How much is congestion charge in London?
A how much is congestion charge takes moments. The London congestion charge is £15 per day for most drivers.
You pay this single daily rate if you drive or park inside the congestion charging zone between 7am and 6pm Monday to Friday, and between noon and 6pm on weekends and bank holidays.
Payment is due to Transport for London (TfL), and you must pay by midnight on the charging day to avoid a penalty.
- You pay once per day regardless of how many times you enter or leave the zone during charging hours.
There is no charge between 6pm and 7am on weekdays, or between 6pm and noon on Saturdays and Sundays.
Key facts
What does the £15 congestion charge cover?
The congestion charge is a daily fee to drive or park inside a defined area of central London during charging hours. It applies to most motor vehicles, including cars, vans and motorcycles.
The zone runs roughly from Marylebone in the west to Tower Bridge in the east, and from King's Cross in the north to Elephant & Castle in the south.
The £15 covers the entire day. 05am and again at 3pm, you pay once.
If you stay parked inside the zone all day, you pay once. The charge is not distance-based and does not vary by vehicle type, except for exemptions and discounts.
The boundary is marked by road signs showing a white "C" in a red circle. If you cross that line during charging hours, the charge applies.
Cameras read number plates automatically, and TfL checks payment records overnight.
Tip: If you park just outside the zone and walk or take the Tube for the last mile, you avoid the charge entirely.
Who pays the full £15 and who gets a discount?
Most private car drivers pay the standard £15 rate. 50 for residents who live inside the zone and register for the Congestion Charge Discount.
Blue Badge holders who live in London can also register for the same 90% discount.
Electric vehicles no longer receive an automatic exemption. The Cleaner Vehicle Discount ended in December 2025, so battery-electric and plug-in hybrid cars now pay the full £15 unless the driver qualifies under another category.
Commercial vehicles, taxis and private hire vehicles follow the same £15 rate unless registered for a specific scheme. Black cabs licensed by TfL are exempt.
Motorcycles and mopeds are also exempt, as are emergency service vehicles on active duty.
50 for non-compliant vehicles) is separate and stacks on top of the congestion charge if both apply.
How and when do you pay the congestion charge?
You can pay on the TfL website, by phone (0343 222 2222) or through the TfL app. Payment is accepted from midnight the day before travel up to midnight on the day of travel.
If you forget, you can pay by midnight the following day, but TfL classes this as a late payment and may issue a penalty.
Auto Pay is an account-based system that charges your card automatically each time cameras read your number plate inside the zone. You register the vehicle once, add a payment method, and TfL debits £15 on each charging day.
This avoids the risk of forgetting, but you must keep the payment card valid and the vehicle details current.
If you do not pay by the midnight deadline, TfL issues a Penalty Charge Notice of £160. Pay within 14 days and the penalty drops to £80.
Ignore it and the charge can rise to £240, followed by court action and bailiff referral.
Key figure: TfL processes around 200,000 congestion charge payments every weekday.
How much is congestion charge compared to alternatives?
For a driver making a single errand inside the zone, the £15 charge can exceed the cost of the errand itself. A parking meter in central London typically costs £4 to £6 per hour, so a 30-minute stop might involve £3 in parking plus £15 in congestion charge, totalling £18.
Public transport offers a lower daily cost. 50 for unlimited travel within central London on weekdays.
A return journey from outer London costs around £6 to £10 depending on the zone.
| Option | Daily cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Congestion charge (driving in) | £15 | Plus fuel and parking |
| Tube day cap (Zones 1–2) | £8.50 | Unlimited travel |
| Park-and-ride (just outside zone) | £8–£12 | Parking plus one Tube fare |
| Motorcycle (exempt) | £0 | No congestion charge |
| Resident discount (inside zone) | £1.50 | Requires proof of address |
For regular commuters, an annual season ticket or monthly Travelcard can bring the per-journey cost below £5. Driving incurs the £15 charge every weekday, or £75 per week, which is £3,900 annually for a five-day-a-week driver.
Does the congestion charge apply at weekends and bank holidays?
Yes, but only between noon and 6pm. Before noon and after 6pm, there is no charge on Saturdays, Sundays or bank holidays.
This reduced weekend window was introduced in 2022.
50am on a Saturday and stay until 1pm, you pay £15 because part of your visit falls inside the noon–6pm window. The system does not prorate the charge by the hour.
Christmas Day has no congestion charge at any time. For all other bank holidays, the noon–6pm rule applies.
What London boroughs fall inside the congestion charge zone?
The zone covers parts of Westminster and Camden, most of the City of London, and sections of Lambeth, Southwark, Islington and Tower Hamlets. The boundary does not follow borough lines exactly; it is defined by specific roads.
Key landmarks inside the zone include Oxford Street, Piccadilly Circus, Covent Garden, the Strand, Bank, Liverpool Street, Tower Bridge (approach roads), Waterloo Station and Elephant & Castle. Marylebone Station sits just inside the western edge, and King's Cross St Pancras is just inside the northern edge.
To check whether a specific address falls inside, use a free tool such as ULEZ and zone checker, which shows both the congestion zone and the ULEZ boundary on one map. Enter a postcode and it confirms whether either charge applies.
Tip: The boundary roads themselves are usually not charged, but a turn into any side street inside the line triggers the £15.
How getting your car cleaned inside the zone can offset the charge
Inside the congestion zone, even a short errand can cost more than the errand itself when you add the £15 charge to parking and fuel. The charge covers unlimited entries and exits on that day, so using the same £15 window to complete several tasks makes financial sense.
Booking a valet who comes to the zone means the car is cleaned at the parking space while you handle other business. The valet brings equipment and water, finishes the job in 90 minutes to two hours, and sends before-and-after photos.
You pay the congestion charge once, and the valet adds no extra charged mileage because the work happens where the car is parked.
This approach works best for drivers who park in a private bay, office car park or residential permit space inside the zone. The valet books a time slot, the driver leaves the keys or arranges access, and the car is ready when the driver returns.
Fixed prices start at £75 for an exterior wash and rise to £269 for a full interior and exterior detail, with no hidden fees or post-clean upsells.
For someone who lives or works inside the zone and already pays the congestion charge daily or weekly, a mobile valet removes the need for a separate trip to a car wash outside the zone, which would incur another £15 charge.
Next, read London Congestion Charge: Cost, Zone & How to Pay in 2026 for the detail behind that decision. Next, read London Congestion Charge: Pay, Zone & Times in 2026 for the detail behind that decision.
Frequently asked questions
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No. The congestion charge is £15 per day for driving inside a small central London zone.
50 daily charge for vehicles that do not meet emissions standards, and it covers all of Greater London. 50 total.
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Yes. You can pay up to 90 days in advance on the TfL website or app.
This is useful if you know you will be driving into the zone on specific dates and want to avoid the risk of forgetting on the day.
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Nothing. There is no charge and no payment required.
Charging hours are 7am to 6pm Monday to Friday, and noon to 6pm on weekends and bank holidays. Outside those times, the cameras still record number plates for ULEZ and other enforcement, but no congestion charge applies.
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Yes. If your car is parked inside the zone during charging hours, the charge applies even if the engine never starts.
The charge is based on the vehicle being inside the boundary, not on how much you drive.
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Most London boroughs lie entirely outside the congestion zone. Outer boroughs such as Barnet, Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Ealing, Enfield, Harrow, Havering, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Kingston, Merton, Redbridge, Richmond, Sutton and Waltham Forest have no congestion charge at all.
Only parts of six inner boroughs fall inside the zone.
Summary
How much is congestion charge? £15 per day for most drivers, paid to TfL for any time spent inside the central London zone between 7am and 6pm on weekdays or noon and 6pm on weekends.
Residents get a 90% discount, but most exemptions have ended. Pay by midnight on the day of travel to avoid an £80 to £160 penalty.
If you drive or park inside the zone regularly, check whether a mobile valet visit can fit inside the same charged window and save a second trip. Book at a valet who comes to the zone to have the car cleaned at your parking space with no added mileage.
Valetly is a London mobile valeting marketplace (company number 17255496) connecting vetted, insured independent valets with drivers across all 32 London boroughs, with fixed prices from £75.
