UK Road User Charging
The Transport for London Congestion Charge (CC)
You need to pay a daily charge if you drive within the Congestion Charge zone 07:00-18:00 Mon-Fri, 12:00-18:00 Sat-Sun and bank holidays. No charge between Christmas Day and New Year's Day bank holiday (inclusive).
The daily charge is GBP 15.00 if you pay in advance or on the same day, or GBP 17.50 by midnight of the third day after travel.
If you don't pay by midnight on the third day after travel in the zone, you may receive a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) fine.
The Congestion Charge can be purchased in several ways. These include, online at tfl.gov.uk/driving, via Auto Pay if registered, through our Contact Centre on 0343 222 2222 or via the TfL Pay to drive in London mobile app.
Auto Pay records the number of charging days a vehicle travels within the charging zones each month and automatically takes payment from your debit card, credit card or via direct debit each month. Up to five vehicles can be registered for Auto Pay at www.tfl.gov.uk.
Discount registration for vehicles with nine or more seats
Vehicles with nine or more seats are eligible for 100% discount of the Congestion Charge and the Blackwall and Silvertown tunnels charge.
If your vehicle has nine or more seats and is registered outside the UK, you will need to register it with us to get the discount, you'll need to supply certain documents to show you're entitled to the discount.
This online facility is to assist you in registering a vehicle with nine or more seats for the 100% discount from Congestion Charging and The Blackwall and Silvertown tunnels Charge. By selecting a language using the drop down menu, an application form will be produced in the language selected.
Once completed, and the submit button selected, a PDF version will be produced in English, which should be printed, signed and forwarded to TfL Congestion Charging, PO Box 344, Darlington, DL1 9QE, United Kingdom. Please do not forget to enclose copies of the relevant supporting documentation.
Please choose a language:
Transport for London Blackwall and Silvertown Tunnels
The new Silvertown Tunnel under the Thames will open on 7 April 2025, linking Silvertown to the Greenwich Peninsula in east London. The new tunnel will help to reduce congestion in and around the Blackwall Tunnel and will allow for better public transport links between both sides of the river.
All charges are listed below :
| Charges paid via Auto Pay | Charges paid via other channels | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard off-peak charges | Peak charges Mon–Fri only Northbound 06:00 - 10:00 Southbound 16:00 - 19:00 | At all times | |
| Motorcycle, moped, motor tricycle | £1.50 | £2.50 | £2.50 |
| Car and small van | £1.50 | £4.00 | £4.00 |
| Large van | £2.50 | £6.50 | £6.50 |
| Heavy Goods Vehicles | £5.00 | £10.00 | £10.00 |
| Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) for non-payment - £180 (Reduced to £90 if paid within two weeks; maximum one PCN per day) | |||
Buses, coaches and minibuses registered outside of the UK that register with us will not have to pay crossing charges.
To see what you would need to pay for each tunnel crossing, use TfL’s vehicle checker.
Carriage of Dangerous goods
Blackwall and Silvertown tunnels are both Category E tunnels under ADR (Agreement concerning the international carriage of dangerous goods by road). This means that the carriage of dangerous goods through either tunnel is prohibited.
More information on the Blackwall and Silvertown tunnel can be found at www.tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/silvertown-blackwall-tunnels-charge
Transport for London Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ)
ULEZ Standards
To help clean up London's air, the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year, except Christmas Day (25 December). The zone operates across all London boroughs, and does not include the M25.
To see if your vehicle meets the standard, use TfL’s vehicle checker.
Or see which locations fall within the ULEZ zone with our postcode checker
If your vehicle doesn't meet the ULEZ emission standards and isn't exempt, you need to pay a £12.50 daily charge to drive inside the zone.
This applies to:
Cars, motorcycles, vans and specialist vehicles (up to and including 3.5 tonnes) and minibuses (up to and including 5 tonnes)
Lorries, vans or specialist heavy vehicles (over 3.5 tonnes) and buses, minibuses and coaches (over 5 tonnes) do not need to pay the ULEZ charge. They will need to pay the LEZ charge if they do not meet the LEZ emissions standard.
What are the standards?
We would prefer that you use a vehicle that meets the emissions standards rather than pay a daily charge.
Euro standards - which first appeared in 1992 - are a range of emissions controls that set limits for air polluting nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) from engines. New vehicles and road vehicle engines must show that they meet these limits to be approved for sale.
The ULEZ standards are
- Euro 3 for motorcycles, mopeds, motorised tricycles and quadricycles (L category)
- Euro 4 (NOx) for petrol cars, vans, minibuses and other specialist vehicles
- Euro 6 (NOx and PM) for diesel cars, vans and minibuses and other specialist vehicles
- Euro VI Lorries, vans or specialist heavy vehicles (over 3.5 tonnes) and buses, minibuses and coaches (over 5 tonnes) do not need to pay the ULEZ charge. They will need to pay the LEZ charge if they do not meet the LEZ emissions standard.
Euro 3 became mandatory for all new motorcycles in 2007
Vehicles need to meet the different emission standards for the ULEZ based on their vehicle type, and the type of emission. Euro 4 became mandatory for all new cars in 2005 and light vans in 2006
Euro 6 became mandatory for all new heavy duty engines for goods vehicles and buses from January 2014, September 2015 for cars and light vans, and September 2016 for larger vans up to and including 3.5 tonnes gross vehicle weight.
Find out more about ULEZ emission standards, daily charges and penalty charges, plus information on how to avoid having to pay the charge for:
- Cars (petrol and diesel)
- Vans, minibuses and lighter specialist vehicles
- Motorcycles, mopeds and more
- Lorries and larger vehicles
Your vehicle registration document will help identify your vehicle's Euro emission standard.
The Transport for London Low Emission Zone (LEZ)
The Low Emission Zone (LEZ) covers most of Greater London and operates 24 hours a day, every day of the year. It was introduced in 2008 to encourage the most polluting heavy diesel vehicles in the Capital to become cleaner.
As of 01 March 2021 the LEZ emissions standards for HGVs, vans and other specialist heavy vehicles over 3.5 tonnes (GVW) as well as for buses, minibuses and coaches over 5 tonnes (GVW) changed from Euro IV for particulate matter (PM) to Euro VI for PM and nitrogen oxides (NOX). These vehicles need to meet the Euro VI emission standard or pay a daily charge. You can check your vehicle and find out about the options to help you prepare at www.tfl.gov.uk/lez
Payment can be made on Transport for London website at www.tfl.gov.uk/lez, on the phone +44 343 222 2222 or by post.
| Vehicle | Weight | Emission Standard | Daily charge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lorries, motor caravans and horseboxes | More than 3.5 tonnes gross vehicle weight |
Euro IV – Euro V (NOX & PM) |
£100 |
|
≤ Euro III (NOX & PM) |
£300 | ||
| Buses and coaches | More than 5 tonnes gross vehicle weight |
Euro IV – Euro V (NOX & PM) |
£100 |
|
≤ Euro III (NOX & PM) |
£300 | ||
| Large vans and horseboxes | Between 1.205 unladen and 3.5 tonnes |
< Euro III (PM) |
£100 |
| Motor caravans | Between 2.5 and 3.5 tonnes |
< Euro III (PM) |
£100 |
| Minibuses | 5 tonnes or less gross vehicle weight |
< Euro III (PM) |
£100 |
Registration:
Operators of affected vehicles registered outside of Great Britain including trucks, buses, coaches, large vans, minibuses and other specialised vehicles will have to register their vehicles with Euro Parking Collection (EPC) if they meet the required emissions standards in order to drive within the LEZ without paying a daily charge.
For further information regarding registration and the LEZ scheme in general please visit www.epcplc.com/tfl_registration/register
National Highways - The Dartford Crossing - Dart Charge
You can no longer pay to use the Dartford Crossing at the barriers. Instead you need to pay Dart Charge in advance or by midnight the following day. Dartford Crossing applies between 6am and 10pm.
You can get a discount on every crossing by setting up a pre-pay account. Alternatively you can make one-off payments online, by phone, at Payzone retail outlets or in advance by post. More information can be found on www.gov.uk/dart-charge
