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How to pay London congestion charges
05 November 2020
Let’s face it, congestion charges are a headache. If it wasn’t bad enough that you have to pay £12.5 a day to drive through central London, you’re also faced with the Rubik’s Cube that is figuring out how to pay it.
In terms of paying your Congestion Charge, the simplest way to do so is to set up ‘auto pay’, personal or business, though this requires an additional £10 registration charge for the year. Fleet auto pay is also available if your business uses more than five vehicles.
Alternatively, you can pay ad-hock on this page – when you enter your registration number, it will automatically recognise the charge you owe. Exemptions and discounts can only be applied if you create and sign into your account.
The charges you can pay this way are:
- Congestion Charge: pay up to three previous charging days, today, the next charging day or for a custom date range
- ULEZ: pay up to three previous charging days, today, the next charging day or for a custom date range
- LEZ: pay up to three previous charging days, today or any day up to 90 days in the future
From 25 October 2021, the ULEZ, which is in force 07:00-22:00 every day (except Christmas Day) is expanding from central London to create a single larger zone up to the North Circular Road (A406) and South Circular Road (A205). You can check if you will enter the Congestion Charge Zone using a postal code here.
You can also use third-party apps such as WAZE, which will alert you if your planned route enters the Congestion Charge Zone. It can also indicate whether or not your vehicle meets the ULEZ standards.
If your vehicle does not meet the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) standards, you must also pay the ULEZ charge. This charge applies to the same area as the Congestion Charge Zone and operates 24/7 (except Christmas Day). The charges are:
- £12.50 for most vehicle types, including cars, motorcycles and vans (up to and including 3.5 tonnes)
- £100 for heavier vehicles, including lorries (over 3.5 tonnes) and buses/coaches (over 5 tonnes)
You can find out if your vehicle meets the ULEZ standards here – all you will need is you licence plate number.
You may also need to pay a Low Emission Zone charge (LEZ) to drive with the Greater London area if your vehicle does not meet these requirements, which will become tougher for heavier vehicles from 1 March 2021. This charge applies 24/7 (except Christmas Day) Find out if your vehicle meets the LEZ standard here.
We hope that you find this information useful. To find out more about our leasing services, please get in touch on 01480 414541 or email info@marshall-leasing.co.uk. Alternatively, please fill out our contact form.
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