Don’t forget to pay your ULEZ charge after this date or risk facing major penalty

ULEZ has been in place in select areas across the capital since 2019, after first being devised by former Mayor of London Boris Johnson in 2015.

But at the end of this month, the expansion across all London boroughs will come into effect. This means a lot more people will face an extra daily charge for driving in or through London.

By now, it’s known that anyone driving a non-compliant vehicle will pay a daily charge of £12.50. But when do you actually need to pay? And what happens if you pay too late?

When do you need to pay your ULEZ charge?

You have up to midnight on the third day following your journey to pay.

Transport for London (TfL) explains that ‘if you drive within the zone, you’ll have to pay by midnight on the third day following the journey.’

They also add that failing to pay on time puts you in risk of getting a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN).

For ULEZ charges, the PCN is £180. This is the same amount across all vehicles, from cars to minibuses.

However, if you pay your PCN within 14 days, the charge drops to £90.

Refusing to pay a raised PCN against your vehicle within the 28 days of receipt will increase your charge to £1,500 or £240 depending on your vehicle size.

If you continue to ignore the charges, TfL will apply to register your charge as an unpaid debt to the Traffic Enforcement Centre.

How to pay your ULEZ charge

There are different ways to pay any ULEZ charges you accrue.

For people who’ll regularly be driving a non-compliant vehicle, the easiest method would be using Auto Pay.

Auto Pay bills you automatically every month for any Congestion Charges, ULEZ and/or LEZ charges you may owe.

If you’re not a regular motorist across London, it might be easier to just pay for any lone ULEZ charges through the official online portal.

If you’re worried about accidentally forgetting to pay your ULEZ charge – which could be more likely for those who aren’t as used to driving through the capital – you can get peace of mind by paying in advance.

You can pay in advance for any trips up to 90 days in advance.

MORE : Hunt for man ‘who tampered with ULEZ cameras’ in crackdown against ‘Blade Runners’

MORE : Ulez rules explained: As the controversial scheme expands across London is there a charge for parking in the zone?

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