From 25 December 2025, a major change is coming to London’s congestion charge rules.
The Cleaner Vehicle Discount, which currently exempts fully electric and hydrogen-fuelled vehicles from the £15 daily fee, will officially come to an end.
This means that starting from 2 January 2026 (due to the annual holiday suspension from 25 December to 1 January), all vehicles, regardless of fuel type, will be subject to the daily congestion charge when driving in central London’s congestion-charge zone.
What’s changing with the congestion charge?
As the Cleaner Vehicle Discount will be discontinued, electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles will now be treated the same as petrol and diesel vehicles regarding the congestion charge.
The rate of congestion charge is not changing, so the daily charge remains £15.
Why the change in congestion charge?
The exemption was originally introduced to encourage uptake of zero-emission vehicles.
This has had notable success, as there are now more EVs being driven than in the past.
However, with EVs now more common, Transport for London is shifting focus from emissions to reducing overall traffic congestion.
This means that if you drive an EV or hydrogen vehicle in London’s congestion zone, you’ll need to start paying the congestion charge from 2 January 2026.
As such, you should consider planning your travel and budgeting accordingly so that you are not caught out by an unexpected fee.
For more details and to check if your route falls within the congestion charge zone, visit the Transport for London website.
Our specialist team can support you with compliance awareness so that you do not get caught out by changes. Contact Jared Dunbar today for help.