Donata MacCrossan writes

The Mayor Sadiq Khan today confirmed that the £10 Emissions Surcharge, also known as the ‘T-Charge’, will start in central London on October 23 this year, at the start of the autumn half-term.

Up to 10,000 of the oldest, most polluting vehicles are potentially liable to pay the new emissions levy every weekday, which will apply to motorists who own vehicles that do not meet Euro 4 standards. This typically includes those diesel and petrol vehicles registered before 2006.

The T-Charge will operate on top of, and during the same operating times, as the Congestion Charge (Monday to Friday 7am-6pm), so it will cost £21.50 to drive a pre-Euro 4 vehicle in the zone.

It will mean that:

·         All vehicles subject to the £11.50 (or £10.50 for autopay) Congestion Charge (ie not entitled to an exemption or discount) that do not meet the Euro 4/IV standard, would qualify for an additional daily £10 T-Charge when entering the Congestion Charging zone within operational hours (Monday - Friday, 7am - 6pm, excluding Bank holidays and the period between Christmas and New Year).

·         All vehicles that receive a ‘9 or more seats’ 100% Congestion Charge discount (e.g. minibuses, coaches) and do not meet the Euro 4/IV standard would need to pay a daily £10 T-Charge.

·         There are some additional discounts and exceptions to the ES, as described below under Discounts and Exceptions.

Check if you’re eligible

To help motorists, the Mayor today launched a free online vehicle checker so that drivers can check whether their vehicle will be affected by the T-Charge. The Vehicle checker can be found on our website- www.tfl.gov.uk/emissions-surcharge.

Tackling air pollution nationwide

The Mayor wants to work with the Government to help tackle dangerous air pollution once and for all. We have published a proposal for a national vehicle scrappage fund that financially compensates motorists, many of whom bought diesel vehicles in good faith, believing that diesel was a ‘cleaner’ option. The report, which was presented to Government last week, can be found on our website here: http://content.tfl.gov.uk/proposal-national-vehicle-scrappage-fund.pdf

If you have any questions about the T-Charge, or about the Mayor’s air quality strategy, please visit https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/about-tfl/improving-air-quality or email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.