Congestion Charge, ULEZ & camera fines

• £18 a day (£21 if you pay by the third day after travel) for driving within the central London zone during charging hours: 7am-6pm Monday to Friday, 12 noon-6pm weekends and bank holidays. Free between Christmas Day and New Year's Day.
• The zone boundary is marked by the red 'C' entry sign - there's no barrier, cameras read your number plate.
• Auto Pay charges you automatically per charging day and avoids forgetting; electric vehicles get a discount only via the Cleaner Vehicle Discount scheme (registration required).
• Residents of the zone get a 90% discount (registration required); Blue Badge holders can register for a 100% exemption.

Congestion charging zone sign (the 'C')What marks the boundary→Pay or set up Auto Pay (TfL)↗→

• ULEZ covers ALL London boroughs (since August 2023), 24 hours a day, every day except Christmas Day - much bigger than the Congestion Charge zone.
• It's an emissions charge: £12.50 a day ONLY if your vehicle misses the standards - petrol cars generally need Euro 4 (roughly 2006 onwards), diesels Euro 6 (roughly September 2015 onwards).
• Most cars on the road today are compliant and pay nothing - never assume either way; check your exact vehicle on the TfL checker before you drive in.
• A compliant car still pays the Congestion Charge in the central zone - the two are separate schemes.

• Miss a charge and a Penalty Charge Notice follows: £180 for the Congestion Charge and ULEZ (reduced to £90 if paid within 14 days).
• It's civil - no licence points - but the cameras are automatic and the PCN lands weeks later, often after a hire-car trip or a one-off hospital run. Set up Auto Pay if you drive in even occasionally.
• You can challenge a charge PCN like any other (wrong plate, vehicle sold, charge actually paid) - the process is on the notice.

The charges above are civil. Speed cameras are different: speeding is a criminal offence - normally a £100 fine and 3 points minimum, or a speed-awareness course if eligible. New drivers lose their licence at 6 points within two years of passing.

• A camera-enforcement-area sign means cameras operate across a stretch - often average-speed cameras that time you between two points, so braking at each camera doesn't work.
• On smart motorways, a limit shown in a red ring on the gantry is a mandatory variable limit, camera-enforced; a red X means the lane is closed and driving in it is an offence.

The signs to know

Congestion charging zone entranceSpeed-limit camera enforcement areaSpeed camera

Traffic-sign artwork is Crown copyright, reproduced under the Open Government Licence v3.0; meanings from the Highway Code (gov.uk).

Speed cameras - types and penalty→Camera enforcement area→Variable speed limits (smart motorways)→

Do I pay both the Congestion Charge and ULEZ?

If your vehicle isn't ULEZ-compliant and you drive in the central zone during charging hours - yes, both (£30.50 a day). A compliant car pays only the £18 Congestion Charge there.

Does ULEZ apply on weekends and at night?

Yes - 24 hours a day, every day except Christmas Day. The Congestion Charge is the one with limited hours.

How do I know if my car is ULEZ-compliant?

Check the exact registration on TfL's free vehicle checker - don't rely on age rules of thumb. Roughly: petrol from 2006, diesel from late 2015.

I forgot to pay - what now?

You can pay by midnight of the third day after travelling (at the higher £21 Congestion Charge rate). After that a £180 PCN is issued, halved if you pay within 14 days.