Quick Summary
The London Congestion Charge is £18 a day, from 7am–6pm on weekdays and noon–6pm at weekends. Black cabs are exempt; minicabs are not. But here is the part that matters if you are flying: no London airport is inside the zone — so a LondonAirport‑Taxi.com transfer to Heathrow, Gatwick or anywhere else simply never touches it. Fares are fixed at booking either way. Rated 4.9/5 across 450+ reviews.
Congestion Charge Times — When You Actually Pay
This is the question most people are really asking, so here it is first. The charge applies:
- Monday to Friday: 7am to 6pm
- Saturday, Sunday and bank holidays: noon to 6pm
- Never between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, inclusive
Outside those hours the zone is free. Drive in at 6:15pm on a Tuesday and you pay nothing. It is also one charge per calendar day, not per trip — cross the zone six times on the same day and you still pay once.
That matters for airport runs more than you might think: a great many flights leave early, and a 5am departure from central London falls comfortably outside charging hours.
What It Costs in 2026
The charge rose from £15 to £18 on 2 January 2026, so any guide still quoting £15 is out of date.
| London Congestion Charge 2026 | Cost | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Standard daily charge | £18 | Paid in advance, or by midnight on the day you drive |
| Late payment | £21 | If paid by midnight on the third day after travel |
| Penalty charge notice (PCN) | £180 | Reduced to £90 if paid within 14 days; £270 after 28 days |
| Electric vehicles | £13.50 | 25% Auto Pay discount — the 100% EV exemption ended 25 Dec 2025 |
| ULEZ (separate scheme) | £12.50 | All Greater London, 24/7, if your vehicle is non-compliant |
| Worst case, one day | £30.50 | Congestion Charge + ULEZ together |
Pay in advance or on the day and it is £18. Leave it and the price climbs, then becomes a penalty. TfL’s cameras read every plate entering the zone, so an unpaid trip is found rather than missed.
Do Taxis Pay the Congestion Charge?
It depends entirely on what kind of taxi, and the distinction is worth knowing because it is not obvious from the pavement.
- Licensed London black cabs: exempt. Any hackney carriage with a current TfL taxi licence can enter the zone freely.
- Minicabs and private hire cars: not exempt. Private hire vehicles lost their exemption in April 2019. A booked minicab crossing the zone in charging hours is liable like any other car.
- Wheelchair-accessible private hire vehicles: still exempt. The one carve-out that survived — see our wheelchair accessible taxi page.
- Minibuses and anything with nine or more seats: exempt. A quiet argument for putting a group in one minibus with a driver rather than three cars.
We are a private hire operator, so our cars are in the second category, not the first. We would rather say that plainly than let anyone assume a black-cab exemption we do not have.
Does It Affect Your Airport Transfer? Usually Not
Here is the genuinely reassuring bit, and it is simply a fact of geography: none of the six London airports is inside the Congestion Charge zone.
Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton, London City and Southend all sit well outside it. The zone is a small patch of central London — roughly eight square miles — and a run from the suburbs, the home counties or anywhere beyond to an airport does not go near it.
The charge could only arise if your pickup or drop-off is inside central London during charging hours. Even then, our fares are fixed at booking: the price you agree is the price you pay, with no meter and nothing added on the day. You will not be handed a surprise at the kerb.
Where the Zone Actually Is
The Congestion Charge zone covers about eight square miles of central London, bounded roughly by:
- North: Marylebone Road and Euston Road
- East: Tower Bridge Road and Commercial Street
- South: Elephant and Castle and New Kent Road
- West: Park Lane
Inside it you have the City, Westminster, Soho, Mayfair, Covent Garden, Fitzrovia and the South Bank. Every entry point is signed with a white letter C in a red circle, and TfL’s website has a postcode checker if you are unsure about a specific address. The boundary roads themselves are outside the zone — you can drive along Euston Road without paying.
Congestion Charge vs ULEZ — Two Different Things
People conflate these constantly, and they are separate schemes that you can pay on the same day.
The Congestion Charge is about traffic. It is £18, applies only in central London, and only during charging hours. It does not care what your car emits.
The ULEZ is about air quality. It is £12.50, covers the whole of Greater London, runs 24 hours a day, every day, and depends entirely on your vehicle’s emissions — broadly Euro 4 for petrol, Euro 6 for diesel. Most petrol cars from 2006 and most diesels from late 2015 are compliant and pay nothing.
So a non-compliant car in the middle of town at midday on a Tuesday owes £30.50 for that day: £18 plus £12.50.
Electric Cars No Longer Get In Free
This one has caught a lot of drivers out. The 100% Cleaner Vehicle Discount ended on 25 December 2025. Since 2 January 2026, electric vehicles pay the Congestion Charge like everyone else — with a 25% discount, £13.50 instead of £18, if the vehicle is registered on TfL Auto Pay.
Electric cars do remain exempt from ULEZ, indefinitely. That is the scheme people are usually thinking of when they say EVs drive free in London, and it still holds — just not for the Congestion Charge.
Discounts Worth Knowing About
- Blue Badge holders: 100% discount, for up to two vehicles. You must register in advance.
- Residents of the zone: 90% discount, with proof of address.
- Motorcycles and mopeds: fully exempt from the Congestion Charge (though not from ULEZ).
- Nine or more seats: 100% discount, which is what covers minibuses and coaches.
Registration is the catch on most of these — the discounts are not applied automatically, and TfL will not backdate one because you meant to sign up.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What are the London Congestion Charge times?
The charge applies Monday to Friday from 7am to 6pm, and from noon to 6pm on Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays. Outside those hours you can drive through the zone for nothing. It does not operate at all between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day inclusive. It is one charge per calendar day, however many times you enter the zone that day — not a charge per trip.
How much is the London Congestion Charge in 2026?
£18 a day if you pay in advance or by midnight on the day you drive. It rises to £21 if you pay by midnight on the third day afterwards. Miss that and TfL issues a £180 penalty, reduced to £90 if you pay within 14 days. The charge went up from £15 to £18 on 2 January 2026, so older guides quoting £15 are out of date.
Are taxis exempt from the London Congestion Charge?
Licensed London black cabs are fully exempt — any hackney carriage with a current TfL taxi licence. Minicabs are not. Private hire vehicles lost their exemption in April 2019, so a booked minicab entering the zone in charging hours is liable, with one exception: wheelchair-accessible private hire vehicles remain exempt.
Will the Congestion Charge be added to my airport transfer?
Almost certainly not, because none of the six London airports sits inside the zone. Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton, London City and Southend are all well outside it. The charge could only ever arise if your pickup or drop-off is in central London during charging hours — and even then, our fares are fixed at booking, so the price you agree is the price you pay.
Is the Congestion Charge the same as ULEZ?
No, they are two separate schemes and you can pay both on the same day. The Congestion Charge is £18, applies only in central London, and only during charging hours. ULEZ is £12.50, covers the whole of Greater London, runs 24 hours a day, and depends on your vehicle’s emissions rather than the time. A non-compliant car in the middle of town at midday could owe £30.50.
Are electric cars still free in the Congestion Charge zone?
Not any more, and this catches people out. The 100% Cleaner Vehicle Discount ended on 25 December 2025. Since 2 January 2026 electric vehicles pay the charge, with a 25% discount — £13.50 instead of £18 — if the vehicle is registered on TfL Auto Pay. Electric vehicles do remain exempt from ULEZ, which is a separate scheme.
Do minibuses pay the Congestion Charge?
No. Vehicles with nine or more seats qualify for a 100% discount, which covers minibuses. So a group travelling to an airport in one minibus does not attract the charge even if the route crosses central London during charging hours. It is one of the quieter arguments for putting a large group in a single vehicle rather than several cars.
Where exactly is the Congestion Charge zone?
It covers roughly eight square miles of central London, bounded broadly by Marylebone Road and Euston Road to the north, Tower Bridge Road and Commercial Street to the east, Elephant and Castle and New Kent Road to the south, and Park Lane to the west. Entry points are signed with a white letter C in a red circle. TfL’s website has a postcode checker if you are unsure about a specific address.
Summary: The Congestion Charge and Your Taxi
£18 a day. 7am–6pm on weekdays, noon–6pm at weekends and bank holidays, nothing between Christmas and New Year. One charge per calendar day, not per trip. Late payment is £21; ignore it and the penalty is £180.
Black cabs are exempt. Minicabs are not, and have not been since April 2019 — wheelchair-accessible private hire and anything with nine seats or more being the exceptions. ULEZ is a different scheme entirely: £12.50, all of Greater London, around the clock.
But for an airport transfer, the whole question is usually moot: no London airport is inside the zone. Whether you are flying from Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton, London City or Southend, pre-book a fixed-fare transfer and the price you are quoted is the price you pay — you can also work out a fare or check current London taxi and minicab rates before you decide.
