They do send a reminder, got mine a couple of months ago.
Renewal was instant though, no need to upload anything new, just pay the £10.
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Congestion charge exemption, do you need to register your car?
- Thread starter Rooster6655
- Start date
They do send a reminder, got mine a couple of months ago.
Renewal was instant though, no need to upload anything new, just pay the £10.
ElectricJoules
Member
FYI I had a Vauxhall Ampera and drove it into the congestion zone with out knowing about the registration fee. They sent me a penalty notice. I registered then sent it back with the "with excuse" bit filled out saying I didn't know and have now registered and they cancelled the penalty. So if you get caught out it isn't the end of the world.
Didn't realise it was car free Sunday tomorrow..... damn, change of plans
Didn't realise it was car free Sunday tomorrow..... damn, change of plans
Apply for a discount exemption that costs £10 then they won't charge you a CC fee
So I registered my car its its REALLY confusing....
Got this reply today
This is whats on the autopay website
So far so good.
Then I click through the website and find this:
WTF?
That's the opposite of what the letter says.
Also the car is not on "autopay" even though I paid £10 for the discount application.....
Got this reply today
This is whats on the autopay website
So far so good.
Then I click through the website and find this:
WTF?
That's the opposite of what the letter says.
Also the car is not on "autopay" even though I paid £10 for the discount application.....
MrBadger
Badger out
Replying to Yev000: It took my online account a few hours or more to update after I received the letter (via email) that the Model 3 was now registered as exempt from the CC. Re autopay, I have another car registered for autopay and my understanding is that you only need to do this if the vehicle is required to pay the CC. Autopay means the CC payment is automatically taken from my debit card whenever I drive into the CC zone so I need not remember to pay each time. And you pay another £10 annual fee for the autopay registration. Where the car is 100% exempt from CC, registering for autopay is not necessary since no CC payment is required to be made. Or at least this is how I understand it....
When the London congestion charge was established there was a very real concern that it might be too successful and not recoup the not inconsiderable infrastructure and operating costs and become a political embarrassment. So decisions were made to make the implementation as cheap as possible. Effectively, this meant cheap in the short term at the expense of operational effectiveness and long term benefits. Some very clever thinking went in to the design of the system to keep costs down, address privacy concerns of the cameras and minimise what could be seen as 'Big Brother'. Minimising access to other databases was a result. Remember also that a lot of the admin was performed overseas (Call centre culture was the rage)
Effectively the only time the DVLC database would be accessed would be in the case that a penalty charge needed to be sent.
It is simpler and cheaper to register a discount eligibility at the outset rather than requiring the defaulters list to be checked for EVs with the DVLC especially if EVs regularly use the zone.
If the system was designed now it would be done slightly differently - data handling is cheaper and much more efficient than it was 20 years ago however concerns over privacy have grown. It is a testament to the designers that it still works as originally designed, despite tinkering and the 'improvements' to the system for law enforcement and national security.
Effectively the only time the DVLC database would be accessed would be in the case that a penalty charge needed to be sent.
It is simpler and cheaper to register a discount eligibility at the outset rather than requiring the defaulters list to be checked for EVs with the DVLC especially if EVs regularly use the zone.
If the system was designed now it would be done slightly differently - data handling is cheaper and much more efficient than it was 20 years ago however concerns over privacy have grown. It is a testament to the designers that it still works as originally designed, despite tinkering and the 'improvements' to the system for law enforcement and national security.
rickyjb
Member
just landed my self with a pcn for £80 if paid within 14 days and £160 after that. my car was not registered for the congestion charge discount , i honestly didn't know that it had to be . after a phone call i was told i had to pay the fine and register the car as they have no way of knowing my car is electric.
question is do i pay the fine or appeal it ? honestly was unaware that it had to be registered and have since done so , a simple dvla licence plate check reveals the car is electric and shows the co2 emissions as 0 g/km.
question is do i pay the fine or appeal it ? honestly was unaware that it had to be registered and have since done so , a simple dvla licence plate check reveals the car is electric and shows the co2 emissions as 0 g/km.
Pay the fine as you have no choice, you can only get exempt if you apply for the exemption on the site and pay £10 which lasts a year!
I have no doubt that I could write a simple script that used image recognition from a photo and the free online site to show the car is electric, their system is clearly out of touch and no plans to change it!
Perhaps someone can make this a sticky thread to help others!
Just taken delivery of my lease Model 3 and don't have a copy of the V5C so have taken a screenshot of the results of the vehicle search on https://vehicleenquiry.service.gov.uk/ and paid my £10.....will see if they approve this in lieu of the V5C. If not, I will try and get my lease company to send me a copy of the document.
Has anyone had any issues with their lease company providing the V5C?
Has anyone had any issues with their lease company providing the V5C?
WannabeOwner
Well-Known Member
Doesn't justify needing a renewal each year IMHO. "Engine modification from EV to ICE" seems hugely improbable to me ...
I agree the £10 annual renewal is stretching it a bit.
The good news is that you won't have to pay it after Dec 2025.
The good news is that you won't have to pay it after Dec 2025.
WannabeOwner
Well-Known Member
Can I just send them the 60-quid now, in a brown envelope? ...
MrBadger
Badger out
How long does it take to register? Bit of a limitation pre registering if its going to take several days.
WannabeOwner
Well-Known Member
"Weeks"
You need the V5 ... and then the actual registration process (which I don't recall begin instant", I had to send off the V5 and then however long it took to process.I just had a look at the TFL site, and it has these exemptions defined:
"You don't have to pay the Congestion Charge or register with us if the vehicle is recorded at the DVLA in one of these categories:
Two-wheeled motorbikes (and sidecars) and mopeds
Emergency service vehicles, such as ambulances and fire engines, which have a taxation class of 'ambulance' or 'fire engine' on the date of travel
NHS vehicles that are exempt from vehicle tax
Vehicles used by disabled people that are exempt from vehicle tax and have a 'disabled' taxation class
Vehicles for more than one disabled person (for example Dial-a-Ride) that are exempt from vehicle tax and have a 'disabled' taxation class"
So doesn't that mean that they ARE doing the lookup in order to exempt those vehicles? if so then is there any reason they couldn't do that for EV determination too? and does that mean that £10 p.a. is anything other than a cash-grab (including fining all the EVs that fail to register)?
WannabeOwner
Well-Known Member
Its reminded me to change for the new car. Sticking a personalised plate on it would be easier than the hassle ... Dartford Crossing too ... probably others that I have forgotten that are going to catch me out and fine me; all those parking APPs that I use ...
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