You must pay a £12.50 daily ULEZ charge if your vehicle does not meet emissions standards (generally pre-2015 petrol or pre-2015/2016 diesel) and you drive within the zone, which covers all London boroughs 24/7. Check your vehicle registration instantly on the Transport for London (TfL) website to confirm liability.
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.
How do I check if I entered the London congestion zone?
To know if you entered the London Congestion Zone, check the official Transport for London (TfL) website using their postcode/location checker or map, look for physical "C" signs on roads, or use the TfL Pay to Drive in London app; if you suspect you did, check the TfL website within three days to pay the charge and avoid a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) fine.
Will I get notified if I need to pay a Congestion Charge?
No, you generally won't get a notification to pay the standard London Congestion Charge; it's your responsibility to pay by midnight the next day (or by midnight on the third charging day for a higher fee) to avoid a £180 Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) sent to the registered keeper. You must proactively pay online, via app, or set up Auto Pay to get reminders and automatic payments, otherwise, you'll receive a PCN if you're caught entering the zone without paying.
How to Pay London ULEZ & Congestion Charge Online 2026 - EASY! | How to Set Up ULEZ Auto Pay
Is ULEZ free on Saturday?
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.
What do I do if I forgot to pay the Congestion Charge?
If you do not pay the PCN within 28 days of the date of service, the original penalty amount will increase by 50% and a charge certificate will be sent to the registered keeper of the vehicle. You have 14 days from the date of service in which to pay this.
Do I need to pay Congestion Charge if I live in London?
Yes, London residents living within the Congestion Charge zone can get a 90% discount, but they must register with Transport for London (TfL) and meet specific criteria like being on the electoral register and having their main home in the zone. Starting March 2027, this 90% discount for new applicants will be restricted to electric vehicles, though existing registrants can keep their discount for non-EVs if renewed annually.
No, you do not have to pay the ULEZ charge for driving on the M25 itself, as the zone covers all London boroughs but explicitly excludes the M25 motorway, even where it runs through Greater London. However, if you take diversion routes during M25 closures that lead you into the ULEZ (which is most of London), you will be charged £12.50 daily for a non-compliant vehicle, so always check signs or use a ULEZ checker before deviating, as sat-navs can direct you into the zone.
Heathrow Airport is raising its drop-off free from £6 to £7 from January 1 2026 and is introducing a new maximum stay of 10 minutes across all forecourt drop-off areas.
No, Stansted is about 20 miles outside the ULEZ area, so there's no need to worry about the charge. Is London Luton (LTN) within London's ULEZ? No, Luton is also outside the ULEZ zone, so you won't be affected by the charge unless you travel through the ULEZ zone to get there.
Yes, you can pay the ULEZ charge up to midnight on the third day after your journey (e.g., travel Monday, pay by Thursday midnight) through the Transport for London (TfL) website or the TfL Pay to drive in London app; paying later incurs a higher fee (£18/£21 for Congestion Charge, £12.50 for ULEZ if caught, but a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) of £180/£90 if you miss the deadline entirely). It's best to pay online or via the app to avoid fines, with Auto Pay being the easiest option for regular travel.
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.
How much does it cost to go from zone 1 to zone 2?
A Zone 1 to 2 fare in London on Oyster or contactless is typically around £3.50 peak and £2.90 off-peak, with daily caps around £8.90 and weekly caps around £44.70 as of late 2025/early 2026, though fares change annually. Cash fares are much higher, around £7.00 for a single journey.
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).
If you don't pay the ULEZ charge, you'll receive a £180 Penalty Charge Notice (PCN), which is reduced to £90 if paid within 14 days, but ignoring it escalates the fine, leading to a Charge Certificate (£270), an Order for Recovery, debt registration fees, and eventually enforcement agents who can visit your property, seize your vehicle, and sell it at auction to recover the debt, with large amounts sometimes owed for persistent evasion.
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).
To regulate the ULEZ zone (which now comprises all of Central and Greater London), TfL has installed cameras across the capital. So far, TfL states there are 1,775 cameras out of a planned 2,750 installed. Many of these are around the perimeter of the ULEZ zone and its previous boundaries.
To avoid the London Congestion Charge on a Sunday, either travel before 12:00 PM or after 6:00 PM, use public transport (buses, Tube, trains), walk/cycle, use a qualifying exempt vehicle (like a fully electric car with registration), or plan your route to bypass the zone entirely, as the charge applies only between 12:00 PM and 6:00 PM on weekends.
