TfL now owed nearly £800m in unpaid ULEZ fines
Wed, 24 Sept 2025
Transport for London (TfL) is owed almost £800 million in unpaid ultra-low emission zone (ULEZ) fines – and more than £700m of the total has been racked up by persistent offenders.
The Guardian reports that 94% of outstanding ULEZ fines are owed by drivers with four or more penalty notices.
The figure is even more staggering alongside TfL stats showing that more than 97% of cars driving within the ULEZ zone are actually compliant.
The transport body is now planning a firmer crackdown on drivers who flout the rules, after recovering £16.5m through enforcement in the first half of 2025.
This saw TfL seize 530 vehicles – and it sold 350 of them at auction, raising £285k. One driver, said The Guardian, ignored a staggering 130 letters and 14 visits by enforcement officers.
Eventually among the ranks of non-payers who have been fined up to £17k in 2025, his car was also seized and sold at auction.
TfL now plans to escalate action to county courts and, in extreme cases, to potential bankruptcy proceedings.
This is particularly important given the known link between deliberate evasion and other criminal activity, it said. The Department for Transport and DVLA are now sharing data with TfL to help track offenders and aid enforcement action.
There are also plans to increase powers to seize vehicles and tackle problems such as registration plate tampering.
Nearly two million drivers and more than threw million vehicles are now signed up to the automated TfL payment system. Using ANPR number plate recognition, it also automates the Congestion Charge and other road charges.
Diesel cars more than a decade old and petrol cars registered before 2004 are required to pay the ULEZ charge, which is £12.50 a day.
People who face financial difficulties should not ignore ULEZ-related penalty charge notices (PCNs), TfL’s Alex Williams told The Guardian, but "engage with our staff, who can consider your individual circumstances and work with you."
