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.

As we look back on the first year of the ULEZ extension, our data reveals that the share of non-compliant vehicles have decreased in both London and the Southeast region as retailers respond to lower consumer demand for these vehicles. Helpfully, the share of compliant cars for sale below £2,000, in line with the scrappage scheme requirements, has seen a small uptick. With one week left until the end of the scheme we recommend that consumers seek out the remaining vehicles in budget and make the most of this opportunity while they still can.”