The Congestion Charge is £18 a day for driving in central London during charging hours, and £21 if you pay in the three days after. Miss it and TfL sends a £180 penalty charge notice to the registered keeper. The Congestion Charge changed a lot in 2025 and 2026: the 100% electric vehicle discount has ended, so many EV drivers are getting PCNs for the first time.
Where it applies
Central London. Use TfL's postcode checker for the exact boundary; the ULEZ covers a much larger area and is a separate charge.
When it applies
07:00 to 18:00 Monday to Friday and 12:00 to 18:00 on Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays. No charge from Christmas Day to the New Year's Day bank holiday inclusive.
What it costs
| Vehicle | Charge |
|---|---|
| Standard daily charge, paid on the day or in advance | £18 |
| Paid by midnight on the third day after travel | £21 |
| Electric cars on Auto Pay (Cleaner Vehicle Discount 25%) | £13.50 |
| Electric vans, HGVs and quadricycles on Auto Pay (50%) | £9 |
| Residents' Discount holders (90%) | £1.80 |
The electric vehicle discount only applies to vehicles on Auto Pay. An EV that is not on Auto Pay pays the full £18. The discounts fall to 12.5% and 25% from 4 March 2030.
Paying: By midnight on the third charging day after the journey (at the higher £21 rate), or on the day or in advance at £18. Pay on the TfL website.
Exemptions, discounts and permits
- Blue Badge holders: 100% discount, but you must register first and keep paying until TfL confirms.
- Vehicles with 9 or more seats, roadside recovery vehicles (recovery tax class) and accredited breakdown vehicles: 100% discount, must register.
- Two-wheeled motorbikes and mopeds, and motor tricycles no more than 1 metre wide and 2 metres long: no charge or 100% discount.
- Exempt without registering: emergency vehicles in the ambulance or fire engine tax class, NHS vehicles exempt from vehicle tax, and vehicles in the disabled tax class.
- London-licensed taxis are exempt. Private hire vehicles pay, except wheelchair-accessible PHVs on a booking.
How to challenge the penalty
You challenge by making written representations to Transport for London (TfL) within 28 days of the date of service. TfL treats a notice as served when it would be delivered in the ordinary course of post (Interpretation Act 1978, section 7), normally about two working days after posting.
These are the grounds the law allows, under the Road User Charging (Enforcement and Adjudication) (London) Regulations 2001 (SI 2001/2313):
| Ground | When it fits | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| I was never the registered keeper | The vehicle has never been registered to you, for example the notice went to the wrong person or the plate was misread. | reg 13(3)(a)(i) |
| I had sold or transferred the vehicle before that date | You had already sold, scrapped or transferred the vehicle before the date on the notice. | reg 13(3)(a)(ii) and 13(4) |
| I became the keeper after that date | You bought the vehicle after the date of the journey on the notice. | reg 13(3)(a)(iii) and 13(5) |
| The charge was paid in time and in the right way | You paid the charge for that vehicle and that day within the payment window. | reg 13(3)(b) |
| No penalty charge was payable | The vehicle meets the standard, is exempt, was registered for a 100% discount or grace period, was not driven in the zone, or the journey was outside charging hours. | reg 13(3)(c) |
| The vehicle was taken or used without my consent | The vehicle was stolen, or someone used it without your permission, including cloned plates. | reg 13(3)(d) |
| The penalty is more than the scheme allows | The notice demands more than the scheme's penalty amount, or refuses the discount you paid within time. | reg 13(3)(e) |
| We are a hire firm and the vehicle was on hire | You are a hire firm, the vehicle was hired under a hiring agreement and the hirer signed a statement of liability for penalty charges. | reg 13(3)(f) |
| Special circumstances (TfL discretion) | None of the six grounds fits. TfL says it will consider mitigating circumstances, but the tribunal cannot, so this only helps at the TfL stage. | TfL challenge guidance; not a ground in reg 13(3) |
The London regulations have six fixed grounds and no "compelling reasons" ground. TfL says it will still consider mitigating circumstances, but the adjudicators at London Tribunals cannot consider mitigation or use discretion, so put everything to TfL first.
Challenge online: official page.
- TfL lists the reasons it accepts: you were not the keeper, you had paid, the vehicle was exempt, it was used without your consent, you were registered for a 100% discount, or it was on hire. It says it will consider other grounds too.
- If your EV discount did not apply, check whether the vehicle was actually on your Auto Pay account on that date. The discount only works through Auto Pay.
If the authority says no
It sends a notice of rejection. You then have 28 days to appeal to the London Tribunals (Road User Charging Adjudicators), or to pay. See our guide to appealing to the tribunal.
Electric vehicles and the end of the free ride
Until the scheme changed, electric vehicles registered for the Cleaner Vehicle Discount paid nothing. That 100% discount has ended. Electric cars now get 25% off, and only when they are on Auto Pay. If you assumed your EV was still free and have a PCN, the honest position is that the charge was payable. Look instead at whether TfL's records were wrong, for example the vehicle was on Auto Pay but billed at the wrong rate.
Residents' Discount changes in 2027
From 1 March 2027 new applicants for the 90% Residents' Discount will only get it for electric vehicles, unless they receive certain benefits and apply before 4 March 2030. Existing holders keep 90% on any vehicle if they renew every year. A lapsed renewal is a common reason residents start receiving full-price PCNs.
Worked example
You drove through Holborn at 14:30 on a Saturday in a petrol car that meets the ULEZ standard and forgot to pay. You had until midnight on the Tuesday to pay £21. Instead a PCN for £180 arrives. Paid within 14 days of service it is £90; ignored for 28 days it becomes £270.
Can I challenge this charge? Free check
Free. Your answers stay on this device. Nothing is sent to us.
Letters for Congestion Charge
Built from your checker answers, with the right grounds and regulation numbers for your scheme. You see the start of the letter before you pay, then edit it and download it as Word or PDF.
Representation letter
Your formal challenge to the authority, citing each ground that fits with its regulation number, the evidence you enclose and a request to cancel.
Start my letterFull pack
The representation, a tribunal appeal statement, replies at the charge certificate and debt registration stages, witness statement and out-of-time wording, and a bailiff fee check.
Start the full packOne penalty per purchase, usable for 6 months. Full refund within 14 days if you haven't downloaded a letter. Templates you send yourself, not legal advice. See sample letters
Questions people ask
Is the Congestion Charge penalty on top of the £18?
No. TfL's PCN is £180 (or £90 within 14 days); the daily charge is not added.
Do I need to pay the ULEZ as well?
Yes, if your vehicle does not meet the ULEZ standard. They are separate charges and separate penalties.
My Auto Pay card expired. Is that a ground?
Not one of the six legal grounds. It can still be raised with TfL as a mitigating circumstance, with evidence, but London Tribunals cannot take it into account.
I drove in at 18:10. Should I have paid?
No. Charging hours end at 18:00. If the PCN records a time outside charging hours, no penalty is payable and you can make representations on that ground.
Sources
Last checked: 13 November 2026. Every fact on this page was checked against these official pages. How we check
Road Fine Check is independent. Not affiliated with TfL, National Highways, any council or crossing operator. To pay a charge, use the official website.