Where to actually pay
There are two separate official payment services. For London's ULEZ, that's tfl.gov.uk. For any of the seven English Clean Air Zones outside London, it's gov.uk's national Clean Air Zone service — one service covers all seven. This article is the payment and appeal process for both. For what the schemes actually are, what they cost, and which cities run one, see our full guide to ULEZ and Clean Air Zones — this piece assumes you've already found yourself needing to pay or check, not needing the background.
Check if you actually owe a charge first
Before paying anything, confirm you actually owe a charge. Our own ULEZ check tells you whether your vehicle is ULEZ-compliant from just the registration, so you know before you drive into the zone whether a charge applies at all. For the seven English Clean Air Zones outside London, gov.uk runs a separate "Drive in a clean air zone" compliance checker — there's no single UK-wide tool that covers both London's ULEZ and the English CAZs, since they're run by different authorities.
How to pay the London ULEZ charge
Pay directly at tfl.gov.uk — a one-off payment doesn't require setting up an account. If you drive into the zone regularly, TfL's Auto Pay service bills your card automatically for charging days used; it's free to set up and maintain (TfL removed the previous £10 admin fee some years ago).
Deadline: pay up to 90 days before you travel, or by midnight on the third day after your journey. Miss that window and the trip is treated as unpaid.
Cost: £12.50 a day for non-compliant cars, vans and motorcycles up to 3.5 tonnes — see ULEZ and Clean Air Zones for the full charge breakdown by vehicle type.
How to pay a Clean Air Zone charge outside London
Pay via gov.uk's national "Check a vehicle and pay" service — a single service that covers all seven English Clean Air Zones (Bath, Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Portsmouth, Sheffield, and Tyneside covering Newcastle and Gateshead), so you don't need to find each council's own payment page separately.
Deadline: pay up to 6 days before you travel, or by 11:59pm on the sixth day after driving into the zone — genuinely different from ULEZ's 3-day window, and easy to get wrong if you assume the two schemes work the same way.
Cost: varies by city and vehicle class — see ULEZ and Clean Air Zones for the seven-zone overview, or Birmingham's Clean Air Zone for one city's figures in depth.
Careful where you pay — official sites only
Both tfl.gov.uk and gov.uk's Clean Air Zone service are free to use directly. A number of other websites also rank well for searches like "pay ulez" — some position themselves as a payment route rather than purely informational content. We're not accusing any specific site of wrongdoing, but they are not TfL or gov.uk, and paying via the official service directly is the only way to be certain there's no extra service fee and that your payment actually reaches the right place. If you've searched for this page, double-check the address bar reads tfl.gov.uk or gov.uk before entering any payment details.
What happens if you don't pay in time
ULEZ (London): miss the payment window and TfL issues a Penalty Charge Notice of £180, reduced to £90 if you pay within 14 days. Still unresolved after 28 days, and TfL issues a Charge Certificate, adding 50% to the amount owed (£180 becomes £270). Beyond that, TfL can register the debt at the county court and ultimately pass it to certificated bailiffs to recover, plus their own charges.
Clean Air Zones (outside London): non-payment also results in a PCN, but gov.uk's own national guidance deliberately doesn't state a single UK-wide amount — each issuing council sets its own figure. Birmingham's, for example, is £120, reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days — see our Birmingham Clean Air Zone guide for that city's figures; don't assume every city charges the same.
A ULEZ or Clean Air Zone charge is separate from your car's road tax (VED) — one is pay-to-drive-in-this-zone-today, the other is pay-to-keep-the-car-on-the-road-at-all, and being up to date on one doesn't excuse the other.
How to appeal or dispute a charge
These are two separate systems — don't send an appeal to the wrong one.
ULEZ or Congestion Charge (London): write to TfL with formal representations within 28 days of the PCN. If TfL rejects them, you'll get a Notice of Rejection, and from there you can appeal to the independent Road User Charging Adjudicators at London Tribunals within a further 28 days — the appeal itself is free, and the adjudicator's decision is binding on TfL.
English Clean Air Zones: write to the issuing council with formal representations within 28 days of the PCN, using the grounds of appeal printed on the notice itself. If rejected, you can appeal to the independent Traffic Penalty Tribunal.
Common, genuine grounds for either route include: the vehicle was actually compliant or exempt, the charge had already been paid, or the notice was sent to the wrong keeper. This is a general explanation, not a substitute for reading the specific grounds on your own notice or getting proper advice for anything unusual.
FAQs
How do I pay a ULEZ charge?
Pay directly at tfl.gov.uk — a one-off payment needs no account, and you can pay up to 90 days ahead or by midnight on the third day after you travel.
How do I pay a Clean Air Zone charge outside London?
Use gov.uk's national "Check a vehicle and pay" service, which covers all seven English Clean Air Zones. You can pay up to 6 days ahead or by 11:59pm on the sixth day after you travel.
How do I check if I owe a ULEZ or Clean Air Zone charge?
Use our ULEZ check for London ULEZ compliance, or gov.uk's own Clean Air Zone checker for the seven English zones — there's no single tool that covers both.
What's the deadline to pay ULEZ, and is it the same for a Clean Air Zone?
No. ULEZ gives you until midnight on the third day after travel; English Clean Air Zones give you until 11:59pm on the sixth day. Don't assume the two work to the same clock.
What happens if I don't pay a ULEZ or Clean Air Zone charge in time?
For ULEZ, a £180 PCN (£90 if paid within 14 days), rising 50% via a Charge Certificate if still unresolved after 28 days, with county court and bailiff enforcement beyond that. For a Clean Air Zone, a PCN at an amount set by the individual council — check the specific city's guide rather than assuming a figure.
Can I appeal a ULEZ or Clean Air Zone penalty charge notice?
Yes, both are appealable. For ULEZ, representations go to TfL, with a further appeal to the independent adjudicator at London Tribunals if rejected. For a Clean Air Zone, representations go to the issuing council, with a further appeal to the independent Traffic Penalty Tribunal if rejected.
Is it safe to pay ULEZ through a website other than tfl.gov.uk?
Only tfl.gov.uk and gov.uk are the official payment services. Other sites ranking for "pay ulez" aren't necessarily fraudulent, but paying anywhere else risks an extra service fee or uncertainty about whether your payment actually reaches TfL — check the address bar before entering any payment details.