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Grants and loans

Low emission zone retrofit fund

Location notice

Please note that this page contains information and links most relevant for people living in Scotland.

Important information

  • This fund is currently closed. To be notified of any future funding opportunity, please complete the register of interest form on this page. Please be aware eligibility and terms & conditions are subject to regular review and may change.

Energy Saving Trust can help micro businesses within a 20km radius of the low emission zones in Scotland to retrofit their non-compliant vehicles.

Low emission zones in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee are now in effect and aim to improve air quality. 

For more information, please visit our low emission zone webpage

About the low emission zone retrofit fund

The low emission zone retrofit fund provides eligible micro businesses, who operate within one of Scotland’s four low emission zones, with support to retrofit their existing non-compliant vehicles. This retrofit is done with clean vehicle retrofit accreditation scheme (CVRAS) approved solutions that meet the minimum standards of the Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee low emission zones. 

Grants are available to cover up to 70% of the cost of a vehicle retrofit, subject to the following terms and conditions: 

  • Up to £5,000 per light commercial vehicle and wheelchair accessible taxi that are installing retrofit exhaust after-treatment systems. 
  • Up to £10,000 per wheelchair accessible taxi installing re-powering technology.
  • Up to £16,000 per heavy goods vehicle or refuse collection vehicle. 

If you have received funding from the low emission zone support fund within 12 months of applying, the value of the fund claim will be deducted from any grant offered for retrofit. 

If a grant is awarded and vehicle retrofitted, you must commit to running the vehicle for a period of three years (taxis and light commercial vehicles) or five years (heavy goods vehicles or refuse collection vehicles). 

If the vehicle becomes unroadworthy (including failing licencing requirements), is sold, written off or exchanged within the three to five year timeframe, you must repay a proportion of the grant. This will be based on the time remaining within the committed timeframe. 

For more information about the fund, please view our Low Emission Zone Retrofit Fund leaflet

Eligibility criteria

The retrofit solution applied for must be CVRAS approved. Please review available CVRAS-approved solutions for different makes and models of vehicle and download our eligibility criteria and terms and conditions document. If there is currently no available retrofit solution for your vehicle but you’re still interested in the fund, email LEZFund@est.org.uk  

This fund is currently closed. To register interest and to be notified of any future funding, you’ll need to complete our register of interest form.

Should the fund reopen, to apply, you must meet our eligibility criteria at time of application and have contacted one of the CVRAS-approved suppliers to secure a quote for the work. You’ll need to submit this quote dated within one calendar month, along with an application form to Energy Saving Trust, who will assess your application and issue a grant offer letter. 

Please do not commission or pay for any work prior to receiving this formal grant offer, as this will render your application ineligible. 

How to apply

Please note this fund is currently closed.

To register your interest for any future funding, please fill out our register of interest form.

Register of interest form

If you are eligible for funding, you will be send confirmation that you have been added to the register of interest.

Grants are offered on a first come, first served basis subject to availability.  

You must not retrofit your vehicle until you have received and accepted a grant offer letter from Energy Saving Trust confirming grant award, otherwise funding will be withdrawn.

Terms and conditions

Energy Saving Trust is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. This fund is subject to availability and terms and conditions apply. Please be aware terms and conditions are subject to regular review and may change.

If you don’t meet the eligibility criteria for the low emission zone retrofit fund, you may be interested in the low emission zone support fund for businesses

Last updated: 16 April 2024