ULEZ frequently asked questions

The charge applies to anyone who drives a non-compliant car, van or motorbike within the ULEZ for any reason. The scheme applies to residents, visitors, tradespeople and commuters. 

See the map and postcode checker on TfL website. If any part of your journey passes through the ULEZ, the daily charge applies to you. 

Tap the registration number of your car, van or motorbike into the TfL vehicle checker. If for any reason you are unsure about the ULEZ compliance status of your vehicle, please contact commuter@heathrow.com for further advice.

Please note, there have been anomalies reported from the TfL vehicle checker, and TfL has acknowledged that the information held by the DVLA may not always allow you to establish whether a vehicle is compliant. Because of this TfL have set up a registration process which allows motorists to contact them and update their vehicle’s compliance status should they believe it to be incorrect. Full details of the procedure is available on TfL’s website at compliance registration.

Some drivers and vehicles qualify for a temporary exemption; others qualify for a permanent one. You can find out if you qualify by visiting TfL’s discounts and exemptions page.

You’ll find payment details on TfL’s ULEZ-charge payment page. You can pay online, by phone, automatically or with the TfL payment app.  You must pay before midnight on the third day following your journey through the ULEZ, or you can pay up to 90 days in advance. If you fail  to pay on time, you may get a Penalty Charge Notice.

If you don’t pay on time – before midnight on the third day following your journey through the ULEZ – you may be given a Penalty Charge Notice. The penalty charge is £180, discounted to £90 if you pay it within 14 days. 

The ULEZ regulations apply to all motorised vehicles (apart from a few specialist exemptions), including cars, vans, motorcycles, mopeds, lorries and coaches. 

Not if your car stays parked and doesn’t drive on the roads. There are no charges for parked cars. 

Yes, there are plenty of alternatives, including car-sharing, public transport and cycling. You’ll find all the options at the Commuting to Heathrow website. It’s worth checking back regularly because we’re continually updating the website with new routes and timetables.

You almost certainly could. Around 50% of your colleagues live within 15 minutes of a direct public-transport service to Heathrow. We’ve put all the routes and timetables together in our Guide to Heathrow’s Sustainable Travel Zone. It’s worth checking back regularly because we update the guide every week. 

Yes. Team Heathrow colleagues qualify for heavily discounted tickets for commuting journeys between the terminals and London Paddington. Ask your employer for details. 

Yes, that would be a great choice for sustainability and for your health and wellbeing. There’s plenty of help too, including a cycle map, cycle maintenance, help with buying a new bike and the team at the Heathrow Cycle Hub next to the Heathrow Academy. Find out more on our active travel page. 

The Mayor has launched a scrappage scheme to help eligible Londoners on low income or disability benefits scrap vehicles that don’t meet the emissions standards. Find out more on TfL’s car and motorcycle scrappage page. 

For colleagues directly employed by Heathrow Airport we have launched a ULEZ Interest Free Car Loan and we’re also looking at launching a ULEZ Compliant Car salary sacrifice scheme. More details will be shared shortly, including an update on estimated launch date. Please keep an eye out for updates on our Voluntary benefits page on Hub+.

For our Team Heathrow colleagues, they should contact their employers directly.

Yes there is, and it comes with priority parking at Heathrow-managed colleague car parks. You’ll find loads more information and easy registration at the car-share website. 

No, there are exemptions for Team Heathrow colleagues. The exemption covers one free drop-off each day, but you do need to register in advance through your parking coordinator. 

We introduced a new temporary park and ride scheme on the southeast side of the airport close to Terminal 4, which can be accessed from outside the ULEZ boundary. The intention behind this temporary new park and ride scheme is to give colleagues time to transition to a ULEZ compliant vehicle or work out a new sustainable commute by public transport or car share. This will not become permanent.

To use this new park and ride scheme, you must meet the following criteria:

· Have a ULEZ non-compliant vehicle and live outside the ULEZ boundary.

· Already have an active parking permit (QR code) to use the usual colleague car parks.

· Have registered to use the ULEZ colleague car parks via your company’s parking co-ordinator (authorised signatory), who will register you with the Heathrow parking team.

For more information, or to register for a space, please email colleagueparking@heathrow.com.