4th February 2008: Trucks of more than 12 tonnes must meet EU3 or be subject to a £200 daily charge collected via ANPR cameras.

7th July 2007: Vehicles of more than 3.5 tonnes, buses and coaches must meet EU3 or be subject to a £200 daily charge collected via ANPR cameras.

4th October 2010: Commercial vehicles of more than 1.205 tonnes (3.5 tonnes Gross Vehicle Weight) must meet EU3 or be subject to a £100 daily charge collected via ANPR cameras. These include double cab pick-up trucks and passenger carrying vehicles with more than 8 seats and campers between 2.5 and 3.5 tonnes GVW.

From January 2012, the emissions standard for lorries over 12 tonnes, buses and coaches will be raised to EU4 for Particulate Matter.

Penaties for failure to pay the charge by midnight of the day the vehicle visited the LEZ:

* Lorries, buses and coaches: £1000 Penalty Charge per day. This will be reduced to £500 if paid within 14 calendar days, but increased to £1500 if not paid within 28 calendar days
* Large vans and minibuses: £500 Penalty Charge per day. This will be reduced to £250 if paid within 14 calendar days, but increased to £750 if not paid within 28 calendar days
* A penalty charge may be issued if the daily charge has not been paid by midnight on the next working day after the day of travel, or if an incorrect Vehicle Registration Mark or day of travel was supplied when the charge was paid.


The following vehicles will automatically be exempt from the LEZ if registered in Great Britain. These will not need to be registered with TfL and are not be subject to the daily charge:

* Vehicles designed and built for mainly off-road use, but which may be used on the road for limited purposes, including: agricultural and forestry tractors, mowing machines, agricultural and farm machinery and equipment, mobile cranes, and road and building construction machinery
* Historic vehicles (constructed before 1 January 1973)
* Military vehicles

Eligible vehicles registered outside Great Britain (including Northern ireland) will need to register with TfL for an exemption.

Discounts

Certain showman's vehicles are eligible for a 100 per cent discount. This will only apply to vehicles which have been custom built and are permanently fitted with equipment forming part of a show.

Operators of such vehicles will need to register with TfL to qualify for the discount.

Payment options

You can pay the charge in a number of ways. For all methods you will need your Vehicle Registration Mark and the correct date(s) of travel:

* Pay online
You can either pay a one-off charge or set up an online customer account that will allow you to make, transfer and cancel daily charges, as well as view payment and statement history.
- Create account
- Sign in
- Make one-off payment

* By phone
- In the UK call 0845 607 0009 between 06:00 and 00:30 Sunday to Friday and 06:00 and 22:00 on Saturday.
- From outside the UK, call +44 207 310 8998 between 06:00 and 00:30 Sunday to Friday and 06:00 and 22:00 on Saturday (GMT).

* By post
Pay using the LEZ charge payment form (PDF 52KB). We must receive your postal payment 10 days before you intend to travel to allow time for it to be processed.

When to pay

You can pay the LEZ charge at three times:

* In advance
You can pay up to 64 days in advance of travel.
* By midnight on the day of travel
You can pay before, during or after your journey.
* By midnight the next working day
You can currently only pay this online or by phone. If you travel on Friday, you have until midnight on the following Monday to pay.

Failure to pay

If you drive into the LEZ with an affected vehicle that does not meet the required emissions standards, is not exempt or entitled to a 100 per cent discount and you do not pay the daily charge, you may be liable for a Penalty Charge.

On the first occasion the vehicle is driven within the zone, TfL will issue a warning letter (instead of a Penalty Charge) which will give you 28 days to take action to comply.

More at www.tfl.gov.uk