Yes, you do pay the Congestion Charge on Sunday in London if you drive within the Congestion Charge Zone between 12:00 midday and 18:00. In 2026, the standard daily charge is £18 when paid in advance or on the day of travel.
There is no Congestion Charge before midday or after 6pm on a Sunday. There is also an annual charge-free period from Christmas Day through to the New Year’s Day bank holiday, inclusive.
The Sunday rules are particularly important for people driving into central London for shopping, leisure, work, deliveries or business appointments.
They are also easy to misunderstand because the operating hours are different from weekdays and other London road charges, such as the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ), follow different schedules.
What Time Does the Congestion Charge Start on Sunday?
The Congestion Charge starts at 12:00 midday on Sunday and finishes at 18:00, or 6pm.
Current operating hours are:
| Day | Congestion Charge Hours |
| Monday to Friday | 07:00 to 18:00 |
| Saturday | 12:00 to 18:00 |
| Sunday | 12:00 to 18:00 |
| Bank Holidays | 12:00 to 18:00 |
| Christmas Day to New Year’s Day bank holiday | No charge |
This means Sunday drivers have a larger charge-free morning window than people travelling into central London on weekdays.
TfL confirms that the Congestion Charge currently operates from midday until 6pm on Saturdays, Sundays and most bank holidays.
How Much Is the Sunday Congestion Charge in 2026?
The standard Congestion Charge is £18 per day in 2026 if you pay in advance or on the day you travel.
This is a daily charge rather than a fee charged each time you enter the zone. If you make several journeys inside the Congestion Charge Zone on the same charging day, you do not normally pay £18 for every individual journey.
If you forget to pay on Sunday, you can still pay £21 by midnight on the third day after travelling.
The increase took effect on 2 January 2026 and was the first increase in the standard Congestion Charge since 2020.
What Changed From 2025 to 2026?
Several important Congestion Charge rules changed at the beginning of 2026.
| Rule | 2025 | 2026 |
| Standard daily charge | £15 | £18 |
| Payment within three days | £17.50 | £21 |
| Sunday hours | 12:00 to 18:00 | 12:00 to 18:00 |
| Electric car discount | Up to 100% under previous scheme | 25% with eligible Auto Pay registration |
The Sunday operating hours did not change, but the price did.
Another major change involves electric vehicles. The previous 100% Cleaner Vehicle Discount ended in December 2025. From 2 January 2026, eligible electric cars registered for Auto Pay receive a 25% discount, reducing the £18 standard charge to £13.50.
This is important because older guides may still claim that electric cars automatically avoid the Congestion Charge completely.
Is the Congestion Charge Free After 6pm on Sunday?
Yes. The Congestion Charge stops operating at 18:00 on Sundays.
If you only drive within the Congestion Charge Zone after 6pm, you will not have to pay the Congestion Charge for that journey.
However, this does not necessarily mean driving in London is completely charge-free.
Other road charging schemes have different operating times. In particular, drivers should check whether their vehicle is subject to ULEZ.
Similarly, driving through the Blackwall or Silvertown tunnels may create a separate tunnel charge depending on the journey and time.
Checking each relevant London road charge before travelling can therefore prevent unexpected costs.
Do You Pay ULEZ on Sunday?
ULEZ and the Congestion Charge are separate schemes.
The Ultra Low Emission Zone operates 24 hours a day, every day except Christmas Day. A vehicle that does not meet the required emissions standards can therefore incur a ULEZ charge even when the Congestion Charge is not operating.
For most affected cars, motorcycles, vans and other qualifying light vehicles, the current ULEZ daily charge is £12.50 if the required emissions standards are not met.
Consider someone driving into central London at 8pm on Sunday:
- The Congestion Charge would not apply because it is after 6pm
- The ULEZ rules can still apply
- A non-compliant vehicle could therefore still face a £12.50 ULEZ charge
This distinction is one of the most important things to check before assuming that travelling outside Congestion Charge hours means a journey is free.
Is There a Congestion Charge on Bank Holiday Sundays?
For an ordinary Sunday, including one falling within a bank holiday weekend, drivers should work on the basis that the Congestion Charge applies from 12:00 to 18:00 unless TfL states otherwise.
There is an important annual exception.
TfL does not operate the Congestion Charge between Christmas Day and the New Year’s Day bank holiday, inclusive.
That is broader than simply saying the scheme is free on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. The charge-free period covers the days between them as well.
Drivers travelling over Christmas should still check other London road charging schemes because their operating calendars may differ.
Where Does the Congestion Charge Apply?
The Congestion Charge applies to a designated area of central London, not the whole of Greater London.
The zone includes parts of areas such as:
- Westminster
- The City of London
- Holborn
- Finsbury
- Bloomsbury
- Mayfair
- Soho
- Marylebone
- Southwark
- Lambeth
However, drivers should not rely on neighbourhood names alone. A destination may sit close to the boundary, and individual roads can have different arrangements.
TfL provides an official postcode and map checker that allows drivers to determine whether a specific destination falls within the Congestion Charge Zone. Check the official Congestion Charge zone
Checking the actual postcode before travelling is safer than assuming an entire neighbourhood is either inside or outside the zone.
Do You Pay If Your Car Is Parked in the Zone on Sunday?
The Congestion Charge is based on driving within the zone during charging hours.
Simply having a vehicle parked inside the zone does not by itself mean you have to pay the daily driving charge.
For example, imagine you drive into central London at 10am on Sunday and park your vehicle before midday.
If the vehicle remains parked throughout the charging period and you do not drive again until after 6pm, you would not normally incur the Congestion Charge for driving during those hours.
If you start driving inside the zone at 5:45pm, however, the charging period is still active and the charge can apply.
Drivers should therefore focus on when the vehicle is actually being driven within the zone.
Are Electric Cars Exempt From the Congestion Charge on Sunday?
Electric cars are no longer automatically 100% exempt from the London Congestion Charge.
That changed following the end of the previous Cleaner Vehicle Discount in December 2025.
From 2 January 2026, an eligible electric car registered with Auto Pay receives a 25% Cleaner Vehicle Discount. This means an eligible electric car pays £13.50 instead of £18 for a chargeable day.
Eligible electric vans, HGVs and quadricycles registered for Auto Pay can receive a larger 50% discount under the current scheme.
Electric vehicle owners who remember the old 100% exemption should therefore check their account before driving into central London on a Sunday.
Who Can Get a Congestion Charge Discount or Exemption?
A number of discounts and exemptions exist, although eligibility conditions and registration requirements vary.
They can include provisions for certain:
- Blue Badge holders
- Residents of the Congestion Charge Zone
- Motorcycles and mopeds
- Emergency service vehicles
- Eligible electric vehicles
- Accredited breakdown vehicles
- Vehicles with nine or more seats
- Certain NHS patients and workers through reimbursement arrangements
Having a qualifying vehicle or personal status does not always mean the discount is automatically recognised.
Drivers should check the current TfL requirements and complete any necessary registration before travelling. Check Congestion Charge discounts and exemptions
Residents with an existing eligible Residents’ Discount can continue to receive a 90% discount, making the standard £18 charge £1.80 where the discount applies.
How Do You Pay the Congestion Charge on Sunday?
Drivers can pay the Congestion Charge through Transport for London’s official road user charging services.
Payment can be made:
- Before travelling
- On the day of travel
- Within three days after travelling
- Automatically through Auto Pay
Paying in advance or on the day costs £18.
Waiting until after the day of travel increases the amount to £21, provided payment is still made within the permitted three-day period.
For people who regularly drive in London, Auto Pay can be particularly useful because TfL automatically records chargeable journeys and bills the account.
There is currently no registration or renewal fee for Auto Pay.
Drivers should use TfL’s official payment service rather than unofficial websites that may add administration fees.
What Happens If You Forget to Pay the Sunday Congestion Charge?
If you drive in the Congestion Charge Zone during Sunday charging hours and fail to make the required payment by the deadline, TfL can issue a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN).
The current Congestion Charge PCN is:
- £180 standard penalty
- £90 if paid within 14 days
- £270 if the case progresses to a Charge Certificate
TfL states that a PCN can be issued when its records show that a vehicle was driven within the zone and the required charge was not paid by the deadline.
This makes another common piece of outdated information worth correcting: older articles sometimes quote a £160 penalty, but the current standard PCN is £180.
How Can Businesses Reduce Sunday Congestion Charge Costs?
Sunday driving costs can matter for small businesses, tradespeople, delivery operators, freelancers and startup teams that regularly travel into central London.
A single £18 payment may appear modest, but repeated journeys can add up.
A business making four chargeable Sunday journeys each month, for example, could face £72 in monthly Congestion Charge costs before considering fuel, parking, ULEZ or tunnel charges.
Practical ways to control those costs include:
- Schedule Before Midday – Where practical, complete central London journeys before Sunday charging begins
- Travel After 6pm – Evening journeys after the charging period avoid the Congestion Charge
- Check The Destination – Confirm whether the client, supplier or delivery address is actually inside the zone
- Use Auto Pay – Frequent drivers can reduce the risk of missed payments and PCNs
- Check Vehicle Eligibility – Businesses operating electric or otherwise eligible vehicles should confirm available discounts
- Consider Public Transport – For meetings without equipment or deliveries, public transport may cost less than driving and parking
- Plan Multiple Stops Together – As the Congestion Charge is a daily charge, combining necessary central London journeys can be more efficient than spreading them across several chargeable days
For businesses operating several vehicles, TfL also provides Fleet Auto Pay options designed for larger fleets.
Can You Avoid the Congestion Charge on Sunday Legally?
Yes. There is nothing wrong with planning your journey around the operating hours or avoiding the zone altogether.
The simplest options are:
- Drive before 12pm
- Drive after 6pm
- Use a route that remains outside the Congestion Charge Zone
- Park outside the zone and continue by public transport
- Use an eligible vehicle or registered discount where appropriate
Be careful with navigation apps. A route that appears quicker may take you briefly into the Congestion Charge Zone.
For important journeys, check the destination and route against TfL’s current zone map rather than relying solely on a sat-nav alert.
Is Sunday the Cheapest Day to Drive Into Central London?
Not necessarily.
Sunday does offer a useful charge-free period before midday and after 6pm, but the total cost of a London journey depends on much more than the Congestion Charge.
You may also need to consider:
- ULEZ
- Parking charges
- Blackwall or Silvertown tunnel charges
- Fuel or electricity
- Road closures
- Event traffic
- Private car park fees
For a ULEZ-compliant vehicle travelling before midday or after 6pm and avoiding separately charged crossings, it may be possible to enter central London without paying the Congestion Charge.
But the individual route and vehicle still need to be checked.
FAQs
Do You Have to Pay Congestion Charge on a Sunday?
Yes. The Congestion Charge applies on Sundays between 12:00 midday and 18:00 if you drive within the charging zone.
What Time Is Congestion Charge Free on Sunday?
It is free before 12pm and after 6pm on Sundays. Other charges such as ULEZ may still apply.
How Much Is the Congestion Charge on Sunday in 2026?
The standard charge is £18 when paid in advance or on the day. It costs £21 when paid within three days after travel.
Is the Congestion Charge Free on Sunday After 6pm?
Yes. The Sunday charging period ends at 18:00, so the Congestion Charge does not apply to journeys made only after that time.
Does ULEZ Apply on Sundays?
Yes. ULEZ operates 24 hours a day, every day except Christmas Day. Non-compliant vehicles may need to pay the £12.50 daily ULEZ charge.
Do Electric Cars Pay the Congestion Charge on Sunday?
Yes, electric cars can now be charged. Eligible electric cars registered with Auto Pay receive a 25% discount, reducing the current £18 charge to £13.50.
What Is the Fine for Not Paying the Congestion Charge?
The current PCN is £180, reduced to £90 when paid within 14 days. The amount can increase to £270 if enforcement progresses to a Charge Certificate.
