London ULEZ Fine 2026 — £180, or £90 If You Pay Within 14 Days
The ULEZ penalty is £180 and halves to £90 if paid inside 14 days — on top of the £12.50 daily charge you should have paid. How foreign plates are traced and how to appeal.
London has two separate charges. The Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) costs £12.50 a day for non-compliant cars (petrol below Euro 4, diesel below Euro 6) and operates across all London boroughs, 24/7 except Christmas Day. The Congestion Charge is a separate £15 a day in central London. Miss either and you get a Penalty Charge Notice: £180 for ULEZ (halved to £90 if you pay within 14 days) and £160 for the Congestion Charge (£80 if paid quickly). Cameras read every plate, including foreign ones, and in a hire car the rental firm passes the penalty to you with an admin fee on top.
London is one of the easiest places in Europe to get an unexpected driving bill — not because the rules are hidden, but because there are two charges, they overlap, and the cameras never blink. Here’s exactly what you’d pay, who chases you, and how to push back if it’s wrong.
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 | £15/day | Central London only | Mon–Fri 7am–6pm, weekends 12–6pm | £160 (£80 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. A pre-2015 diesel crossing central London on a Tuesday morning can owe both.
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 £15 a day to drive in central London (currently Monday–Friday 7am–6pm and weekends 12pm–6pm), 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. The Congestion Charge penalty is £160, reduced to £80 if paid 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.