London city charges

Driving in London? Be aware of the LEZ, ULEZ and Congestion Charge. Check if your vehicle is exempt in the Caura app, or pay to drive in London in two seconds.

The Caura app's City Charges screen, with AutoPay for London charges
Pay with Caura

An app to pay for all London city charges

Enter your vehicle registration number, pick the London charge you want to pay and confirm. You can also set up AutoPay.

London Congestion Charge, ULEZ and LEZ road signs
Open the Caura app
Head to City Charges
Select your zone
Pick the day and pay. Done.
Summary
London has three active charges: the Congestion Charge, ULEZ and LEZ.
Check if your vehicle is exempt and pay each charge in seconds in the app.
Set up AutoPay for free and let Caura pay each time you drive in a zone.

London has three active vehicle emission charges to improve air quality in the city.

Congestion Charge

The zone covers central London and operates every day of the year except Christmas Day. Find out more about the Congestion Charge.

ULEZ

Known as the Ultra Low Emission Zone. It covers all London boroughs. Find out more about the ULEZ charge.

LEZ

Known as the Low Emission Zone. It covers most of Greater London and charges only buses, coaches and heavy goods vehicles. Find out more about the LEZ charge.

FAQs

London city charges FAQs

When do the London charges apply?

The Congestion Charge, ULEZ and LEZ apply daily. To check operating times for each zone, download Caura and tap 'City Charges'.

How does the Congestion Charge work?

The London Congestion Charge operates from 7am to 6pm on weekdays and 12pm to 6pm on weekends. It's free on Christmas Day. You can pay on the day before travel, the day of travel or the day after, though paying after the day of travel costs more.

For a list of exemptions, or to find out more about the charge, see our Congestion Charge guide.

How does the ULEZ charge work?

The ULEZ operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It's free on Christmas Day.

The ULEZ charge is £12.50 for everyone, with the same fee payable if you pay in advance, on the day or the day after.

For a list of exemptions, or to find out more about the charge, see our ULEZ guide.

How does the LEZ charge work?

The LEZ operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The daily charges are:

  • £100 for vans or specialist diesel vehicles (over 1.205 tonnes unladen weight up to 3.5 tonnes gross vehicle weight) or minibuses (up to 5 tonnes) which don't meet Euro 3 standards
  • £100 for HGVs, lorries, vans and specialist heavy vehicles over 3.5 tonnes, as well as buses, minibuses and coaches over 5 tonnes, which don't meet Euro VI (NOx and PM) standards but meet Euro IV (PM)
  • £300 for HGVs, lorries, vans and specialist heavy vehicles over 3.5 tonnes, as well as buses, minibuses and coaches over 5 tonnes, which don't meet Euro IV (PM)

For a list of exemptions, or to find out more about the charge, see our LEZ guide.

Which areas do the zones cover?

The Congestion Charge covers central London, while the ULEZ and LEZ extend to areas within Greater London.

How can I pay for London city charges?

Download Caura and enter your vehicle registration number in the app. Tap 'City Charges', select the charge you want to pay and confirm payment. Done.

What is AutoPay?

If you drive into any of the London charging zones often, set up AutoPay in the app and leave the rest to us. AutoPay is free to set up and lets Caura take automatic payments each time you drive in the zone.

Still have questions?

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