standard does not set your tax band; CO2 does. The CO2 emission check and car tax band check cover that side.

Euro 6 diesel: what to look for when buying

A Euro 6 diesel almost always has a diesel particulate filter and, on most models from 2016 onwards, an AdBlue (selective catalytic reduction) system. Both are expensive to replace and both suffer on short urban trips. On a test drive, check for an AdBlue warning or a DPF light, and look in the MOT history for repeated emissions-related advisories or failures. The MOT history check shows every test, and the fuel type check confirms what the DVLA record says the car runs on before you worry about any of this.

What the free check shows, and what the full report adds

See how it is laid out in the sample report, or go straight to the full car history check.

Euro emissions check FAQs