Electric cars to lose exemption from congestion charge from January

Electric vehicles will no longer be exempt from London's congestion charge starting January 2nd, 2025. The daily charge itself will also increase from £15 to £18 on the same date. Currently, pure battery-powered EVs receive a 100% discount, but this will be reduced to a 25% discount for cars and 50% for vans and lorries from January. This discount will be further reduced to 12.5% for cars and 25% for vans and lorries from March 4th, 2030. Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan, stated that this change is necessary to ensure the congestion charge scheme remains effective as the number of electric vehicles on the road has significantly increased. Transport for London (TfL) estimates that EVs will constitute nearly a fifth of all vehicles in the congestion charging zone by the end of the current year. Without these adjustments, TfL predicts over 2,000 additional vehicles could enter the zone on an average weekday, which would counteract the scheme's benefits by causing increased queues and delays. Motoring experts have criticized the decision, calling it a "backward step" that could negatively impact air quality and penalize vehicles contributing to cleaner air. They argue that incentives are still needed to encourage drivers to switch to electric vehicles. Sir Sadiq Khan acknowledged the need to support Londoners and businesses in adopting sustainable travel, emphasizing that substant... download the app to read more