Drivers of petrol and diesel vehicles are being hit with extra charges by councils across England through new clean air levies on residential . Environmentally friendly surcharges have been added to parking tariffs and resident permits in up to one in five local authority areas, reports suggest. boroughs, including Westminster and Lambeth, have brought in the levies for petrol and vehicles that are exempt from the city's () scheme, with the former also charging electric vehicle drivers extra, depending on battery size.

The additional charges have been made easier to implement by the increased use of parking payment apps, which allow councils to record a vehicle's engine size and emission status. They have also recently been implemented by councils in East Sussex and North East Somerset, with some drivers charged up to three times more for parking, according to their fuel type.

Will Freeman, who lives in Lambeth, said the cost of a permit for his ULEZ-compliant diesel car nearly doubled in 2023 and has risen by a third this year after the council divided the cost of resident permits into 13 bands for different levels of CO2 emissions.

"We purchased our car in 2018 based on that year's permit price plus a reasonable annual increase.

"It's now impossible to predict what it will be in the coming years as the goalposts keep moving with no transition period.

"We only use the car occasionally for long-distance trips out of the city and can't afford to replace it or buy a house with a driveway, where we could park for free."

East Sussex County Council introduced new measures to charge higher-polluting cars an increased rate on April 2, insisting that the policy would help reduce pollution and encourage residents to shift their reliance towards cleaner fuels.

An emission-based parking system was also enforced for resident permits in Bath in January 2022 and extended to the city's car parks the following year. The council said the measures were aimed at minimising the health risks of air pollution, alongside Bath's designation as a Clean Air Zone in 2021.

However, critics have warned that the varying nature of implementation and inconsistent criteria for the hiked charges risk confusing drivers, with many not aware that they're liable to pay extra until reaching the ticket checkout stage.

The AA even suggested that the surcharges can amount to a stealth tax levied at low-income motorists, with a spokesperson slamming the measures as "cash-guzzling by councils".

A spokesman said: "A 'charge' reasonably covers the cost of providing a service, plus some profit.

"Anything above that is a 'tax', according to evidence submitted to parliament."

Richard Power, partner at the law firm Clyde & Co, added: "Imposing tariffs and surcharges on greenhouse gas-producing vehicles is one way of persuading people to move from polluting vehicles to cleaner forms of transport, such as EVs or public transport.

"However, it's important that drivers are warned adequately of such surcharges, not only from the point of view of fairness and legal enforceability but also from the point of view of actually achieving the objective of dissuading people from using polluting vehicles.

"There is little deterrent effect from a measure which isn't adequately flagged in advance - drivers can't make different transport decisions without knowing what the consequences are before starting their trips."

A Government spokesperson said: "Our guidance states that parking charges should be reasonable and balance the needs of residents, local businesses, and others coming into the area.

"Local authorities are responsible for setting charges and making sure costs and restrictions are clear for drivers. They are also best placed to determine the local measures needed to achieve legal air quality limits."