Drivers at risk of £180 fine as thousands unaware of new driving law from today

Labour frontbencher suggests ULEZ expansion needs rethinking

Thousands of motorists are likely to be hit with £180 fines for breaking new car tax rules without even knowing as London’s Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) charges expand from today.

Rule changes mean some owners of polluting petrol and diesel cars are now liable to pay £12.50 per day to use their cars in Outer London boroughs.

This would tally up to a £87.50 charge per week or £375 if motorists use their car every day.

However new data from carwow shows one in five (22 percent) of road users were not confident they understood the details of the scheme.

This could be a blow to thousands of motorists with the RAC predicting 700,000 would be affected by the expansion.

READ MORE Hated ULEZ extension begins as Sadiq Khan rival calls for him to be booted out

Failure to pay the ULEZ fees will result in drivers being slapped with a £180 fine, or £90 if paid within 14 days.

Sally Foote, UK Managing Director at carwow highlighted the confusion around the ULEZ launch as being a major concern to locals.

She said: “Many could be completely unaware of the changes or confused about whether they’ll face them or not.

“Data from our customers just last week highlighted that one in five were still not sure how they’d be affected.

“Navigating the changes with ULEZ have been far from simple – motorists have faced months of back and forth.

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“From the Judicial Review to more recent murmurings that Government Ministers may use a little-known legal power to challenge the expansion, to limits on the scrappage scheme to opening it up to all, there’s been a lack of clarity on what’s happening, whether it would actually go ahead and what level of support is available for those needing to change their cars.”

Nearly half of residents who do not have a non-compliant car are concerned the ULEZ expansion will have an impact on the value of their vehicle.

Carwow alone claims to have seen a 68 percent increase in customers listing 15+ year-old petrol and diesel cars from London boroughs. However, only one in four says the clean air zone rules had encouraged them to purchase an electric vehicle.

Foote added: “As the expansion comes into effect, drivers urgently need to understand the changes and can act if they need to.

“We’re expecting continued ULEZ-related car selling and buying throughout September, as more drivers realise the full extent of the financial impact of the new rules on their day-to-day travel.

“For those living and commuting into the zone from the edge of London, some boroughs and councils have so far refused to install ULEZ signage on all of their roads – including Hertfordshire, Surrey and Kent County Councils – meaning that drivers here might be at more risk of get caught-out with the charge.”

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