London Congestion Charge Calculator

The London Congestion Charge is £18 per day, a rate that took effect on 2 January 2026, for driving within the Congestion Charge Zone in central London. The zone operates Monday to Friday from 7am to 6pm, and from 12pm to 6pm at weekends and on bank holidays, so a Sunday afternoon trip is chargeable while a Saturday morning one is not. Pay in advance or by midnight on the day of travel and it stays at £18; leave it until midnight of the third day after travel and it rises to £21.

Certain vehicles are exempt or receive discounts. Electric vehicles that are zero-emission capable and registered with TfL are exempt through the Cleaner Vehicle Discount. Licensed black taxis, buses, motorcycles and mopeds are also outside the charge, as are vehicles registered to Blue Badge holders, and some hybrid models qualify for a discount. Residents living inside the zone receive 90% off, typically for a period of four to five years, which is a rare arrangement now that few new residential registrations are granted.

Auto Pay is the sensible option for anyone entering the zone regularly. It registers a card and charges your account automatically on each day your vehicle is detected, which removes the risk of a late payment penalty of £180, reduced to £90 if paid within 14 days. Enter how often you drive into the zone and the calculator turns that into a weekly and annual figure, which is usually the number that persuades people to reconsider the route or the mode of transport.

Payment itself can be made on the TfL website, through TfL's apps, in person at shops with PayPoint, or automatically through Auto Pay, which bills monthly. Enforcement runs on camera, so there is no barrier or booth to remind you that you have crossed into the zone. Drivers who enter occasionally and rely on memory are the ones who end up with penalty notices.

The Congestion Charge and ULEZ are separate schemes that happen to overlap, and confusing them is expensive. ULEZ costs £12.50 a day, covers all of Greater London since August 2023, runs 24 hours a day every day, and applies only to vehicles that fail the emission standards. The Congestion Charge costs £18 a day, covers central London only, applies during the daytime hours described above, and catches every vehicle regardless of how clean it is. Drive a non-compliant petrol or diesel car into central London on a weekday and you owe both, which is £30.50 for the day.

Other UK cities have taken the clean-air route rather than the congestion route. Bath charges £9 a day for private cars under its Class D zone and up to £100 for HGVs. Birmingham charges £8 a day for cars and commercial vehicles. Bristol, Sheffield and Portsmouth run their own rates, while Manchester cancelled its scheme in 2022. Most of these target non-compliant vehicles only, so check the local authority website and its vehicle compliance checker before travelling. Glasgow's Low Emission Zone works differently again, banning non-compliant vehicles outright with a £60 fine and no daily charge to pay.