Thinking of driving to London?
Warnings for ULEZ and London Congestion Charge zones
If you are London bound..
The Congestion Charge in London at the time of writing (September 2023) is:
- £15.00 per day if you pay before midnight on the day of travel.
- £17.50 if you pay by midnight on the third "charging day" after travel.
This means that if you travel on Monday and don't pay it before midnight, then the charge goes up to £17.50 which you need to pay by midnight on Thursday.
ULEZ: Ultra Low Emission Zone.
All petrol cars and vans registered new from 2006, and diesel cars and vans from 2016, will meet the ULEZ standards.
If you car does not meet the minimum emissions standards when travelling within the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) a daily £12.50 charge must be paid.
The daily charging period runs from midnight to midnight.
When to pay the Congestion Charge and ULEZ charge
You can pay for the Congestion Charge and ULEZ charge for up to three previous days, today, the next day, or for a custom date range.
NB. Penalty charge: £180 (reduced to £90 if paid within 14 days)
Check online to see if your vehicle's emission's are within (i.e. you don't have to pay) or meet the required standards by entering your vehicle registration here:
https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/check-your-vehicle/
LEZ: London Emission zone applies to:
HGVs, lorries, vans, buses/minibuses, coaches and specialist heavy vehicles
Lorry, van or specialist heavy vehicle over 3.5 tonnes gross vehicle weight (GVW)
Bus/minibus or coach over 5 tonnes GVW
Cars and motorcycles are not subject to the Low Emission Zone (LEZ).
The London Congestion Charge is a hot topic for those living in or around the city.
ULEZ has recently expanded to include all London boroughs.
Don't be caught off guard!
- Plan in advance and pay up to 90 days ahead, or by midnight on the day of travel at the standard rate.
- If you are going to be flitting in and out of London (The maximum driving speed for the majority of London is now 20mph) Auto Pay with TfL, so you don't have the worry of forgetting or even being unaware that you are in a chargeable zone.
- Familiarize yourself with the Congestion Charge Zone by checking online maps or signage along the roads.
- Review the latest all London Borough ULEZ expansion zone.
- NB.There are no other agents or websites to make your payment other than TFL, so don't be taken in by any random websites.
- Play it safe:
Set up autopay here:
https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/auto-pay
The Dart Charge (Dartford Crossing) and the London Congestion charge logos
The DART: Just to Confuse Things
The Dartford Crossing which spans the River Thames between Dartford in Kent and Thurrock in Essex consists of the four-lane Queen Elizabeth II Bridge for southbound traffic, while northbound traffic uses both of the two-lane road tunnels.
It is free between 10pm and 6am, but outside of those hours there is a charge for each leg of the journey. There used to be toll booths which used to cause huge tailback queues and so in 2014 Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras were implemented which means that unless you keep your wits about you, you may be unaware there is a toll payable for crossing the bridge and going through the tunnel.
The confusing aspect of this is that the Dart Charge brand logo uses a nearly identical logo as the London Congestion Charge, but it is a completely separate fee and a completely different payment system.
To pay the "Dart Charge" for using the Dartford Crossing between 6am and 10pm (which must be paid by midnight the day after you cross) please go here:
Penalty Charges......
There is only one thing worse than getting a fine for speeding, a congestion charge penalty or for getting caught in one of those "Keep Clear" boxes painted on the road at a junction when the traffic lights just don't go your way and of course the camera takes the photograph of you caught smack bang in the middle of it.
So whats worse?
Well, it's when that horrible little communication comes from us, after you somehow managed to acquire one of these things whilst driving a car, van or truck hired from us.
So, as we are the owners of the vehicle that you hired, we pay the fine, on your behalf, within the time frame before they increase the penalty, then figure out that it was you who had hired the vehicle, we then get the photographic evidence from the relevant authorities and upload it into your account online, so you can see that it definitely was you, (even though, of course, you are still going to go and double check the dates of the vehicle hire) set up an invoice etc etc and then we add on, yes we do... an admin charge.
Not that you need to go all the way London for that, you can do two of those things 10 minutes from the Hucknall vehicle hire depot before you have reached the A610 on the way to Bulwell.
Please be careful, to avoid charges.
Nottingham's Local Vehicle Hire Depot
