Congestion Charge Zones are zones that incur a daily fee for vehicles driving through them. Battery Electric Vehicles may be exempt from these charges. This article will give you more information on all you need to know about congestion charges and whether your vehicle could be exempt from the charges.

Effective Monday 21st February 2022, Congestion Charge zones will operate from Monday to Friday from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm. These charges will apply on weekends and bank holidays from 12:00 pm to 6:00 pm. There are no charges in these zones between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day Bank Holidays.

On Monday 22nd June 2020 the congestion charge increased. Drivers who know they will be entering a congestion charge Zone can pay up to midnight before they travel, this will receive a charge of £15.00 which can be paid in advance or on the same day. The charge will be £17.50 if it is in the following three days after travelling these are both to be paid online.

For drivers that regularly cross the congestion zone with a vehicle that doesn’t meet the Low emission zone or the ultra-low emission zone, drivers can sign up for Autopay, up to 5 vehicles can be registered and payments will be automatically taken. There are also Fleet Auto payments for businesses with more than 5 vehicles able to be added, this will help ensure that payments are never missed. There is also a free app called TFL Pay to drive in London which helps you to be on top of your congestion charge, Ultra Low-Emission zone and low emission zone charges.

Congestion Zone Penalty

If a congestion zone is crossed and the charge is not paid by the third day at midnight, then you will be subject to a Penalty charge notice. This charge should not be ignored even if you believe that you have already paid, are registered for a discount or you are exempt. During this time, you will have 28 days to pay the notice or create a case online or in writing. The sooner a penalty charge is paid the cheaper it’ll be. The standard price for the penalty charge is £160, if it is paid within 14 days it’ll be £80 and if it is not paid after 28 days the charge increases by 50% making it £240.

100% Cleaner Vehicle Discount

Battery Electric vehicles would not have to pay for congestion charges, this has been effective since the 25th of October 2021 (Vehicles under 75g/km, including PHEVS, were removed from the discount). This discount is scheduled to be discontinued unless your vehicle is under another discount or exemption drivers would need to pay the congestion charge. To sign up for the 100% cleaner vehicle discount a London Road User Charging Account should be set up, a charge of £10 for each vehicle being registered. The driver would need to supply a copy of the V5C vehicle registration certificate (logbook) issued as part of the discount application process. This will need to be renewed every year, TFL will notify you when your discount is due to expire and if your vehicle is not registered then you will be subject to pay the congestion charge.

Sources: https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/congestion-charge

https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/cc-cvd-before-you-begin?sourceRoutingKey=discounts-and-exemptions