Thousands of cars seized for London ULEZ non-payment

Richard Aucock, Contributor
Wed, 23 Oct 2024

Transport for London has seized thousands of non-ULEZ-compliant cars from motorists – and sold off hundreds of them to recover debts.

In the 12 months to the end of July alone, 1429 cars were removed from their owners by bailiffs for non-payment of ULEZ fines, said TfL.

Of these, 761 were subsequently auctioned, which raised £710,000 to settle accrued debts.

For petrol cars to meet ULEZ standards, they generally must have been registered after 2005. For diesel cars, exemption from the £12.50 daily charge is for cars registered after September 2015.

Those who don’t pay the charge by midnight on the third day following a journey risk a penalty charge notice (PCN) of £180, which is reduced to £90 if paid within 14 days.

If it is not paid, the sum increases to £270. TfL can then apply for a court-issued warrant to recover debts by actions such as using bailiffs.

The Telegraph reports an anti-ULEZ Facebook group with more than 45,000 members is urging people to refuse to pay ULEZ PCNs.

However, TfL said it has recouped £25.6m of debt over the past 12 months. This includes a driver with 45 warrants against them settling a £16,000 balance after being traced to a new address.

Another with 21 warrants made a payment of more than £7800.

TfL added it is tripling the size of its investigations team to boost its work with enforcement agents.

"We want to send a clear message to vehicle owners that if you receive a penalty charge for driving in the zone, you should not ignore it," chief customer and strategy officer Alex Williams told the Telegraph.

"There is only a small minority of drivers who are eligible for the charge, and even fewer who are refusing to pay – but we encourage anyone experiencing financial difficulties not to ignore PCNs, and to engage with our staff, who will work with you towards a resolution, including setting up direct debit payments."

Williams added that, on average, more than 96% of vehicles driving in the ULEZ are compliant.

Ask HJ

What's a good SUV that's ULEZ compliant?

I’m a pensioner who has had to dispose of his Land Rover Discovery 2 because of ULEZ. I need a replacement, up to £15000, auto, preferably petrol, and with room to get in behind the wheel as I’m not that agile. Obviously it has to be ULEZ compliant. Any suggestions?

A Skoda Karoq with the 1.5 TSI engine and DSG gearbox would be a sensible choice. It's not as big as your Discovery, but it's easy to access and very comfortable. Alternatively, we'd recommend a Hyundai Tucson or Kia Sportage.

Answered by Andrew Brady

More Questions