A former Top Gear presenter has urged London Mayor Sadiq Khan to reconsider plans to impose the city’s Congestion Charge on electric vehicles from next year.
The move would see electric cars lose their exemption on December 25 next year when they will be subject to a £15 daily fee for driving inside the Congestion Charge zone.
Up until this point electric cars could sign up for a 100 per cent discount to be exempt from the Congestion Charge as part of a package of incentives launched for drivers to buy the greener vehicles.
However, as the measures end, electric car users will now have to face the same penalties as petrol and diesel drivers.
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Charges will see electric car owners pay £15 daily fee
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In response to this, car expert Quentin Willson, who formerly co-presented Top Gear, has written to Khan, advocating for an extension of the current EV exemption beyond its scheduled end date.
In his letter seen by GB News, Willson said: “I fully appreciate that the CC is intended to reduce congestion, but it is manifestly better to have more vehicles sitting in traffic queues in London that don’t emit NOx and PM at pedestrian level, than those that do.
“I believe that removing the CVD next year could set back EV adoption and usage, especially across the private hire and van sectors. While I understand the EV exemption carries a cost implication, the longer-term public health benefits to londoners from lower NOx and PMs must far outweigh this.”
He emphasised the long-term public health benefits for Londoners, suggesting these outweigh any cost implications of maintaining the exemption.
London’s Congestion Charge applies to vehicles driven within a central area bounded by Park Lane, Islington, the Tower of London and Vauxhall Station. It is in operation between 7am and 6pm from Monday to Friday and 12pm until 6pm on weekends and bank holidays.
Jack Cousens, the AA’s head of roads policy, said: “It’s somewhat ironic that EV drivers will be gifted a lump of coal in their stockings next December 25. Businesses, cabbies and drivers who have already changed their vehicles to greener options to improve air quality will now face a new financial burden.
“There is still time for the Mayor to have a Scrooge-like epiphany, honour Christmas, and try to keep it all the year, and reverse his decision.”
Failing to register for the current exemption, known as the cleaner vehicle discount, can result in penalties of £180 for motorists.
A TfL spokesperson defended the decision to end the EV exemption, stating that the mayor and TfL have taken “world-leading action to tackle the triple threats of air pollution, congestion and climate change”.
They explained that the Congestion Charge’s cleaner vehicle discount has been phased to reflect changes in vehicle technology since its introduction in 2019, following a public consultation.
The spokesperson added: “It remains in place until the end of 2025, when it will end in order to maintain the effectiveness of the congestion charge, which is in place to manage traffic and congestion in the heart of London.”
But drivers have been left furious over the Mayor’s decision. One person shared: “Do you know how ludicrous this sounds, paying for clean air, my solution is just don’t pay then the problem will go away. It’s all about greed.”
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EV owners have been exempt from paying the Congestion Charge
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