How to challenge a ULEZ, Congestion Charge or Clean Air Zone penalty

What is a ULEZ, Congestion Charge or Clean Air Zone penalty?

If you drive in a charging zone and the daily charge is not paid in time, the authority sends a penalty charge notice to the registered keeper. This covers the London ULEZ and Congestion Charge, Clean Air Zones in other cities, and charged crossings.

These schemes are stricter than parking. Not knowing about the zone, or not seeing the signs, is rarely accepted on its own. The grounds are set out in regulations.

Which grounds work?

• The charge was paid, or you had an active auto-pay account, and you can show it.
• Your vehicle meets the emissions standard or is exempt, and the authority's records are wrong.
• You were not the registered keeper on that date: you had sold it, or had not yet bought it.
• The vehicle was on hire to someone else under a hire agreement.
• The vehicle was used without your consent, for example it was stolen or cloned. A crime reference helps.
• The penalty is more than the amount that applies.

Not sure which of these fit your notice? Check it free. You see the verdict and the deadline before you pay.

Can the authority use its discretion?

Authorities can also cancel a penalty at their discretion. Clear evidence of a genuine mistake, such as paying for the wrong date or the wrong number plate, or of circumstances outside your control, is worth putting even when no formal ground applies. It is their choice, so this is a request rather than a right.

Who decides?

You make representations to the authority first, by the date on the notice. If it rejects them it must tell you how to appeal to an independent adjudicator: London Tribunals for the London schemes, the Traffic Penalty Tribunal for most others. The appeal is free.