London does not have a "Limited Traffic Zone" (LTZ) as a major, unified, city-wide policy, but rather operates a comprehensive Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) and Low Emission Zone (LEZ) to restrict polluting vehicles. The ULEZ covers all London boroughs, operates 24/7 (except Christmas Day), and charges a £12.50 daily fee for non-compliant vehicles.
Limited traffic zone (LTZ) is type of restricted traffic area found in many historic European city centres where non-residents and unauthorized vehicles are prohibited from driving at certain times.
The Low Emission Zone (LEZ) was set up to encourage the most polluting heavy diesel vehicles driving in the capital to become cleaner. It covers most of Greater London and operates 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
Cars that are free to drive in the ULEZ must be Euro 6 (diesel) or Euro 4 (petrol) compliant. That means low emission and zero-emission vehicles such as electric cars will not be charged. Hybrid cars aren't automatically exempt, as some models made before 2015 may not be ULEZ compliant.
How do I know 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.
FRV | LONDON BUS 21 NEWINGTON GREEN - LEWISHAM SHOPPING CENTRE (LTZ 1859) LT859
Which areas of London are in the congestion zone?
The London Congestion Charge zone covers much of Central London, roughly from Euston Road/Marylebone Road (North) down to Elephant & Castle/New Kent Road (South), and from Edgware Road/Park Lane (West) across to Commercial Street/Tower Bridge Road (East), including areas like Westminster, the City of London, Soho, and Covent Garden, with signs marking its boundary.
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.
A car is exempt from ULEZ if it's a historic vehicle, meaning it's either built before 1 January 1973, or it's over 40 years old and registered with the DVLA in the 'Historic' tax class, which is a rolling system that qualifies newer vehicles annually (e.g., cars built before 1986 were eligible in 2026). This historic tax class exemption applies to both private and some commercial vehicles but requires applying to the DVLA, and vehicles must not be used commercially.
Yes, you can still drive your petrol car after 2035; the ban applies only to the sale of new petrol/diesel cars, not existing ones, so you can continue to own, drive, buy, or sell used petrol cars, but you'll need to switch to electric or hydrogen when buying a brand-new vehicle from 2035 onwards.
You may receive a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) if your vehicle is seen passing through a traffic filter other than the one registered on your dispensation. Organisations that hold a Blue Badge can apply for a dispensation that allows them to pass through any traffic filter within a Lambeth LTN.
You could also swap your car for a motorbike or moped – most new ones are Euro 3 compliant and aren't forced to pay the ULEZ charge. Alternatively, you could ditch your car and use a car club, or stop driving around central London entirely and embrace public transport, perhaps just driving out of town at weekends.
This means that areas like Barnet, Heathrow, Wimbledon and Bromley are now within the ULEZ zone. Transport for London (TfL) is installing an extra 2,750 cameras in these boroughs to enforce the expansion. The map above shows the zone in its current form, which now extends up to the M25.
The zone operates across all London boroughs, and does not include the M25. If your vehicle doesn't meet the ULEZ emissions standards and isn't exempt, you need to pay a £12.50 daily charge to drive within the zone.
As with any traffic fine, avoiding a ZTL is mostly common sense. So, there's the obvious: don't drive in the historic center of Italian cities. Take the train. Or park your car and use the bus, the subway, the tram, or a taxi when going into the center.
There are no plans to change the ULEZ standards at present. The current standards for vehicle emissions are informed by the European emissions standards. The current standards for vehicles in the ULEZ is Euro 4 for petrol vehicles and Euro 6 for diesel vehicles.
To be ULEZ compliant, petrol cars must meet Euro 4 emissions standards. Most petrol cars registered after January 2006 meet these standards. Petrol cars that meet Euro 5 and Euro 6 standards are exempt from paying charges.
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).
There's no legal age at which you must stop driving. You can decide when to stop as long as you don't have any medical conditions that affect your driving.
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.
If you're parking on-site, you'll pay the charge both when you drive to the car park and again when you return to pick up your vehicle. Is London Gatwick (LGW) within London's ULEZ? No, Gatwick is outside the ULEZ zone, so you won't have to pay the charge unless you're driving through the zone to get there.
To avoid London's Congestion Charge, travel outside charging hours (weekdays 7am-6pm, weekends & bank holidays 12pm-6pm, no charge Christmas-New Year), use public transport/cycle/walk, drive a fully electric vehicle (registered), or use route planners (like Google Maps) to steer clear of the zone boundary; exemptions and discounts exist for some residents and disabled drivers.
No, Tower Bridge isn't in the congestion charge area. If you go there and want to avoid CG, keep to the road the bridges is on and go East. Anywhere to the west of the bridge and its road will mean you need to pay.
