How the F do we know if/how much to pay for driving in London?!

[AintNobodyHereButUsChickens]

We went to Wembley yesterday and didn't realise the ULEZ had expanded to cover Wembley. DH is panicking because we can't find out if we have to pay something, and how much we need to pay! I've made an account on TFL and it says this about our car. Please help, somebody??

You need to pay both by the looks of things?

You need to pay the ULEZ if you drove in the zone, which doesn't quite cover wembley stadium but nearly -

tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/congestion-charge/congestion-charge-zone

Have a look at the map and check whether you drove in the zone.

You just pay on the tfl payment page.

You are quite far from the Congestion Charge zone, so you probably don't need to pay that, unless you went much more centrally.

tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/pay-to-drive-in-london

ULEZ is £12.50.

You haven’t been anywhere near the congestions zone if you were in wemberley so you don’t need to pay that. You’ll have to check the map to see if you entered the ULEZ zone. It’s possible.

you just pay on the TFL website.

You don't need to pay the congestion charge because it doesn't need to go that far. If you passed a sign saying "You are now entering the ULEZ" then you need to pay the ULEZ. There are signs on all the roads. Or go back and check your route.

Okay I just put the address in of where we parked and it says this. But how do I know if we went through a zone or not? 🤯

Not all cars pay ulez it is emission based. Link here to check your registration.

tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/check-your-vehicle/?intcmp=52335

If your vehicle is petrol and was built after 2005 it is very unlikely you have to pay the ULEZ.

Diesel is more strict and is after 2015.

But basically most people don't pay an ULEZ charge unlike the Congestion Charge where it is very very obvious that no-one is going in there unless they are in a taxi or a very flash car.

You could just pay it if you don't know - the payment is cheaper than the fine.

I have an account set up whereby they charge me if my car gets picked up on cameras. It costs £10 / year but I find it much easier as I used to really stress about remembering to pay.

Wembley stadium etc itself is outside the ULEZ zone. The boundary is the North Circular Road (A406). You can drive ON or OUTSIDE the N.Circ without incurring a charge but if you dip anywhere INSIDE it, you pay if your car doesn't meet the spec (which yours appears not to) . Without knowing exactly the route you took, I can't say for sure, but unless you drove inside the A406 you're fine.

Re congestion charge: Unlikely that this would apply as you almost certainly didn't drive right through central London? All drivers pay it, but only if they pass through the smallish central area.

I thought if you put your reg in it would know if you had been in the zone/needed to pay, but maybe I've misunderstood?

I'm pretty certain this is the route we took

You're fine then, as you haven't driven inside the A406. Nothing to pay.

That would be the sensible way of operating the system, but sadly that functionality doesn’t exist. The responsibility is on the driver to find out and pay it if they need to.

It's not difficult to work out.
If you've been inside the North or South Circular ring road, you pay the ULEZ charge unless your car is exempt (many are; you can check it at www.tfl.gov.uk/ulez ).
If you haven't driven inside those roads, you don't need to worry.