Major changes to London’s Congestion Charge have been confirmed by the Mayor of London and Transport for London (TfL), designed to manage rising congestion and accelerate the transition to cleaner vehicles.

The measures, announced on 13 November, aim to prevent an additional 2,200 vehicles entering the zone each weekday - a surge that would increase queues, emissions and economic costs across the capital.

Central to the update is a new tiered discount structure replacing the Cleaner Vehicle Discount. From 2 January, 2026, the daily charge will rise from £15 to £18 - the first increase since 2020 - while electric vans, HGVs and quadricycles registered for Auto Pay will receive a 50% discount, and electric cars including private hire vehicles will receive 25%. A second phase in March 2030 will reduce these discounts to 25% and 12.5% respectively.

The changes aim to continue incentivising electric vehicle adoption, with EV numbers in the zone already having risen from 20,000 in 2019 to more than 116,000 this year. Additional support will be provided for low-income and disabled residents, and a new 100% discount is being introduced for 'back-to-base' electric car-club vehicles.