Do Motorbikes Pay Congestion Charge In London?

Motorcyclists have many pressures to contend with on the road. They must always remain aware of pedestrians, taxis, cyclists, and buses, amongst other drivers and hazards.

In London, riding could be even more anxiety-inducing due to the vast number of drivers in the capital city and the last thing you need will be a fine for driving somewhere you're not supposed to on your motorbike! That's why you need to be aware of congestion charges.

What are they? What are low and ultra-low emission zones? In what areas do they apply? Most importantly, do motorbikes pay congestion charges?

We will cover all these questions so that you don't get hit with a hefty fine!

What is the congestion charge?

To drive in London's congestion zone areas between 7:00am -- 6:00pm Monday to Friday, and noon -- 6:00pm Saturday and Sunday, you must pay a daily or annual fee. The daily charge is £15, whereas the yearly charge is £10 for each vehicle you register.

The congestion charge zone in Central London covers the North and South Circular Roads (A406 and A205). It also includes areas like the West End, renowned for its tourist attractions, theatres and historic government buildings.

Surrounding boroughs, such as Southwark, Lambeth and Camden, are covered by the congestion charge. So, why do motorbikes pay congestion charges?

Introduced in February 2003, this charge sought to tackle traffic congestion and air pollution. Transport for London believed that charging drivers a daily or annual fee to drive in these areas would make London's air cleaner and, obviously, reduce congestion.

Do motorbikes pay congestion charges in London?

No, but there are some exceptions. The Congestion Charge does not apply to motorcycles with a sidecar, two-wheeled motorcycles or mopeds. But if you are the proud owner of a motor tricycle, you won't get away so lightly.

Any motor trike that measures over 2 metres long and 1 metre wide must be registered with Transport for London. You can pay a daily £15 charge or choose the much cheaper £10 yearly fee.

However, motor trikes that measure under these specifications qualify for a 100% discount! To receive this, you must send photographs of your vehicle from different angles, such as the sides, back and front, alongside your V5C document and registration plate.

Other vehicles, like cars, vans, buses, lorries and HGVs, must pay the daily or annual charge. If you pay before midnight the day you enter the zone or a few days in advance, the £15 charge applies. But if you enter the congestion zones and pay later, your fee will rise to £17.50.

What are low-emission zones?

LEZs, also known as low-emission zones, are separate from congestion charges and are in place 24 hours a day. LEZ fees came into place in 2008, five years after the success of congestion charges, and also focused on improving the city's air quality.

LEZs enforce much stricter rules on drivers than the congestion charge, with some vehicles restricted from entering altogether. It covers most of Greater London and areas of the M1 and M4 motorways.

So, do motorbikes pay congestion charges and low-emission fees? No! LEZ fees are more specific to heavy-polluting, large diesel vehicles as the table below shows.

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Vehicle	Weight	Daily Charge
Larger vans, motorised horseboxes, 4×4 light utility vehicles, pick-ups, specialist vehicles	1.205 tonnes unladen or more	£100
Motor caravans, ambulances	2.5 – 3.5 tonnes gross vehicle weight	£100
Mini-buses (with more than eight passenger seats)		£100
Lorries, goods vehicles, motor caravans, motorised horseboxes, breakdown and recovery vehicles, snow ploughs, gritters, refuse collection vehicles, road sweepers, concrete mixers, tippers, fire engines, removals lorries, specialist vehicles	More than 3.5 tonnes gross vehicle weight	£200
Buses, coaches (with more than eight passenger seats)	More than 5 tonnes gross vehicle weight	£200

What are ultra-low-emission zones?

Ultra Low Emission Zones, also known as ULEZs, are other areas where charges apply to vehicles. First established in 2019, ULEZs charges apply to the same regions as congestion charges.

Places such as Greater London, St. James, Mayfair, Covent Garden, Charing Cross, Soho, Westminster, Finsbury, Holborn, Bloomsbury and areas of Southwark, Marylebone and Lambeth are included in these regions.

Unlike the congestion charge, this fee operates on a 24/7 basis. According to research, ULEZs have reduced nitrogen dioxide by 37%, compared with roads far outside the zone! [1]

How much does it cost?

Do motorbikes pay ultra-low emission zone charges?

The answer is yes. While two-wheeled vehicles have been able to wriggle out of paying LEZ fees, their contribution to ULEZs is crucial to improving the city's air quality. Even if you are only passing through a ULEZ at midnight or early in the morning, you will still have to pay the charge.

Vehicles that do not meet emission limits required by ULEZs must pay a daily fee of £12.50. You can enter and exit any area within the ULEZ, but as soon as the clock strikes twelve, you must pay the fee again.

If you do not pay the ULEZ fee before you enter the zone, you could face an eye-watering £160 fine (that is reduced to £80 if paid within two weeks).

What are the emission standards to avoid paying ULEZ charges?

By now, you might be thinking: why do some motorbikes pay congestion charges and ULEZ fees? Despite being smaller, they still contribute to CO2 and nitrous oxide emissions. However, if your vehicle meets the correct emission limits, it will release significantly fewer harmful chemicals.

Emission standards are determined by the year in which your vehicle was registered. Vehicles that don't meet particular emission standards must pay a daily ULEZ charge, but those that do are exempt.

Emission Standards were brought in by the EU as far back as 1970. More than 50 years ago, they realised that our vehicles negatively impacted the environment and sought to reduce emissions gradually.

The first EU-wide emissions standard was named Euro 1: this defined the sufficient limit of exhaust emissions for vehicles across Europe. Since the 1970s, there have been numerous improvements to emissions standards:

Car registered from	Emissions Standard
31st December 1992	Euro 1
1st January 1997	Euro 2
1st January 2001	Euro 3
1st January 2006	Euro 4
1st January 2007	Euro 5
1st September 2015	Euro 6

To enter the ULEZ without paying the £15 fee, your vehicle must comply with the following emissions standards:

Motorcycles / Mopeds: Euro 3 Emission Standards. Electric motorbikes do not produce emissions and do not need to pay.
Cars: Euro 4 emission standards for petrol-powered cars and Euro 6 emission standards for diesel-powered cars.
Vans: Euro 4 emission standards for petrol-powered vans and Euro 6 emission standards for diesel-powered vans.

There are other exemptions to paying the ULEZ charge, such as the following types of vehicles:

Historic vehicles (those built more than 40 years ago)
Specialist agricultural vehicles
Military vehicles
Non-road going vehicles which are allowed to drive on the highway (for example, excavators)
Certain types of mobile cranes
Wheelchair-accessible private hire vehicles (PHVs)
Minibuses used for community transport
London-licensed taxis
NHS Patient reimbursement

[1] Air Quality in London 2016-2021 London Environment Strategy: Air Quality Impact Evaluation: "Analysis to determine the directly attributable impact of the ULEZ shows that in the first two months of 2020 NO2 concentrations at roadside locations in central London were on average 29 µgm3 lower than they would have been without the scheme, equating to a reduction of 37 per cent."