Stolen vehicles are often driven through charging zones and crossings, and the notices go to the registered keeper. You are not liable for a journey made by someone who took your vehicle without consent, but you must ask, with the right evidence, within the deadline.
What to send
- The crime reference number, police unique reference number, or your insurance claim reference.
- The date and time you reported the theft, showing it was before the journey.
- The name and address of the person using the vehicle, if you know it (the England regulations ask for this).
If you found out late
If the vehicle was recovered weeks later and the notices only arrived after a charge certificate, you can no longer make normal representations. In England and Wales, after an order for recovery you can file a statement that you did not receive the notice or that you made representations without reply; if your situation does not fit those, the TEC out-of-time route explains the delay. See our guide to orders for recovery.
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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.
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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.
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Questions people ask
The thief also drove through a Scottish LEZ.
Use the ground that the contravention did not occur in a vehicle you were responsible for, or that the penalty is not payable by you, with the police reference.
Sources
Last checked: 13 November 2026. Every fact on this page was checked against these official pages. How we check