Most removal vans do pay ULEZ, unless the vehicle already meets the emissions standard, and they pay the Congestion Charge on top if the job starts or finishes inside the central zone during charging hours. Which of the three London road charges applies comes down to two things: how much the vehicle weighs and where it drives. Get those two straight and you can work out the cost of a move before anyone turns up.
Who pays the charge on move day
The registered keeper of the vehicle is liable, so the removal company pays Transport for London and then passes the cost on to you. You will not be billed by TfL directly for the van, and you should not be paying it twice. The only charges you would pay yourself are for your own car, if you drive it into a charging zone on the same day.
This matters more than it sounds. A move from a flat in Bermondsey to a house in Tooting crosses no charging boundary that costs extra beyond ULEZ. A move from Farringdon to Ealing on a Tuesday morning crosses the Congestion Charge zone boundary, and that is a separate daily charge on the same vehicle.
The Congestion Charge
The Congestion Charge covers central London only. At the time of writing it is £18 per day if you pay on the day or in advance, rising to £21 if you pay by midnight on the third day after travel. It runs 07:00 to 18:00 Monday to Friday, and 12:00 to 18:00 at weekends and on bank holidays, according to TfL's Congestion Charge page.
Two details catch people out. The first is that the charge applies if you drive within the zone at all during those hours, not just when you cross into it, so a van that is parked up inside the zone and then driven 200 metres still triggers it. The second is that the weekend hours start at midday, which is why a Saturday afternoon move through the middle of town costs more than the same job at nine in the morning.
There is also a window every year when the charge does not apply at all: from Christmas Day to the New Year's Day bank holiday inclusive. If your completion date lands in that week and your route goes through the centre, that is one cost off the list.
ULEZ and vans up to 3.5 tonnes
The Ultra Low Emission Zone is the one that catches nearly every London move, because it covers every London borough. It operates 24 hours a day, every day of the year except Christmas Day, and at the time of writing a non-compliant vehicle pays £12.50 per day. TfL's ULEZ guidance confirms the zone stops short of the M25 rather than including it.
ULEZ applies to vans and specialist vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes, and to minibuses up to 5 tonnes. That bracket covers the vehicles used on the large majority of household moves: a Transit, a long-wheelbase Sprinter, a 3.5-tonne Luton with a tail lift. If you are trying to work out which size you will need, our guide to what size van you need to move in London sets out what each one holds.
A compliant vehicle pays nothing. There is no discount and no reduced rate for a partly compliant fleet, and no charge at all once the vehicle meets the standard, so the honest answer to "will I be charged for ULEZ" depends entirely on the van that is sent. Ask before you book. Any removal firm working in London daily will know its own fleet's status without having to check.
Over 3.5 tonnes: the LEZ instead
This is the part most guides get wrong. Vehicles over 3.5 tonnes are not charged under ULEZ. They fall under the Low Emission Zone, which covers most of Greater London and runs 24 hours a day, every day of the year, as set out on TfL's LEZ page. A non-compliant vehicle over that weight pays the LEZ charge rather than the ULEZ one. The rates differ by vehicle type and change, so check the current figure on TfL rather than relying on a number in an article.
In practice this affects larger jobs. A four or five-bedroom house, a full office, or a move being done in one load rather than two will often use a 7.5-tonne lorry, and that puts the job into LEZ territory. It is worth asking which vehicle is planned when you get a quote for a bigger house removal, because the vehicle choice changes which charge applies and sometimes the total.
When two charges land on one move
Charges are separate and they stack. A non-compliant 3.5-tonne van collecting from a flat in Clerkenwell at 10:00 on a Wednesday pays both the Congestion Charge and ULEZ for that day. Neither one covers the other, and paying one does not reduce the other.
| Charge | Where | When | Applies to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Congestion Charge | Central London zone | 07:00-18:00 Mon-Fri, 12:00-18:00 weekends and bank holidays | Nearly all vehicles, whatever the emissions |
| ULEZ | Every London borough, up to but not including the M25 | 24/7, every day except Christmas Day | Non-compliant vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes |
| LEZ | Most of Greater London | 24/7, every day of the year | Non-compliant vehicles over 3.5 tonnes |
Rates and boundaries change, so treat the figures above as correct at the time of writing and check TfL before move day if the cost matters to your budget.
How charges show up on a quote
A fixed-price quote should already account for them. If a quote is silent on road charges and the route runs through the centre on a weekday, ask whether they are included or added later, and get the answer in writing. Being told on the day that there is an extra £30 is the sort of surprise that sours an otherwise good move.
Our own quotes are fixed and agreed upfront, with the route and vehicle worked out before a price is given, which is how road charges get built in rather than appearing afterwards. We have written separately about the hidden costs of moving house in London, and road charges are one of the more predictable items on that list once someone has actually looked at your postcodes.
For a small job, the charge can be a noticeable share of the total. On a single-item collection or a studio flat using a man and van, £12.50 of ULEZ on a £150 job is worth knowing about in advance. On a full house move it is a rounding error.
Planning a move around the charges
You have less room to manoeuvre than you might hope, because ULEZ runs constantly and covers the whole of London. There is no cheaper hour of the day and no cheaper borough. What you can shift is the Congestion Charge.
If your move involves the central zone, a start before 07:00 on a weekday avoids the charge entirely, provided the van is clear of the zone by the time charging begins, which is rarely realistic on a full move. A Saturday or Sunday morning finish before midday is the more practical version of the same idea. Both depend on access: a building that will not release a goods lift before 08:00 decides your start time for you.
The charge you can plan around properly is parking. A suspended bay outside the door saves far more time than £18 of Congestion Charge saves money, and it has to be applied for in advance. Our guide to getting a parking suspension for moving day covers the lead times, which vary by borough and are longer than most people expect. For an office move, that weekday Congestion Charge is usually unavoidable, which is one of several reasons commercial moves often run over a weekend.
In short
Removal vans up to 3.5 tonnes pay ULEZ unless the vehicle meets the emissions standard, and ULEZ covers every London borough at all hours. Vehicles over 3.5 tonnes pay the LEZ charge instead, not ULEZ. The Congestion Charge is separate from both, applies only in central London during charging hours, and stacks on top. The removal company pays TfL as the registered keeper and passes the cost on, so the figure should already be inside a fixed quote. Ask which vehicle is coming and whether road charges are included, and you will not be surprised on the day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do removal vans pay ULEZ?
Yes, if the van does not meet the ULEZ emissions standard and weighs up to 3.5 tonnes. A compliant van pays nothing. Because ULEZ covers every London borough 24 hours a day, there is no way to route or time a move to avoid it.
Does a 7.5-tonne removal lorry pay ULEZ?
No. Vehicles over 3.5 tonnes are outside ULEZ and fall under the Low Emission Zone instead. A non-compliant lorry pays the LEZ charge, which covers most of Greater London and operates every day of the year.
Is the Congestion Charge payable at weekends?
Yes, but only from 12:00 to 18:00 on Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays, compared with 07:00 to 18:00 on weekdays. A weekend move that finishes before midday in the central zone avoids it.
Who pays the charge, me or the removal company?
The removal company, as registered keeper of the vehicle, pays TfL and recovers the cost through your quote. You would only pay separately for your own car if you drove it into a charging zone the same day.
Are there days when the Congestion Charge does not apply?
Yes. It does not apply from Christmas Day through to the New Year's Day bank holiday inclusive. ULEZ pauses on Christmas Day only, and the LEZ runs every day of the year.
Will road charges be inside my fixed price?
They should be, provided the quote was worked out from your actual postcodes and the vehicle needed. Ask for confirmation in writing if the route crosses the central zone on a weekday, since that is where the largest single charge appears.
Road charges are a small part of a London move, but they are the part people find out about last. Tell us your two postcodes and the date, and we will tell you which charges apply and include them in a fixed price rather than adding them afterwards. If you would like that in writing, ask for a free quote and we will set it out line by line.