Skip advert
Advertisement

£130m London Congestion Charge fines outweigh payments

TfL issued £130 million of fines over 12 months to drivers not paying the Congestion Charge, over twice the revenue raised from drivers paying the daily fee

Congestion charge zone

Motorists have been fined £130 million over a 12-month period for driving into the London Congestion Charge zone without paying, it has been revealed.

The fine for failing to pay the Congestion Charge is £160 - reduced to £80 if paid within 14 days - and Transport for London (TfL) issued over 817,000 such penalty charge notices (PCNs) in the 12 months up to September 2020.

Of these PCNs, more than 60 per cent were issued after June 2020, when the daily Congestion Charge fee was increased from £11.50 to £15, with hours of operation increasing from 7am to 10pm, and the toll moving from five, to seven days a week.

Advertisement - Article continues below

Data obtained from TfL by Citroen via a freedom of information request also shows the organisation received £52 million in revenue from Congestion Charge payments over the same period, meaning fines resulted in significantly more income.

Drivers who enter the Congestion Charge zone, which covers a small area of central London, have three days to pay. Electric vehicles are currently exempt from the charge, as are plug-in hybrids that emit under 75g/km of CO2 and have an electric-only range of at least 20 miles.

Eurig Druce, Citroen UK's managing director, suggested electric cars were one way drivers could avoid paying the Congestion Charge, saying EVs “help drivers save significantly on running costs” and also “eliminate the chance of unexpected and expensive fines for forgetting the Congestion Charge zone payment and other low emission zone tariffs.”

The £12.50 per-day ULEZ (ultra-low emission zone) applies to drivers of pre-Euro 4 petrol or pre-Euro 6, and covers the same area of central London as the Congestion Charge zone, with affected motorists having to pay both fees. The ULEZ will extend to cover regions of London within the North and South Circular roads, although there are currently no plans to extend the Congestion Charge Zone. 

Have you been caught out by London's Congestion Charge zone? Let us know in the comments below...

Skip advert
Advertisement

Find a car with the experts

Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

New BMW iX3 to shake the EV world with huge 500-mile range
BMW iX3 - front action

New BMW iX3 to shake the EV world with huge 500-mile range

The UK’s longest EV range at a tasty price: BMW’s game-changing iX3 is here
News
5 Sep 2025
Car Deal of the Day: Open wide and say R, it’s a sporty Volkswagen Golf for £210 a month
Volkswagen Golf - front action

Car Deal of the Day: Open wide and say R, it’s a sporty Volkswagen Golf for £210 a month

The Volkswagen Golf has always been a quality choice, but now it won’t break the bank, even in R-Line trim. It’s our Deal of the Day for September 5
News
5 Sep 2025
Car Deal of the Day: The Leapmotor C10 electric SUV is cheaper than some superminis
Leapmotor C10 - front

Car Deal of the Day: The Leapmotor C10 electric SUV is cheaper than some superminis

The Leapmotor C10 is one of a new wave of Chinese cars that don’t cost the earth. It’s our Deal of the Day for September 2
News
2 Sep 2025