Photo: Gawon Lee / Pexels. Illustrative photograph.
New drivers in Great Britain can run into four kinds of road user charge: Clean Air Zones in English cities, London’s ULEZ and Congestion Charge, Scotland’s Low Emission Zones, and the Dartford Crossing’s Dart Charge. None of them has barriers or toll booths: cameras read your number plate, and if you owe a charge and do not pay on time, you get a penalty. This guide explains which zones exist, how to check your car, and the payment deadlines as of November 2026.
Key facts (as of November 2026)
| Charge | Where | Car charge | Pay by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clean Air Zones | Bath, Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Portsmouth, Sheffield, Tyneside | Only if your vehicle does not meet the zone’s standard; amount varies by zone | Check the zone on GOV.UK |
| ULEZ | All London boroughs | £12.50 a day for non-compliant cars | Check TfL |
| Congestion Charge | Central London | £18 a day if paid in advance or on the day; £21 if paid later | Midnight on the third day after travel |
| Low Emission Zones | Glasgow, Dundee, Aberdeen, Edinburgh | No charge: non-compliant vehicles must stay out or face a penalty | Not applicable |
| Dart Charge | Dartford Crossing (A282, Thames) | £3.50 one-off, £2.80 with a pre-pay account | Midnight the day after you cross |
How to check if your car has to pay
- Clean Air Zones in England: use the GOV.UK “Drive in a clean air zone” vehicle checker with your number plate. It tells you which zones charge your vehicle.
- London ULEZ and Congestion Charge: GOV.UK says London’s zones have a different vehicle check. Use the checker on the TfL website.
- Scotland’s Low Emission Zones: use the Scottish LEZ vehicle checker linked from GOV.UK and the Low Emission Zones Scotland site.
- Dartford: every car pays, apart from the exemptions below.
A car that meets one zone’s standard usually meets the others, but always check each zone you plan to enter. Older diesel cars are the most likely to be charged.
Clean Air Zones in England
GOV.UK lists seven zones: Bath, Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Portsmouth, Sheffield and Tyneside (Newcastle and Gateshead). You might need to pay if your vehicle does not meet emissions standards. Each zone decides which vehicle types pay, so a zone may charge buses, taxis or vans but not private cars. To pay for a single vehicle, you need a credit or debit card. Check each zone’s charge and deadline on GOV.UK before you travel.
London: ULEZ and the Congestion Charge
ULEZ
- Covers all London boroughs.
- £12.50 a day for cars, motorcycles, vans and minibuses that do not meet the standard.
- Charging days run midnight to midnight, every day except Christmas Day.
Congestion Charge
- Applies in central London, 7am to 6pm Monday to Friday and noon to 6pm on weekends and bank holidays.
- From 2 January 2026, £18 a day if paid in advance or on the day, or £21 if paid by midnight on the third day after travel. You can pay up to 90 days ahead.
- It is separate from ULEZ: a non-compliant car driving in central London during charging hours can owe both.
Transport for London sets these charges and can change them. Check TfL before you drive into London.
Scotland’s Low Emission Zones
Glasgow (from 1 June 2023), Dundee (from 30 May 2024), and Aberdeen and Edinburgh (from 1 June 2024) enforce Low Emission Zones. There is no fee to enter. If your vehicle does not meet the standard, you should not drive it into the zone. If you do, you get a penalty charge that increases for repeat contraventions. Vehicles carrying a Blue Badge holder are exempt. See how driving rules differ in England, Scotland and Wales.
Dart Charge at the Dartford Crossing
- When it applies: usually 6am to 10pm, including weekends and bank holidays.
- Car charge: £3.50 for a one-off payment, or £2.80 with a pre-pay Dart Charge account.
- Deadline: pay by midnight the day after you cross. GOV.UK warns that if you do not pay on time you might get a fine.
- Exemptions: motorcycles, mopeds and quad bikes, and vehicles with free vehicle tax because of a disability.
- Pay the official way: pay on GOV.UK or through a Dart Charge account. Search results may show unofficial sites that add their own fees.
Penalties: what happens if you forget
- Each scheme can send a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) to the registered keeper of the vehicle.
- Penalties are much higher than the charge itself. Some schemes reduce the penalty if you pay it quickly; Scotland’s LEZ penalty, for example, is halved if paid within 14 days.
- If you were driving someone else’s car, the PCN goes to the keeper, so tell them and pay the charge yourself.
Check the current penalty amounts on GOV.UK, TfL or the Scottish LEZ site, as they differ by scheme.
Tips for learners and new drivers
- Learner cars are not exempt. Charges depend on the vehicle, not the driver. If you practise in a family car, check it before you head into a zone.
- Choosing a first car? An older diesel may be cheap to buy but costly to drive in cities. Run the checkers before you buy. See choosing your first car.
- Set up an account if you will drive through a zone or the crossing often, so you never miss a deadline.
- Know your documents. Keep the V5C up to date so penalty letters reach the right keeper. See car documents: MOT, tax, insurance and V5C.
Common questions
Do I pay ULEZ and the Congestion Charge on the same trip?
You can owe both. They are separate charges with different areas and hours.
Is there a toll booth at Dartford?
No. You pay online, by phone or through an account, by midnight the day after you cross.
Does my car need to pay in Birmingham or Bristol?
Only if it does not meet that zone’s standard for your vehicle type. Use the GOV.UK checker with your number plate.
Can I pay the Glasgow LEZ charge?
No. Scotland’s zones do not have a charge you can pay to enter. Non-compliant vehicles get a penalty.
Are electric cars charged?
Fully electric cars have no exhaust emissions, so they meet emissions zone standards. The Congestion Charge and Dart Charge are not emissions charges, so check TfL and GOV.UK for whether any discount applies to your car.
Will my driving test route go through a charging zone?
If you are taking your test in your own car near a zone, check the car with the official checker and ask your instructor about the route area.
Back to the full guide to learning to drive in Great Britain.
Sources
- GOV.UK, “Driving in a clean air zone” (gov.uk)
- GOV.UK, “Pay the Dartford Crossing charge (Dart Charge)” (gov.uk)
- GOV.UK, “Dart Charge: charges” (gov.uk)
- Transport for London, “Congestion Charge” (tfl.gov.uk)
- Transport for London, “ULEZ: where and when” (tfl.gov.uk)
- Transport Scotland, “Low Emission Zones introduced across Scotland” (transport.gov.scot)