EVs and the London Congestion Charge: What You Need to Know

The London Congestion Charge Zone (CCZ) was first introduced in 2003. Covering Central London, cars and other vehicles are charged a fee being driven inside it between 7am to 6pm Monday to Friday and 12pm to 6pm on the weekend. The current charge for entering the zone is £15, which covers the whole day. However, it’s expected that from January 2026 the charge will increase to £18.

Vehicles are recognised by automatic number-plate recognition (ANPR), with the charge managed by Transport for London (TfL). The zone itself has three main aims:

1. To reduce traffic in Central London
2. To reduce pollution in the city centre
3. Raise funds for London’s transport system

There are a few common scenarios where you might have to pay the charge. The Congestion Charge Zone covers Central London, so if you’re visiting London for a day, whether in your own car or a leased vehicle, you’re likely to enter the zone at some point, although there are plenty of routes you can take to avoid it.

The charge applies between the following times:

• Monday to Friday: 7am to 6pm
• Saturday and Sunday: 12pm to 6pm
• All bank holidays

The only days of the year the charge isn’t applied are between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

Once incurred, the charge must be paid directly to TfL within three days. Alternatively, drivers who frequently pass through the zone can set up Auto Pay, which automatically pays the charge on their behalf at a discounted rate.

The simple answer is: currently, no, there is a congestion charge discount for EVs. Any vehicle with emissions below 75g/km and a zero-emissions range of 20 miles, which includes all EVs, is exempt from paying the charge.

This doesn’t apply to hybrid cars which, despite having batteries that do allow for limited zero-emissions travel, have had to pay the charge since October 2021. This means that, currently, only fully battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) and hydrogen fuel cars don’t need to pay the congestion charge.

However, it isn’t simply a case of not needing to pay. EV drivers must still register their vehicles with TfL and notify them that the car meets the above conditions. In return, they are given the Cleaner Vehicle Discount, which amounts to a 100% discount on the charge.

From 25th December 2025, the Cleaner Vehicle Discount, and thus London Congestion Charge exemption, will end, and electric vehicles will have to start paying the daily charge, currently priced at £15, for driving in Central London.

To apply for the discount:

1. Go online to the TfL website and create a London Road User Charging account
2. Log in to your account and follow the instructions
3. Upload a photocopy or image of your car's V5C logbook issued by the DVLA
4. Pay a £10 registration fee, which needs to be renewed each year

The most common mistakes drivers make with the congestion zone are:

• Not registering their electric car with TfL and assuming their vehicle is simply exempt from paying. If you fail to register your EV, you will need to pay the charge
• Incorrectly thinking that their plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) is exempt. PHEVs were exempt until October 2021, so all PHEV owners must pay the charge even if their car meets the other conditions for the discount
• Driving through without any kind of exemption also means you’ll have to pay the charge, regardless of whether your vehicle meets the requirements for an exemption
• Failing to pay within the time limit. Drivers have until midnight on the third day after travelling in the zone to pay. If you don’t, you’ll be issued a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) of £180. If paid within 14 days, this drops to £90, but if it isn’t paid within 28 days a Charge Certificate is issued and it increases to £270 - and there are further penalties beyond this

It’s common for drivers to confuse the congestion charge zone with the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ), but they are in fact two different things. Electric cars are exempt from both under the Cleaner Vehicle Discount, but there are some key differences between them, most notably the area they cover and their hours of operation:

It’s important to note that as they are different charges, drivers could potentially have to pay both charges for driving a non-exempt vehicle around London, totalling £27.50 for a full day.

Exemption from both the congestion charge zone and ULEZ are key benefits to driving an electric car in London. Whilst losing their exemption status for the congestion charge will no doubt disappoint many EV drivers, it’s important to remember that it’s relatively easy to avoid the zone, and there are many other myriad benefits to going electric.

For example, even though you’ll have to pay the charge, electric cars are still better for the environment, and every zero-emission mile you drive still goes a long way towards helping the planet combat climate change.

It’s also worth staying registered with TfL to keep on top of any updates or future exemptions that may come into effect. Whilst there are no indications that exemption, either full or partial, will return from 2026 or beyond, EV drivers are still exempt from ULEZ for the foreseeable future, and there could be a new tiered system introduced with discounts. Either way, electric cars are still completely worth it, and you shouldn’t ditch your EV when the exemption ends.