How to Avoid Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ)
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If you are driving around London and the signs are stressing you out — this article is for you. I was told this is easy; check ‘Avoid Tolls’ in GoogleMaps App or Waze and plan your journey!
Get clear on which Emission Zone applies to you.
Is it LEZ or ULEZ? The signs can seem very similar and maybe hard to tell apart as you drive around. There are three zones in operation around London, you can check all three at once on TFL website.
The Congestion Charge covers central London. The ULEZ covers central London and the area up to, but not including, the North and South Circular Roads (A406 and A205). LEZ covers most of Greater London.-TFL
Low Emission Zone — Every day of the year but only affects the heaviest and most polluting of vehicles.
Ultra Low Emission Zone — Every day of the year, except Christmas Day.
Is There a Way to Check If I have gone into the ULEZ Zone?
‘No’ is the short answer.
TFL has no invoice system in operation. It relies on you to understand whether you stray into the zone and to make a payment within 72 hours.
This makes it very tricky if your intention is to avoid the zone but you worry about whether you may accidentally take the wrong turn off (see list of turn offs that are included or excluded along the boundary here). If you are caught on camera but do not pay first you know about it is a fine delivered to your address. There is no way to check before this, except maybe you could try web chat M-F 8am–4pm.
To put your mind at ease you could use the TFL Auto Pay service. This enables TFL to deduct the £12.50 charge directly from your card on days it picks you up on cameras. You must pay an annual charge of £10 for this ‘convenience’.
If in doubt you can try using check a postcode on TFL.
What if you don’t pay?
If you forget or choose to hope for the best you will receive a fine in the post for £160. You get a 50% discount for prompt payment within 14 days of issue.
In 2019 Money Saving Expert submitted a freedom of information request and discovered that it was an almost 50/50 split between appeals accepted and rejected. However this was back in November 2019 their approach may have changed over the years, interesting points in their article:
TfL said the most common reasons for appeals being rejected were motorists claiming they were unaware of the scheme or how it operates, or motorists claiming they had tried to pay.
If you need more time to pay
…act quickly — if your appeal is received by TfL within 14 days, ie, within the reduced payment period, the clock is essentially stopped while your appeal is considered. If your appeal is then rejected, you’ll still have the chance to pay £80 rather than £160. — Money Saving Expert
Good luck out there!
