Thousands of motorists could be forced to pay a hefty daily rate if major rule changes affecting London’s congestion charge are introduced next year.
The Transport for London website states that only battery electric vehicles or hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are eligible for the cleaner vehicle discount.
However, the discount for cleaner vehicles under the Congestion Charge will expire from 25 December 2025.
From this date, all vehicle owners will have to pay to enter the Congestion Charge zone during charging hours, unless they benefit from another discount or exemption.
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Electric vehicle owners will soon have to pay £15 per day within the congestion charge zone
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Once the exemption expires, drivers will have to pay the standard rate of £15 per day if they drive in the zone between 7am and 6pm Monday to Friday, or between 12pm and 6pm at weekends.
The decision to remove this exemption was met with opposition from motorists, motoring organisations and other organisations, who believe the decision could harm the acceptance of electric vehicles.
TfL said scrapping the exemption “will maintain the effectiveness of the congestion charge, which was put in place to manage traffic and congestion in the heart of London,” the BBC reported.
The change would form part of TfL’s phased approach to reducing road transport emissions in the capital and would go hand in hand with the Ultra Low Emission Zone.
According to TfL data, there are 112,318 cars and vans registered with the cleaner vehicle exemption, of which 15,782 are private hire vehicles.
The opening hours of 12:00 to 18:00 also apply on public holidays. Drivers do not have to pay a surcharge between Christmas and New Year either.
Originally, registering for the discount cost £10 for each vehicle that qualified for the exemption. Registration had to be renewed every year.
A Transport for London spokesperson told GB News: “The Mayor and TfL have taken industry-leading action to tackle the triple threat of air pollution, congestion and climate change.
“The introduction of the London ULEZ has led to dramatic improvements in air quality and over 52,000 grants have been approved for Londoners, businesses and charities to switch to cleaner vehicles. There are now 70,000 fewer non-compliant vehicles on London’s roads.”
“The cleaner vehicle discount in the Congestion Charge was part of our phased plan to tackle London’s toxic air.
“By abolishing the cleaner vehicle discount from 25 December 2025, the Congestion Charge, which was introduced to manage traffic and congestion in the heart of London, will remain effective.”
Other exemptions will remain in place after December 25, including discounts for residents, disabled parking permit holders, vehicles with nine or more seats, motorised tricycles, roadside recovery vehicles and recognised breakdown vehicles.
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Sadiq Khan has previously been praised by the World Health Organization for his work in reducing emissions figures
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Oliver Lord of environmental campaign group Clean Cities called the change “baffling” and said incentives for companies to switch to electric vehicles would be one of the best ways to tackle the most polluting vehicles.
However, Caroline Russell AM, leader of the City Hall Greens, said: “If every Londoner drives an electric car, we won’t solve traffic congestion, air pollution or the climate crisis.
“The best solution to any concerns about unfairness in these types of changes is to move to smart, fair road user tolls.”