A new report from Auto Trader reveals the UK cities with the lowest levels of air pollution
Edinburgh ranks as the city with the cleanest air in the UK, followed by Manchester and London
The global cities with the cleanest air include Australia's Hobart and Darwin, and Funafuti in the South Pacific

As world leaders gather for the latest UN Climate Change Conference (COP29), a comprehensive study by Auto Trader unveils the state of air quality in cities across the globe.

Auto Trader has shared new research looking at air quality data for nearly 400 cities over the last three years, allocating each city an Air Quality Index score based on its concentration of hazardous air particles, including sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide.

The research reveals the cities with the lowest levels of air pollution across the world’s continents, as well as which cities’ concentration of toxic air pollutants has improved the most in the last three years.

The UK’s Cleanest Air Cities

Edinburgh takes the crown as the city with the cleanest air in the UK, scoring an impressive 1.25 on the air quality index. Following closely behind are Manchester (1.25 air quality index) and London (1.35), both showing off impressive clean air quality.

All top three UK cities have been proactive in investing in green infrastructure, promoting the use of electric vehicles and reducing traffic congestion in city centres. Efforts to switch to cleaner energy sources and stricter regulations on industrial emissions also seem to contribute to these positive results.

Outside the podium is another Scottish city that excels with an air quality index of 1.38 out of a possible 5: Glasgow. Taking fourth place, the implementation of a Low Emission Zone (LEZ) in Glasgow’s city centre, along with other investments like the creation of dedicated cycle lanes, have all helped contribute to this city's low levels of air pollution.

Coventry wraps up the UK’s top five cities with the cleanest air, with an impressive Air Quality Index score of 1.43. Being at the forefront of electric vehicle adoption, the significant investment in public electric vehicle infrastructure that’s set it up to be the UK’s first all-electric bus city by 2025, certainly contributes to the city's rankings. However, Coventry has also taken significant measures to improve its air quality, from smart traffic management systems to reduce congestion and idling, to partnering with local universities and continuously backing transportation projects to create a sustainable urban environment.

Birmingham (6th), Liverpool (7th), Leeds (8th), Cardiff (9th) and Stoke (10th) all join the list of the UK's cleanest air cities with Air Quality Index scores of 1.58 or better.

The Ten UK Cities With The Lowest Levels of Air Pollution

Rank	City	Country	Air Quality Index
1	Edinburgh	Scotland	1.25
2	Manchester	England	1.25
3	London	England	1.35
4	Glasgow	Scotland	1.38
5	Coventry	England	1.43
6	Birmingham	England	1.45
7	Liverpool	England	1.45
8	Leeds	England	1.48
9	Cardiff	Wales	1.55
10	Stoke	England	1.58

For cities with equal Air Quality Index scores, a tie-breaking system was put in place where if two or more cities have the same score, the individual concentrations of each pollutant are weighed and the city with lower overall pollutant concentrations ranks higher.

“We're committed to helping consumers make informed decisions that positively impact both their lives and the environment. Whilst car emissions are not solely responsible for the emission of poisonous air particles in cities, one of the biggest solutions to combat air pollution in urban areas is the switch to electric cars. Electric vehicles have no exhaust pipe, which means there are no polluting greenhouse gases, and they are also charged with electricity, which can be generated from renewable sources like wind and solar. As the UK inches closer towards the 2035 ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars, we wanted to show why switching to electric is so important when it comes to protecting the quality of the air we breathe. Our latest air quality study reveals the varying air quality across major global cities, highlighting where green initiatives are working. We hope this study inspires both individuals and policymakers to take steps towards improving air quality in all our cities, making them healthier for everyone."

Key spokesperson

Erin Baker

Auto Trader’s Editorial Director

CONNECT

The World’s Cleanest Air Cities

Auto Trader’s study also explores the air quality of cities worldwide. Funafuti in Tuvalu takes the top spot for having the cleanest air globally, with an index score of one. The city's remote location in the South Pacific means it is far from major sources of industrial pollution, and there is no heavy industry on the small island nation, all contributing to its number one ranking position.

Manaus (Brazil) and Hobart (Australia) complete the world’s top three cities with the lowest levels of air pollution. Located in the heart of the Amazon rainforest, which acts as a natural air purifier and benefits from strong regulations, Manaus lands in second place with an air quality index of 1. Meanwhile, Hobart's surrounding areas of wilderness and location on the Australian coast help the city receive clean sea breezes that improve its air quality.

In fact, Australia dominates the world’s top ten cities with the cleanest air with not one but three cities in the rankings: aside from Hobart, Darwin comes fourth while Canberra wraps up the top ten list. In addition, Samoa's Apia and New Zealand's Wellington also join the world’s top rankings.

The Ten Global Cities With The Lowest Levels of Air Pollution

Rank	City	Country	Air Quality Index
1	Funafuti	Tuvalu	1
2	Manaus	Brazil	1
3	Hobart	Australia	1
4	Darwin	Australia	1
5	Apia	Samoa	1
6	São Tomé	São Tomé and Príncipe	1
7	Nuku'alofa	Tonga	1
8	Sucre	Bolivia	1
9	Wellington	New Zealand	1
10	Canberra	Australia	1

For a full breakdown of the study, including detailed rankings for each continent, and information on which cities have seen the biggest changes in air quality over the past three years, visit: https://www.autotrader.co.uk/cars/electric/air-quality-map/

Methodology:

Using Open Weather Map, air particle data was recorded at 6-month intervals (August and February) between August 2024 and February 2021 for 393 global cities.

An Air Quality Index was created using Open Weather Maps 1-5 scale*, which ranks the cities' air from cleanest to dirtiest, where the higher the score number the dirtier and more hazardous the air quality of the city. The concentration of pollutants tracked for this study are: Sulphur dioxide (SO2), Nitrogen dioxide (NO2), particulates (PM2.5 and PM10), Ozone (O3) and Carbon monoxide (CO) (μg/m3). The Estimated Index Change shows how much the Air Quality Index score of a city has improved or worsened over the time period tracked.

Cities tied with an Air Quality Index score have been ranked by the total number of pollutants to create a ranking of the world’s cities with the cleanest air. This means that, while some cities have an equal air quality index (eg: Australia’s Hobart and Darwin both have an air quality index of 1, when tallying the concentration of other air pollutants, one outperforms the other and thus ranks higher (in this case Hobart outranks Darwin).

Please note that different governments each have their own Air Quality Index equivalents, different policies on how each pollutant should be ranked against ones another, and different levels of how much of each pollutant is considered ‘low’ or 'high’. This research is limited to pollutant readings from 10 locations per city over 40 different dates and may be subject to sample size errors.

All data correct as of September 2024

Sources:

https://openweathermap.org/

https://docs.openweather.co.uk/api/air-pollution

https://airqualitynews.com/uncategorised/multi-million-pound-bus-investment-to-boost-greater-manchester-air-quality/

https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/news/article/13445/roll-out-of-on-street-electric-vehicle-charging-begins

https://www.london.gov.uk/New%20data%20reveals%20Mayor%E2%80%99s%20policies%20have%20improved%20air%20quality%20in%20London%20significantly%20since%202016

https://www.intelligenttransport.com/transport-news/132265/coventry-electric-buses/

https://www.traffictechnologytoday.com/news/congestion-reduction/earthsense-air-quality-sensors-help-divert-traffic-from-pollution-hotspots-in-coventry.html

https://transportandenergy.com/2024/04/26/coventry-university-helps-to-create-technology-to-charge-evs-as-they-drive/

https://www.coventry.gov.uk/investment-opportunities/transport-innovation-2