London Congestion Charge changes

Transport for London has confirmed some major changes to the London Congestion Charge, including the amalgamation of the existing Greener Vehicle Discount and Electric Vehicle Discount into a single Ultra Low Emission Discount.

London Congestion Charge Logo

The introduction of the ULED scheme, which comes into force on the 1st of July 2013, follows a twelve-week consultation period.

Eligible cars and vans will qualify for a 100% discount on the daily charge, but the criteria are strict:
  • Pure electric vehicles that use an electric motor for propulsion, powered by energy stored in a battery. No petrol or diesel is used. Any vehicles already registered for the EVD will automatically be transferred to the ULED.

  • Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles that use an externally-rechargeable battery pack in addition to a conventional petrol or diesel engine. Minimum range in electric mode must be 10 miles. Cars should be capable of reaching 60 mph, while vans should have a top speed of at least 50 mph. TfL is going to publish a list of eligible vehicles for this category.

  • Petrol- or diesel-powered cars and vans that are Euro 5 compliant and have carbon dioxide emissions of 75 g/km or less.
The move to 75 g/km is significant because the GVD applied to any petrol- or diesel- powered cars that emit 100 g/km or less.

So, on the face of it, the introduction of the ULED is bad news for anybody who bought a car specifically to take advantage of the GVD as, according to the Vehicle Certification Agency, there are currently no models available that would meet the stricter CO2 target.

In fairness to TfL, it did make it clear when the GVD was introduced at the beginning of 2011 that the CO2 limit would be reviewed and would most likely be reduced.

However, there is some good news for those currently registered for the GVD. TfL has agreed that they can continue to enjoy the full Congestion Charge discount for a ‘sunset period’ of three years until the 24th of June 2016.

There is also an opportunity for drivers who don’t fancy buying a pure electric or hybrid vehicle in order to qualify for the ULED. TfL has stated that the GVD will close to new registrations on the 28th of June 2013, therefore anyone thinking of purchasing a sub-100 g/km petrol or diesel car should act quickly if they want to take advantage of the sunset period.

Along with the introduction of the ULED, the penalty charge is increasing from £120 to £130 on the 20th of May 2013. Furthermore, the option to pay the Congestion Charge in shops is being abolished from the 26th of July 2013, simply because only six per cent of people use this channel and it’s no longer cost effective to operate.

For the time being at least, the Congestion Charge remains at £10 per day, or £9 for those registered with the Congestion Charge Auto Pay scheme.

London Congestion Charge Zone 2013

Related post:
Zero Congestion Charge

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