Surprise! London’s tax on polluting cars made everyone much healthier (updated)

London's Ultra Low Emission Zone, which charges older, higher-polluting cars a daily fee to drive in the city, has led to sharp drops in air pollution and real health gains, according to a new city report and a separate study. Nitrogen oxides (pollutants linked to smog) and PM2.5 (tiny particles that irritate the lungs) have fallen by close to a third in outer London, with Central London seeing an even bigger 54% drop in nitrogen dioxide. Nearly every air quality monitor in the city recorded improvement, and lower-income neighborhoods, which tend to have the worst pollution, saw an 80% drop in residents exposed to illegal pollution levels.

A new study adds evidence on children's health: kids in London had worse lung function than those in a nearby town before the zone existed, but within four years, London's children caught up and are now improving faster. The city also reached legal air-quality limits nearly 200 years ahead of a earlier projection. A £200 million ($258 million) scrappage program helped over 15,000 low-income residents retire older, non-compliant vehicles.

None of this is a US program, so there's no fee or rebate here that applies to American homeowners. But it's a useful data point if you're weighing an EV or emissions-related upgrade: cities that push out older polluting vehicles are seeing measurable, fast improvements in air quality and children's health, not just theoretical benefits.