Verified April 2026

Birmingham toll charge: what people mean and what it costs

Two different charges get called the "Birmingham toll". One is the M6 Toll, the privately operated motorway that bypasses the city; the other is the Birmingham Clean Air Zone, an emissions-based daily charge for entering the city centre in older vehicles. They are different in scope, operator, and amount. Below, both explained, with the cost and free-alternative for each.

Most likely you mean

The M6 Toll: £11.60 contactless or £9.80 Breeze for a car driving the full 27-mile bypass of Birmingham via Lichfield and Cannock. Operated by Midland Expressway Limited. Not a Birmingham City Council charge.

Two different "Birmingham" charges, compared

Charge	What it is	Cost	Who pays
M6 Toll	Privately operated 27-mile motorway around the city (M6 J3a to M6 J11a)	£11.60 / car	Every user, regardless of vehicle age
Birmingham Clean Air Zone (CAZ)	Emissions-based daily charge for entering the A4540 inner ring road area	£8 to £50 / day	Only non-compliant older vehicles

CAZ rates and rules: see brumbreathes.co.uk/clean-air-zone (Birmingham City Council).

The M6 Toll: the headline Birmingham toll

When most drivers say "Birmingham toll" they mean the M6 Toll. It is the only road-toll on a motorway in Great Britain and was built specifically to bypass the M6 through Birmingham. The road opened in December 2003 at a £2.00 car toll and now costs £11.60 in 2026.

Cost in 2026

£11.60 car contactless, £9.80 on a Breeze account. Motorbike £5.70. Van £16.50. HGV £19.50.

What it bypasses

The M6 through Spaghetti Junction (M6 J6) and central Birmingham, which carries 150,000-plus vehicles a day and routinely jams at rush hour.

Time saved

30 to 45 minutes at peak. 5 to 10 minutes off peak. Friday afternoon and bank-holiday getaways see the biggest gains.

Operator

Midland Expressway Limited (private), held by IFM Investors and Aleatica since 2023. Concession runs to 2054.

See our full 2026 cost page for the detailed breakdown.

The Birmingham Clean Air Zone (CAZ): not a toll, but often confused

Birmingham City Council launched the CAZ in June 2021. It applies inside the A4540 Middleway, the inner ring road that loops around the city centre (covering New Street, the Bullring, the Mailbox, the Jewellery Quarter and the Arena Birmingham area). It is an emissions charge for entering this zone, not a per-trip toll on a road.

Vehicle	If compliant	If non-compliant
Car or van under 3.5 t	Free	£8 per day
HGV, coach, bus over 3.5 t	Free	£50 per day
Taxi or private-hire (PHV)	Free	£8 per day

Compliance: Euro 6 diesel or newer, Euro 4 petrol or newer, all hybrids, all EVs. Vehicles registered after roughly 2015 are usually compliant; check your specific make and model on the CAZ portal.

Other UK cities with confusion-prone "tolls"

Birmingham is not the only UK city where the word "toll" gets applied loosely. For reference:

London Congestion Charge: £15 daily for entering the central zone. A genuine congestion charge, similar in spirit to the Birmingham CAZ but with different scope and triggers.
London ULEZ: £12.50 daily for non-compliant vehicles entering Greater London. Emissions-based, like Birmingham's CAZ.
Manchester Clean Air Zone: paused pending review; no current charge.
Bath, Bristol, Newcastle, Bradford, Sheffield, Tyneside: each has a Clean Air Zone with its own rules and rates.

None of these are road-tolls in the M6 Toll sense. They are city-centre emissions charges. The only proper road-toll on a motorway in the UK is the M6 Toll.

Avoiding the Birmingham charge (whichever one you mean)

To avoid the M6 Toll

Use the free M6 through Spaghetti Junction. Slower in rush hour, fine off peak. See our alternatives page.

To avoid the Birmingham CAZ

Drive a compliant vehicle (most newer cars are), or route around the A4540 ring road using the M6 / A38(M) instead of entering the city centre.

To avoid both

Use the free M6 (no toll) and stay outside the inner ring road (no CAZ). The free M6 routes through but outside the CAZ zone.

Birmingham toll FAQ

Is there a Birmingham toll charge for entering the city?

No. Birmingham does not have a congestion charge like London. The city does have a Clean Air Zone (CAZ) that charges non-compliant older vehicles a daily fee for entering the city centre, but that is an emissions-based charge, not a toll, and most modern petrol and diesel cars are exempt. The Birmingham toll most people are searching for is the M6 Toll, the privately operated 27-mile motorway that bypasses the M6 through Spaghetti Junction.

How much is the Birmingham toll for a car?

Assuming you mean the M6 Toll, the privately operated bypass around the city: £11.60 contactless for a car at the full route, or £9.80 with a Breeze account. The road runs from M6 J3a at Coleshill (east of Birmingham) to M6 J11a near Cannock (north of the city). It is the only road toll on a motorway in Great Britain.

What is the Birmingham Clean Air Zone?

A daily charge of £8 for non-compliant cars or £50 for non-compliant HGVs entering the area inside Birmingham's A4540 inner ring road (the city centre). The CAZ is run by Birmingham City Council under the UK government's clean-air programme. Compliant vehicles (Euro 6 diesel, Euro 4 petrol or newer, plus hybrids and EVs) are not charged. CAZ has nothing to do with the M6 Toll, which is outside the city ring and not council-operated.

What is the difference between the M6 Toll and the Birmingham CAZ?

Different scope, different operator, different charging basis. The M6 Toll is a per-trip motorway toll, charged to every vehicle regardless of emissions, set by Midland Expressway Limited (a private operator). The Birmingham CAZ is a daily city-centre charge based on vehicle emissions, charged only to non-compliant older vehicles, set by Birmingham City Council. The two charges can stack: a non-compliant HGV doing a M6 Toll bypass and then entering Birmingham city centre would pay both.

Can I avoid both the M6 Toll and the Birmingham CAZ?

Yes. To avoid the M6 Toll, use the free M6 through Spaghetti Junction (slower, busier). To avoid the Birmingham CAZ, either drive a compliant vehicle (most newer cars) or route around the city centre using the A38(M) or M6 instead of entering inside the ring road. The two avoidances are independent.