Driving into London
When driving into London, you may face 2 different daily charges. Which ones apply depends on your vehicle, plus where and when you're driving. A vehicle that doesn't meet the ULEZ standard pays £12.50 a day. Driving in the centre during charging hours adds an £18 Congestion Charge.
Over 2 days: ULEZ £12.50 a day; Congestion Charge £18 a day in the centre during charging hours.
When do both charges apply on one day?
ULEZ stands for Ultra Low Emission Zone. It stretches across all 32 London boroughs plus the City of London, but the M25 isn't included. It operates 24 hours a day, every day apart from Christmas Day, and only vehicles that fall short of its standard have to pay.
The Congestion Charge works differently. It's its own daily fee for a much smaller zone in the centre, charged during fixed hours. It doesn't care how clean your vehicle is, so on any given day you might owe nothing, one charge, or both.
Say your diesel car has been on the road since March 2014. It misses the ULEZ standard, and bringing it into the centre on a weekday afternoon means £12.50 for the ULEZ plus £18 for the Congestion Charge, so £30.50 for that day altogether.
| Congestion Charge | Details |
|---|---|
| Pay on the day or earlier | £18 |
| Pay within 3 days afterwards | £21 |
| Weekdays | 7am to 6pm |
| Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays | Noon to 6pm |
The Congestion Charge in short
- £18a day if you pay on the day or before
- £21if you pay within 3 days after
- 07:00 to 18:00on weekdays
- 12:00 to 18:00weekends and bank holidays
These figures come from TfL.
What the ULEZ requires by vehicle
| Vehicle | Standard it needs | Usually meets it |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol car | Euro 4 | Most petrol cars first registered in 2006 or later (many from 2001) |
| Diesel car | Euro 6 | Most diesel cars first registered in September 2015 or later |
| Hybrid car | Euro 4 if it's a petrol hybrid, Euro 6 for a diesel hybrid | A hybrid uses the same years as whichever engine it has, petrol or diesel |
| Petrol van | Euro 4 | Petrol vans registered from January 2006 |
| Diesel van | Euro 6 | Diesel vans sold new from September 2016 |
| Motorbike or moped | Euro 3 | Most motorbikes registered from July 2007 |
| Electric car | None: no exhaust | Always meets the rules |
These figures come from TfL.
Which vehicles meet the ULEZ standard?
Petrol, diesel and hybrid vehicles must satisfy a Euro standard, in plain terms a cap on the pollution their engine may release, unless an exemption applies. Electric cars, vans and motorbikes always meet the ULEZ rules. Newer vehicles were built to stricter limits, so checking when yours was registered is a good place to start.
| Vehicle | Standard required | Typically compliant |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol car | Euro 4 | Most from 2006 onwards, and plenty from 2001 |
| Diesel car | Euro 6 | Most registered since September 2015 |
| Petrol van | Euro 4 | Ones registered from January 2006 onwards |
| Diesel van | Euro 6 | Bought new since September 2016 |
| Motorbike or moped | Euro 3 | Usually fine if registered from July 2007 |
| Electric car, van or motorbike | None needed | Compliant every time |
A hybrid is tested on its engine alone. A petrol hybrid qualifies the same way a petrol car does, while a diesel hybrid must reach Euro 6. Full rules for cars are on TfL's ULEZ information.
Hire cars and the ULEZ
Fuel type and first registration date can help you estimate whether a hire car meets the ULEZ standard, but TfL's official checker looks up the vehicle's record and settles the question for you.
UK number plates have carried 2 age digits after the first 2 letters since September 2001. A March plate carries the year, so 26 points to March 2026. A September plate adds 50 to it, so 76 means September 2026. Watch out for a diesel with a 15 plate: that was a changeover year, when some vehicles passed and some didn't, so check it carefully.
Vehicles registered outside the UK must be registered with TfL, and the process takes 10 working days. Do it well before your trip.
Paying the ULEZ on time
Payment can be made up to 90 days in advance, or by midnight three days after you drove. If you miss that deadline, you'll get a fine in the post, called a penalty charge notice.
The fine starts at £180, but settling it within a fortnight brings the cost down to £90. From there you have 28 days in total to pay or challenge it. After that, a charge certificate raises it to £270. The TfL penalty page sets this out.
Common questions
How do I check if my vehicle meets the ULEZ standard?
TfL and GOV.UK both have official checkers that look up your vehicle's details and tell you for certain whether it complies. On newer vehicles, the Euro standard sometimes appears in section D.2 of the V5C, better known as the logbook.
Does the Congestion Charge apply at Christmas?
No. The charge is paused from Christmas Day right through to the first bank holiday of January. The ULEZ also takes Christmas Day off, but it runs as normal on every other day in that stretch.
Are electric cars exempt from the Congestion Charge?
They aren't. Electric cars signed up to Auto Pay get a 25% discount, bringing the daily cost to £13.50. Details are on the TfL Congestion Charge page.
What if I forget to pay the Congestion Charge?
You'll get a £180 penalty, which drops to £90 when you settle it within 14 days.