Euro 6 diesel cars list: compliant ULEZ-exempt cars

Euro 6 has gone from a little-known industry standard to the buzzword at the front of many diesel buyers' minds.

It's the name of current emissions standards, which every new car must meet. More importantly, diesel cars must be Euro 6-compliant to avoid daily charges of £12.50 in London's new ultra-low emissions zone (ULEZ), which began operating on April 8 2019.

Diesel drivers will also need a car that meets the Euro 6 standard to avoid charges in Birmingham's clean air zone (CAZ), which comes into force in 2020, as well as in other low emission zones that are being considered. The rules are less strict for petrol cars: any model that's less than 13 years old will be unaffected.

• Virtually all new cars registered since September 2015 have been Euro 6-compliant
• Click below to search for all diesel cars that meet Euro 6 regulations

Some Euro 6-compliant cars were sold before September 2015. These older cars will also be exempt from low emission zone charges and are cheaper than more recent models making them a great value choice if you want to avoid paying emission zone charges. For example, Euro 6 diesel Vauxhall Astras have been sold since 2014 and prices start at £6,499 or £117 per month with finance.

Scroll down for a full list of cars that met Euro 6 standards at least a year early, or click on a manufacturer below to jump straight to their early Euro 6-compliant models.

Early Euro 6 diesel cars: manufacturer list

• Audi
• BMW
• Citroen
• Mazda
• Mercedes
• Mini
• Peugeot
• Vauxhall
• Volkswagen
• Volvo

Early Euro 6 diesel cars list

The cars below were available with at least one Euro 6-compliant engine in 2014 or earlier. The date next to each model shows when these cleaner engines first appeared.

Stocks of earlier Euro 5 cars continued to be sold for a short period, so you should ask a car retailer to confirm a vehicle's Euro rating before you buy. You can also check whether a specific model requires you to pay the London ULEZ emissions charge or not by using Transport for London's checker tool.

Audi Euro 6-compliant diesel cars

Drivers after a Euro 6-compliant diesel engine can take their pick from A3 hatchbacks and cabriolet models, plus the larger A4 saloon and A6 saloon and estate models.

Versions of both 1.6-litre and 2.0-litre engines met the Euro 6 standard from as early as September 2013.

BMW Euro 6-compliant diesel cars

BMW models dating as far back as January 2012 may meet the Euro 6 diesel standard. First to arrive were 1 Series, 3 Series and 5 Series models in 2012, with a wide variety of other models joining the fray over 2013 and 2014.

Surprisingly, it's not just 2.0-litre models that met the standard early but versions fitted with large and powerful 3.0-litre, six-cylinder diesel engines. Similarly, some versions of large BMWs - including the hefty X5 SUV - as well as smaller models meet the standard, giving plenty of choice.

*Early cars must have been fitted with the optional BluePerformance pack to be Euro 6 compliant

Citroen Euro 6-compliant diesel cars

You have a pretty wide choice of cars if you're looking for a Euro 6 diesel compliant Citroen. The Citroen C4 Picasso was the first to cut the mustard in 2013, quickly followed by the Grand C4 Picasso and C4 Cactus a year later.

The diesel engines themselves are nothing particularly to write home about, but there is good fuel economy to be had from the BlueHDi 100 found in the Cactus. 

Mazda Euro 6-compliant diesel cars

Mazda was another early adopter of the Euro 6 diesel standards. The CX-5 was compliant as of 2012, with the 6 and 3 models following in 2013 and 2014 respectively.

All three of these cars share the same 2.2-litre SkyActiv-D engine, so any future models powered by this engine should follow a similar vein. The engine itself is powerful enough, with the Mazda 6 and CX-5 being available with an uprated 175hp version.

Mercedes Euro 6-compliant diesel cars

Adding yet more choice to this list is Mercedes with a wide reaching cataglogue of models all complying with Euro 6 diesel standards.

Largely thanks to the fact Mercedes makes good use of the same 2.1-litre diesel throughout the cars available on this list. Tuned to between 130 and over 200hp, it's proven to be a very versatile engine that above all else keeps those exhaust emissions under control.

Whether it's in the small A-Class hatchback or the luxurious E-Class saloon, it'll do the job for you.

Mini Euro 6-compliant diesel cars

Just the one option open to you here. The Mini Hatchback that debuted in 2014 was the only one that managed to comply with Euro 6 diesel standards. The engine in question was available with either the Cooper D or One D variants, but in both cases was overshadowed by the much more enjoyable petrol version.

They're here though, so if a diesel Mini is what you're after, look no further.

Peugeot Euro 6-compliant diesel cars

Peugeot introduced two diesel options in 2014 that both met the Euro 6 diesel standards. The 1.6-litre and 2.0-litre BlueHDi units that were put into the Peugeot 308 and 308 SW were capable and satisfying engines, the larger was also used in the 508 and 508 SW later that year too.

Although there were better alternatives out there at the time, these two were capable as family cars and the SW estate models were especially roomy.

Vauxhall Euro 6-compliant diesel cars

It was a similar story at Vauxhall too, as it beat Peugeot to the post with a 1.6-litre Euro 6 compliant diesel that first appeared in the Zafira back in 2013. It was also dropped into the Meriva a few months later before making one final appearance in the 2014 Astra, although it was downrated by 20hp or so.

With hatchback and MPV drivers catered for here, Vauxhall covered off a good portion of the market, although SUV sales would boom at this point, and cause the maker serious problems down the line.

Volkswagen Euro 6-compliant diesel cars

A rather slim showing here from a major manufactuer. Volkswagen released just one Euro 6 compliant engine back in 2013 that was used in the VW Golf. A 2.0-litre unit was useful enough, although it hardly held a match to the much more popular petrol offerings of the time.

Volvo Euro 6-compliant diesel cars

We may well be saving the best until last here though, as Volvo unveiled it's rather excellent D4 engine back in September 2014. Volvo clearly saw its potential, as it proceeded to drop it into virtually every model it was making at the time, from the compact V40 through to the bulky XC70.

This means you can be pretty confident buying a Volvo from this period that it will be Euro 6 diesel compliant, aside from the fact it will also be pretty enjoyable to drive too.