Despite my efforts to avoid incurring Transport for London (TfL) fees for entering London in my car, which has French number plates, I’ve been charged a punitive £300.
This almost pushed my bank account into the red. I imagine, in this financially stressful time, an unexpected £300 debit is enough to make many people overdrawn.
I was driving my 2019 Dacia Sandero Stepway, which is readily available in the UK. It meets Euro 6 emissions standards and uses a fluid called AdBlue, which means emissions are lower than other diesel cars of the same age.
I had pre-registered on the TfL website, albeit with a great deal of difficulty.
I had to make four attempts over several days because the website repeatedly would not accept the number plate as valid. However, I persisted and registered on my fourth attempt.
I had read the stories about the drivers of foreign cars being fined excessive sums by TfL for driving in London and was determined to avoid this eventuality.
However, it seems TfL is only too willing to see drivers of foreign cars as cash cows, without checking they might be a customer and compliant with the requisite vehicle standards before taking money off them.
If I had not registered in advance, TfL would not have been able to take a direct debit of £300 from me. So in effect, it is punishing me for trying to comply with its regulations.
CP, Bognor Regis/Haute-Vienne
London’s ultra-low emission zone (Ulez), introduced in 2019, requires drivers of the most polluting vehicles to pay a daily charge.
Vehicles from overseas must be pre-registered with TfL before entering the zone, otherwise they may be deemed noncompliant. In 2022, 167,663 fines were sent overseas.
There is a link on the TfL website that takes you to its partner firm, EPC, where you can complete the registration process.
Admittedly, it is not the easiest to find but rather than completing this step, what you actually did was register for TfL’s auto-pay service. This allows it to bill drivers automatically for the congestion charge and for entering the Ulez with a noncompliant vehicle.
Because the system did not have your car registered on its database when you entered the Ulez area, the system defaulted to the highest charge of £300.
After we got in touch, TfL refunded your money, and it also helped you to complete the car registration process, so hopefully this will not happen again.
The Ulez is being expanded at the end of August, so beware if you are planning to drive into London – or you have friends visiting.
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