If you’ve just passed your test and started driving into Nottingham for work, college or a night out, you may have heard rumours about “charges for driving into the city.” Here’s what’s actually true — and what isn’t.
The Workplace Parking Levy: an employer charge, not a driver charge
Nottingham operates a Workplace Parking Levy (WPL), but it’s important to understand who actually pays it. The levy is charged annually to employers who provide 11 or more liable parking spaces for staff — not to individual drivers at the roadside. There’s no barrier, camera or toll for you to pass through as a driver; the charge is a licence fee businesses pay to Nottingham City Council for each space over the threshold, and employers get a discount on their first 10 spaces regardless of total numbers, so many small and medium employers pay nothing at all. Some larger employers choose to pass some of the cost on to staff who use a space regularly, as a workplace parking charge — but that’s a decision made by your employer, not something the council collects from you directly as a motorist. Revenue from the levy has helped fund Nottingham’s tram network and other public transport improvements.
Clean Air Zone: Nottingham does not currently charge private cars
Unlike London, Birmingham, Bristol and several other UK cities, Nottingham does not operate a chargeable Clean Air Zone or low-emission zone for private cars. Nottingham was approved to meet its air quality targets through measures such as retrofitting buses with cleaner engines and requiring taxis to meet low-emission standards, rather than charging drivers to enter the city — as an ordinary driver of a petrol, diesel or electric car, you will not be charged for driving into central Nottingham.
What this means for you
- You will not personally be charged for the Workplace Parking Levy just by driving to work — it only applies to your employer, and only above 11 spaces.
- There is no Clean Air Zone toll for driving into Nottingham city centre.
- If you regularly drive to other UK cities, check locally — Birmingham, Bristol and London, for example, do charge older or more polluting vehicles to enter.
- Rules can change over time, so if in doubt for a work-related parking question, check directly with Nottingham City Council.
The bottom line: driving into Nottingham itself won’t cost you a council charge — just remember your bus gates.