Do Electric Cars Pay Congestion Charge? UK Rules 2026
EV Charger Guidance • Page 26

Do Electric Cars
Pay Congestion Charge?

From December 2025 yes. EVs lost their Cleaner Vehicle Discount exemption from the London Congestion Charge. UK EVs now pay the full daily charge in central London. ULEZ exemption remains separate. Here are the current rules and what they mean for UK EV drivers.

Authored by: NAPIT Approved Engineers
Reviewed: April 2026
Coverage: Bedford, Milton Keynes, Northampton, Luton
Quick answer

From 25 December 2025 yes. The Cleaner Vehicle Discount that exempted EVs from the London Congestion Charge ended on 25 December 2025. UK EVs now pay the standard £15 daily Congestion Charge if driving in the central London zone during charging hours. The London ULEZ exemption is separate and EVs remain exempt from the £12.50 daily ULEZ charge. EVs continue to be exempt from clean air zones in Birmingham, Bristol and other UK cities.

£15/day

London CC Now Paid

Standard London Congestion Charge of £15 per day applies to EVs from 25 December 2025. Same rate as petrol and diesel.

Dec 2025ended

EV Discount Ended

The Cleaner Vehicle Discount that exempted EVs from the London CC ended on 25 December 2025.

£0ULEZ

London ULEZ

Pure EVs remain exempt from the £12.50 daily London ULEZ charge. The exemption is permanent at present.

£0elsewhere

Other UK CAZ

Pure EVs remain exempt from Birmingham, Bristol, Sheffield, Bradford and Newcastle Clean Air Zone charges.

In this guide

What this page covers

01What changed in December 2025 02How CC differs from ULEZ 03Other UK city charges 04What this means for owners

Why London EV drivers now pay the Congestion Charge

Before 25 December 2025, EVs in London benefited from the Cleaner Vehicle Discount which provided a 100 percent discount on the daily Congestion Charge. The discount was originally introduced to encourage EV adoption when the technology was new. Transport for London (TfL) announced in late 2023 that the discount would end in December 2025 because EV adoption had grown sufficiently that the incentive was no longer needed.

The change means UK EV drivers now pay the full £15 daily Congestion Charge in central London during charging hours (7am to 6pm Monday to Friday and 12pm to 6pm Saturday and Sunday). The same rules and rates apply to all vehicle types regardless of fuel.

How CC differs from ULEZ

London has two separate charging schemes. The Congestion Charge applies to a small central zone within the City and West End. It charges all vehicles £15 per day for driving in that zone during peak hours regardless of emissions. The Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) covers a much wider area inside the M25 and charges £12.50 per day to vehicles that fail emissions standards. Pure EVs are exempt from ULEZ but no longer from CC.

It is technically possible for an EV to pay the £15 CC for driving in the central zone but be exempt from the £12.50 ULEZ for the same trip. The two zones overlap geographically but are administered separately.

Birmingham and other UK cities

EVs remain exempt from the Birmingham Clean Air Zone (£8 daily for non-compliant cars), Bristol CAZ, Sheffield CAZ, Bradford CAZ and Newcastle CAZ. These schemes are emissions-based rather than congestion-based so the EV exemption applies. Other UK cities including Manchester have proposed but not yet activated similar zones. The Welsh Government is considering similar schemes in Cardiff and Swansea.

What it means in practice

The CC change is a meaningful cost increase for EV-driving Londoners who frequently enter the central zone during charging hours. A daily commuter who used to pay zero now pays £15 per day or £3,750 per year if commuting every working day. For most UK EV drivers outside London, the change has no impact because the Congestion Charge is geographically limited.

Authoritative context

London road pricing schemes are administered by Transport for London (TfL) under powers granted by the Greater London Authority Act 1999 and subsequent legislation. The Congestion Charge has applied since 2003. The Cleaner Vehicle Discount that exempted EVs ended on 25 December 2025 following announcement in October 2023. ULEZ is governed by separate regulations and continues to exempt zero-emission vehicles. Other UK Clean Air Zones are administered by the relevant local authorities under the Environment Act 1995 and Defra's Clean Air Zone Framework. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) coordinates national policy on clean air zones and EV exemptions.

UK EV charging zone costs in 2026

London Congestion Charge (EV now pays)
£15 per day during charging hours in the central zone. EVs lost their exemption December 2025.
£15/day
London ULEZ (EV exempt)
£12.50 per day for non-compliant vehicles inside the M25. Pure EVs remain fully exempt.
£0/day
Birmingham, Bristol etc CAZ (EV exempt)
£7 to £9 per day in various UK Clean Air Zones. All current schemes exempt pure EVs.
£0/day

Timeline of UK EV road pricing changes

1

April 2019

London ULEZ introduced. Pure EVs exempt from the £12.50 daily charge. Petrol pre-2006 and diesel pre-2015 must pay.

2

August 2023

London ULEZ extended to all London boroughs inside the M25. EV exemption maintained.

3

October 2023

TfL announces Congestion Charge Cleaner Vehicle Discount will end in December 2025. UK EV drivers given 26 months notice.

4

25 December 2025

EV exemption from London CC ends. UK EVs now pay £15 per day to drive in central London during charging hours.

Key UK EV road pricing facts

London CC now applies

From December 2025, UK EVs pay the £15 daily London Congestion Charge in the central zone during charging hours.

ULEZ still exempt

Pure EVs remain exempt from the £12.50 daily London ULEZ. Separate scheme from CC with different rules.

Other UK cities still exempt

Birmingham, Bristol, Sheffield, Bradford and Newcastle Clean Air Zones continue to exempt pure EVs.

Plan for the cost

Daily London CC commuters now face £15 per day or around £3,750 per year. Factor this in when calculating EV total cost in London.

London zones (EV impact)

  • Congestion Charge: £15/day (now paid)
  • ULEZ: £0 (still exempt)
  • Geographic overlap exists
  • Different schemes, different rules
  • Daily commuter: £3,750/yr CC
  • Charging hours apply

Other UK CAZ schemes

  • Birmingham CAZ: £0 (exempt)
  • Bristol CAZ: £0 (exempt)
  • Sheffield CAZ: £0 (exempt)
  • Bradford CAZ: £0 (exempt)
  • Newcastle CAZ: £0 (exempt)
  • All current UK CAZ schemes exempt EVs

Road pricing is one factor in EV ownership economics. The wider EV Charger Guidance hub covers running cost, home charger install, the buying decision and the practical questions UK drivers ask about everyday EV ownership.

If you want the wider charges picture, our guide on do electric cars pay ulez covers the London ULEZ rules. The road tax angle is in do electric cars pay road tax. For environmental context see are electric cars better for the environment.

ULEZ

Do electric cars pay ulez

 Road Tax

Do electric cars pay road tax

 Environment

Are electric cars better for the environment
Frequently asked

Common questions

Why did London EVs lose their Congestion Charge exemption?
Transport for London announced in October 2023 that the Cleaner Vehicle Discount had served its purpose. EV adoption had grown sufficiently that the financial incentive was no longer needed to drive uptake. The Congestion Charge is fundamentally about reducing traffic in central London, not about emissions, so applying it to EVs is consistent with the underlying purpose. UK EV drivers were given 26 months notice ahead of the December 2025 end date.
Is there any London Congestion Charge discount for EVs now?
No, not for the daily charge itself. UK EV drivers pay the full £15 daily CC the same as petrol and diesel drivers. The TfL residents discount applies to all vehicle types within the zone but is unrelated to fuel. Some employers offset CC costs through expense policies but this is unrelated to EV-specific rules. The financial incentive of EV ownership in London now comes solely from running cost savings rather than zone exemptions.
Will the ULEZ exemption for EVs also end?
Not currently planned. The London ULEZ exemption for pure EVs is permanent at the time of writing. ULEZ is fundamentally about emissions and EVs produce zero tailpipe emissions, so the exemption is consistent with the scheme's purpose. Future policy could change but no announcement has been made. Plug-in hybrids remain subject to ULEZ rules where they fail emissions standards even with EV operation.
Do EVs pay any other UK road charges?
Currently no road-pricing charges apart from London CC and standard VED. UK Clean Air Zones in Birmingham, Bristol, Sheffield, Bradford and Newcastle all exempt pure EVs. Toll roads (M6 Toll, Dartford Crossing, Mersey Gateway) charge EVs at the same rates as petrol cars without exemption. Future road pricing schemes may or may not include EV exemptions depending on the scheme purpose.
How do I pay the London Congestion Charge in my EV?
Same as any other vehicle. Register through the TfL Auto Pay service which automatically charges your account each day you drive in the zone, register through the TfL website on a per-day basis or pay through the TfL app. Auto Pay is the cheapest option at £14 per day vs £15 for daily payment. Failure to pay results in a Penalty Charge Notice of £180 (reduced to £90 if paid within 14 days).

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