The Mayor of London has announced that so-called T-Charge vehicles are to be subject to an extra £10 charge on top of the congestion charge when driving in London.
Designed to improve the air quality in the capital -which has already surpassed it’s 2017 limit for air quality just two months into the year- diesel cars manufactured before 2005 will pay the extra fee for not meeting the Euro 4 emissions standard for Nitrogen Oxide (NO2). It is believed up to 10,000 vehicles could be affected, just 7% of those using the congestion zone, although some say the impact it will have on pollution levels will be “negligible” at between 1%-3%.
There have been calls for the government to set up a scrappage scheme similar to the one from a few years ago (when drivers were encouraged to switch to newer and diesel-fuelled cars) to help drivers purchase newer, more efficient cars.
Transport for London have set up a tool on their website for drivers to check how much they will have to pay to drive in the capital: https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/low-emission-zone/check-if-your-vehicle-is-affected