The T-charge is due to start in London in October 2017
In a news item on the popular website petrolprices.com reviews the latest situation with the planned introduction of a Toxicity Charge, or T-charge as it is known, in Central London on 23rd October 2017 together with a legal challenge by FairFuelUK. News item

The RAC also has a news item on the introduction of the T-charge. RAC news

What is the position with Historic cars?
Chris Hunt Cooke says "I can confirm that vehicles in the Historic class have exemption from the T-charge, as well as from the LEZ and ULEZ, provided they are not being used commercially".

Legal trouble on the horizon for the T-charge
The report on the petrolprices.com website says "FairFuelUK is seeking to raise a legal challenge against the T-charge, arguing that a full public enquiry should have preceded the decision to implement it. The challenge could have implications for every major UK town and city. The organisation has described the Mayor of London’s decision to implement this charge as unlawful and unfair. This is because FairFuelUK doesn’t believe that drivers should be penalised for driving older petrol and diesel cars. The campaigning organisation feels that a full public enquiry should have been carried out before the decision to roll out the T-charge was made. FairFuelUK has now launched a crowd funding campaign to raise money for a two-part legal challenge against the T-charge. This would firstly see it ask the Mayor of London to change his mind about introducing the T-charge. Secondly, it would ask the Prime Minister and the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) to investigate how else London could reduce pollution".


Posted: 170924
Emissions zones

Low Emission Zone or LEZ in London
Find out if you would need to pay for you vehicle
LEZ checker

What is the London Ultra Low Emission Zone or ULEZ?
As inner-city pollution worsens, Low Emission Zones may become a key tool in helping authorities to control emissions without the need for an outright ban on certain vehicles entering city areas. They are predicted to become much more commonplace than today. The Ultra-Low Emission Zone in London at present is due to come into force in September 2020 under proposals drawn up by the previous Mayor of London, Boris Johnson. It will cover the same area as the London Congestion Charge zone so it will be more focused on Central London than the existing Greater London Low Emission Zone.

Like the LEZ, the ULEZ will operate 24 hours a day, including weekends and public holidays. However, the ULEZ will also impose charges on all vehicle types (including cars) for the first time – and the strictness of the emissions limits means that potentially a large number of cars will be affected by it. The criteria for cars is Euro 4 compliance for petrol models, meaning models built from 1 January 2006 will not be required to pay the ULEZ charge. For diesel models, the criteria is much stricter: Euro 6 compliance is necessary, meaning only models built from 1 September 2015 will be exempt from paying. The daily charge if cars don’t meet the criteria is £12.50.
New T-charge soon
A new ‘T-Charge’ (toxicity charge) will begin operating in Central London from the 23rd October 2017. The charge goes live at a time of increased speculation about what other charges may soon be brought in to other cities. The T-Charge will eventually be replaced by the Ultra-Low Emission Zone, which is more expansive in geographical area and will have stricter emissions standards, possibly as soon as 2019.

The T-charge will operate within the boundaries of the existing London Congestion Charge zone. The £10 T-Charge fee will however be on top of the existing £11.50 daily congestion charge, which means non-compliant vehicles will have to pay £21.50 in total to drive in Central London on Monday to Friday between 7:00-18:00. The T-charge is designed to improve London’s air quality by reducing the number of higher polluting cars from entering the central London area. If you travel regularly into London, any new ‘toxicity charge’ may have a big impact on you, particularly if you drive an old petrol or diesel vehicle.

What vehicles are affected?
Cars, vans, minibuses, buses, coaches and HGVs, motorised caravans and horseboxes, breakdown and recovery vehicles, private ambulances, motor hearses, dual purpose vehicles and other specialist vehicle types that do not meet the minimum Euro emission standards are subject to the T-Charge. The minimum emissions standards are Euro 4 vehicles. In general, this means if your vehicle was registered before January 2005 you are likely to have to pay the charge during the set times.
Euro emission standards

How can I check if the T-charge will apply to my vehicle?
Transport for London or TfL has produced a T-Charge checker which allows drivers to input their number plate to check if they are liable to the charge. To find out more widely what Euro Emissions standard category your vehicle falls into, check when it was first registered.
T-charge checker

Ways to future-proof yourself against the London T-charge
Park outside the Congestion Charge zone or buy a post-2005 diesel car or buy an electric car or buy a hybrid or range-extender.

T-charge could be rolled out to other UK towns and cities
If the T-charge is a success in London, it is thought that it will be rolled out to 25 other UK towns and cities. These include Birmingham, Nottingham, Southampton and Derby, which will start by charging older lorries, taxis and coaches by 2019. With legal issues against the T-charge being raised before it has even been implemented, the future of the charge is far from certain. However, one thing is for sure – urgent thought needs to be put into how else pollution can be lowered in the UK’s major towns and cities, whether this has to do with penalising certain motorists or not.