Yes, you do pay ULEZ on Sunday, as the Ultra Low Emission Zone operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year, except for Christmas Day (December 25th). If your vehicle doesn't meet the required emissions standards, the £12.50 daily charge applies for any travel within the zone on a Sunday, just like any other day, running from midnight to midnight.
The expanded ULEZ will operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including weekends (except Christmas day), with a £12.50 daily charge for vehicles that do not meet the required emissions standards.
To avoid the London Congestion Charge on a Sunday, you must either travel before 12:00 PM (noon), after 6:00 PM, use public transport, walk/cycle, or find parking outside the zone and use the Tube. The charge applies from 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM on Saturdays, Sundays, and bank holidays, so arriving before noon or leaving after 6 PM avoids it entirely, as does not entering the zone at all during those hours.
On 22 June 2020 measures intended to be temporary were introduced under the terms of Transport for London's £1.6bn rescue package from the government, with the charge rising to £15 a day and being extended from 5 to 7 days a week.
The £17.50 charge is for paying the London Congestion Charge late, specifically up to three days after travel, acting as a penalty to encourage timely payment, with the standard charge being £15 if paid in advance or on the day; this late payment fee incentivizes drivers to use faster payment methods and avoid potential Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs).
A car is exempt from the ULEZ (Ultra Low Emission Zone) if it's registered in the Historic tax class, meaning it's over 40 years old on a rolling basis (e.g., in 2026, vehicles built before 1986 qualify), or if it was built before 1 January 1973, with both exemptions generally applying if the vehicle isn't used commercially. For vehicles older than 40 years, you must apply to the DVLA to change their tax class to "Historic" to receive the exemption.
Parking for free is possible in London, but finding an available space can be practically impossible. Many of London's residential zones are free to park in from 11am Saturday and all day Sunday. Most can also be used free of charge on bank holidays, depending on the borough and street in question.
Using the congestion charge checker is as easy as entering your number plate. This will tell you whether or not you need to pay the charge. You can also enter a London postcode or address to see if it falls within the Congestion Charge Zone (CCZ).
How much is the London Congestion Charge on a Sunday?
The Congestion Charge in London applies between 7am and 6pm Monday to Friday and 12pm to 6pm on Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays, except between Christmas Day and the New Year's Day bank holiday. The Congestion Charge costs £15 if you pay in advance or on the same day.
Waze tries to avoid congestion charges by default but isn't perfect; it avoids them if your settings are correct (no exemptions, private vehicle) and the zone is active, but may route you through if it's outside charging hours, your destination is inside, or due to glitches. The key is checking your "Toll passes & exemptions" in settings, ensuring "London C Charge Exempt" isn't enabled and your vehicle type is "Private," as the standard "Avoid Tolls" setting doesn't fully cover congestion zones.
You must pay the daily charge, if you drive within the Congestion Charge zone 7:00-18:00 Monday-Friday and 12:00-18:00 Sat-Sun and bank holidays. No charge between Christmas Day and New Year's Day bank holiday (inclusive). The easiest way to pay is by setting up Auto Pay. Exemptions and discounts are also available.
Yes, you do need to pay the £12.50 ULEZ charge for Heathrow Airport if your vehicle isn't compliant with the emissions standards, as the airport is within the expanded Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) for Greater London, effective from August 2023, and the charge applies for driving in the zone 24/7 (except Christmas Day). You'll pay this fee in addition to any other airport drop-off/pick-up charges if your vehicle doesn't meet the ULEZ criteria.
What happens if you forget to pay ULEZ within 3 days?
If you forgot to pay the ULEZ charge within 3 days, you likely missed the deadline and will receive a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) for £180 (reduced to £90 if paid quickly), but you can still pay the original charge or try to negotiate the PCN by contacting TfL immediately, especially if you can prove you tried to pay or didn't know, as they sometimes reduce it back to the original daily fee if you pay promptly.
Sunday free parking times vary greatly by location, with some cities offering it all day (like Belfast), others starting at specific times like 10 am (Chichester), while many areas offer free parking in resident zones or council lots but charge in busy central zones, so you need to check your local council's rules, as it's generally free after 6 pm in some places and on Sundays in most residential zones.
Can I park on single yellow lines in London on a Sunday?
Single yellow lines are usually restricted between specified hours from Monday to Saturday, although many are restricted during specified hours from Monday to Friday and in some locations, restrictions also apply on Sundays. Yellow signs confirming the restricted period may be in place near the single yellow line.
The Traffic Management Act (TMA) 2004 prohibits commissions or targets from being issued or set. We do not pay commissions or set PCN targets for officers.
You have to pay the ULEZ charge of £12.50/day if you drive a non-compliant car, motorcycle, van, or minibus (under 5 tonnes) in Greater London, 24/7, unless your vehicle is exempt or you're parked and don't move, but you can check your vehicle's compliance on the TfL website and potentially get support through the scrappage scheme.
Are cars over 40 years old Congestion Charge exempt?
Although classic and historic vehicles over 40 years old are exempt from ULEZ, there are many newer than that which are now subject to the ULEZ charge.
Blue badge holders will need to pay the ULEZ charge unless their non-compliant vehicle qualifies for one of the following 3 grace periods. We've provided a brief summary of these grace periods here, but you should visit our discounts and exemptions page for full details, eligibility criteria and the online application.
To qualify for historic vehicle tax exemption in the UK, cars must be at least 40 years old. If your car or van was built before 1 January 1984 or registered before 8 January 1984, you do not need to pay road tax as of this past April (1 April 2024).
Like petrol vehicles, most newer diesel vehicles are ULEZ-compliant. The majority of diesel cars registered after September 2015 meet Euro 6 standards – and therefore, also meet the current ULEZ emissions standards, though some earlier models do too.
