EV drivers will have to pay inner London’s Congestion Charge as part of a push to lower the number of vehicles driving into the capital.
Announced on Thursday by London mayor Sadiq Khan, prices have been set at £13.50 for electric cars and £9 for electric vans.
Previously, all EVs (including those powered by a hydrogen fuel cell) were exempt from the charges under the Cleaner Vehicle Discount.
Khan said that without this change, it's predicted that 2200 more vehicles would have entered the zone each day from 2026.
He added adding that 20% of vehicles that enter the zone currently are electric – and that congestion cost London firms £3.85 billion last year.
“Keeping London moving by reducing congestion is vital for our city and for our economy,” he said. “While the Congestion Charge has been a huge success since its introduction [in 2003], we must ensure it stays fit for purpose.”
As part of the changes, which will come into force on 2 January 2026, the charge for ICE vehicles will increase from £15 to £18, Transport for London (TfL) confirmed earlier this year.
Discounts of up to 90% will continue to be given for residents who live within the zone. Those who move to the zone after 1 March 2027 (and are not on any type of benefit) will get the discount only for an EV.
This news comes a week after the UK government announced plans for a new pay-per-mile road taxing system for EVs.
This move has been criticised by automotive industry bosses as a way of putting off EV ownership at a time when car makers are being legally forced to increase EV sales by the ZEV mandate.
Critics of Khan’s new EV charges argue the same. AA president Edmund King, for instance, called it “a backward step which sadly will backfire on air quality in London”.
He said: “Many drivers are not quite ready to make the switch to electric vehicles, so incentives are still needed to help them over the line.
"The mayor needs to reconsider to continue to help more essential van and car journeys in the capital go electric."
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The busier a City becomes the more congested it gets, nobody yet has come up with a transport system that alleviates this because it can't suit everyone,putting up charges to try and discourage vehicle use in the City is the basic option,and, having a go at Khan because he has to use a Government vehicle albeit a limousine doesn't matter if he's not paying and probably just like all the other ministerial transport it will be budgeted for anyway, no, it's a suck it up scenario,we don't like it but what are we going t9 do about?
Somehow I cannot see Khan giving up his chauffeured Range Rover from where he can look down on the plebs. It would of course be beneath him to go Underground. Spare a thought though for those poor Tube Drivers earning up to £100k a year for 35hrs a week (including breaks), 10 weeks holiday, free travel for them and their families, retirement at 60 on huge final salary pensions etc. The motorist and businesses have to pay the price.
London Underground tube drivers do NOT earn 100k a year. Only the specialist test drivers get anywhere near that (with overtime). The application, interview and training process is extremely rigorous and the role carries a big amount of responsibility. What do you think a highly skilled worker in central London should be on, 30k? Get real.
Ah one of Khans lackies coming to defend the undefendable.
The starting salary for a tube driver is £71k, a resident doctor starts on £38k, are you saying a tube driver is more highly skilled and trained than a doctor? add on a bit of over time or weekend pay and it soon goes over £100k for a tube driver. Why lie?
Oh course there is also the fact its effectively a closed shop for tube driver recruitement, its not what you know, its who you know. Prove me wrong .
Not sure where you got the figure of £100k for a 35hour week for a Tube driver from? the actual figure is under £64K, what's you problem with their final salary pension? they've paid for it and they are fortunate in have an active trade union who defend their working conditions. By London standards a salary of £64k isn't exactly geneorous for a job that's exacting and stressful and for what they do they're well worth the salary that TFL pays them
According to the Independent nation news paper the starting salary of a Tube driver is 70k witout Overtime. Oh and the Union now want a pay rise and lower hours.