Posts incorrectly claim ULEZ exemption for electric cars ending next year

Posts are circulating on social media incorrectly claiming that an exemption to London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) for electric vehicles is to end next year.

A screenshot of a BBC article with the headline “End to discounts for zero-emission vehicles” in the London section of the BBC News site has been shared with a misleading caption that links this to ULEZ.

Posts with similar captions, which have been shared both on X (formerly Twitter) and on Facebook, say: “NET ZERO -Oh look. All those conned into believing an electric car would prevent them being charged to drive in London are about to be shafted. ULEZ exemption to end next year!”

But this is not what the BBC story, published on 1 July, says. It covers a change to the congestion charge that electric vehicles have to pay in London, which comes into force from 25 December 2025.

Transport for London (TfL) announced that drivers who previously paid £10 under the ‘cleaner vehicle discount’, which gave a year’s exemption from congestion charges, will have to pay the standard £15 daily fee, unless they are in receipt of another discount or exemption.

However, electric vehicles do not have to pay charges of £12.50 a day when travelling within the ULEZ, as they emit no emit no NOx or CO2 from the tailpipe, and therefore meet the minimum emissions standards.

We’ve written numerous times about false and misleading claims on the ULEZ scheme and the congestion charge, including that charges were suspended for Eid celebrations, and bat boxes attached to cameras enforcing ULEZ cannot be legally removed. These claims can damage trust in politics and harm public debate.