London ULEZ and Congestion Charge 2026: £12.50 and £18
The ULEZ costs £12.50 a day and the central Congestion Charge £18 since January 2026. Miss either and the penalty notice is £180, or £90 within 14 days.
A non-compliant car pays £12.50 a day for the ULEZ and £18 for the central Congestion Charge; forget either and the penalty is £180, halved to £90 if you pay within 14 days.
London can bill you twice for a single drive. The Ultra Low Emission Zone charges £12.50 a day across every borough, almost around the clock, for petrol cars below Euro 4 and diesels below Euro 6; the Congestion Charge adds £18 a day in the centre on top of that. Miss either one and the Penalty Charge Notice is £180, halved to £90 if you pay inside 14 days. Cameras read foreign plates as readily as British ones, and a hire company passes the notice on to you with an admin fee attached.
Two charges, one trip
| Charge | Cost | Where | When | Penalty if missed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ULEZ | £12.50/day | All London boroughs | ~24/7 (not Christmas Day) | £180 (£90 if paid in 14 days) |
| Congestion Charge | £18/day (£21 if paid late) | Central London only | Mon–Fri 07:00–18:00; Sat, Sun and bank holidays 12:00–18:00 | £180 (£90 if paid in 14 days) |
The ULEZ hits non-compliant vehicles — petrol cars below Euro 4 (roughly pre-2006) and diesels below Euro 6 (roughly pre-2015). If your car is newer, hybrid or electric, you pay nothing — but you should still check your exact plate against the zone first, because the penalty for guessing wrong is £90–180.
The Congestion Charge is separate and applies to almost everyone driving in the central zone during charging hours, regardless of emissions. It rose to £18 a day on 2 January 2026, and there is a second, higher rate of £21 if you leave payment until after the day of travel — the deadline is midnight on the third charging day afterwards (tfl.gov.uk). A pre-2015 diesel crossing central London on a Tuesday morning can owe both charges: £30.50 for the day.
The hire-car admin-fee trap
In a rental car, TfL sends the Penalty Charge Notice to the rental company as the registered keeper. They pay and recharge you — or hand over your details — and add an administration fee (commonly £25–60) on top. A £12.50 charge you simply forgot can land months later as a £90 penalty plus the rental firm’s fee. If you collect a non-compliant car, pay the daily charge online before you drive off. This is the same trap that catches drivers across Europe — see our full guide to who pays a driving fine abroad.
Foreign number plates are chased
A common myth is that London can’t bill a foreign car. It can: the cameras capture every plate, and TfL uses a Europe-wide debt-recovery partner to collect unpaid charges and penalties from non-UK vehicles. You can register and pay through TfL’s official website or Auto Pay — far cheaper than a penalty.
Does insurance cover it? No.
As with any fine, insurance does not cover ULEZ or Congestion Charge penalties — they’re charges for using the road, not accidental damage. No motor, travel or hire-car excess policy will pay them. The only saving is to pay the daily charge (or drive a compliant car) in the first place.
How to appeal
If a penalty looks wrong — your car was compliant, you already paid, or you weren’t the driver in a hire car:
- Verify the PCN is real. Use TfL’s official site directly; scam ULEZ “fine” texts and emails are common.
- Make a representation within 28 days, attaching evidence: your V5C log book, payment confirmation, or rental agreement.
- Escalate to London Tribunals (independent) if TfL rejects your representation.
- Never ignore it — unpaid PCNs increase and can be sent to debt collectors who do pursue foreign drivers.
Avoid it in 30 seconds
Before you drive into London, run your registration through the emission-zone checker to see if you’re ULEZ-compliant, and check the London emission-zone page for the current boundary and hours. A compliant car owes nothing; a quick check beats a £180 surprise.
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Frequently Asked Questions
The ULEZ daily charge is £12.50 for a non-compliant vehicle. If you drive in without paying, you receive a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) of £180, reduced to £90 if you pay within 14 days — but it rises if you ignore it. The charge applies to petrol cars below Euro 4 (roughly pre-2006) and diesels below Euro 6 (roughly pre-2015); newer and electric cars are compliant and pay nothing, though you should still check your exact plate before driving in.
No — they are two different schemes that can both apply on the same trip. The Congestion Charge is £18 a day to drive in central London, charged 07:00–18:00 Monday to Friday and 12:00–18:00 at weekends and on bank holidays, while the ULEZ is £12.50 a day for non-compliant vehicles across all London boroughs, almost 24/7. A pre-2015 diesel driving through central London on a weekday could owe both. Pay the Congestion Charge late and it becomes £21; ignore it and the penalty is £180, reduced to £90 within 14 days.
£18 covers the day if you pay in advance or on the day of travel. You can still pay at the higher rate of £21 until midnight on the third charging day after you drove. After that the window closes and Transport for London issues a £180 Penalty Charge Notice instead, halved to £90 if you settle it within 14 days.
Transport for London (TfL) sends the Penalty Charge Notice to the registered keeper — the rental company. They pay it and recharge you, or pass your details to TfL, and either way they add an administration fee (often £25–60). So a missed £12.50 ULEZ charge can become a £90+ penalty plus the hire firm's fee. Check your rental agreement, and if you're collecting a non-compliant car, sort the daily charge online before you set off.
Yes. TfL's cameras read foreign number plates, and it works with a Europe-wide debt-recovery partner to pursue unpaid charges and penalties on non-UK vehicles. You can — and should — register a foreign vehicle and pay the ULEZ and Congestion Charge through TfL's website or Auto Pay. Assuming a foreign plate won't be chased is a costly gamble.
First check whether the PCN is genuine (use TfL's official site, not a lookalike). If you believe it's wrong — your car was actually compliant, you paid, or you weren't the driver in a hire car — you can make a 'representation' to TfL within 28 days, attaching evidence such as your V5C, payment proof or rental agreement. If TfL rejects it you can escalate to the independent London Tribunals. Don't ignore it: unpaid PCNs increase and can be passed to debt collectors.