ULEZ & Congestion Charge: What It Means for Your Taxi in Surrey (2026)
If you're based in Surrey and regularly travel into London by private hire vehicle, or if you're booking a minicab or taxi for journeys that cross into the capital, you may have questions about how ULEZ and the Congestion Charge affect your fare. These charges are frequently misunderstood by passengers, and the way they're applied can vary between operators. This guide explains what each charge covers, who pays, and how Zedcarz handles them transparently.
What Is ULEZ?
ULEZ stands for Ultra Low Emission Zone. It's a daily charge applied to vehicles that don't meet minimum emission standards when they drive within the zone. The ULEZ was originally restricted to central London but was expanded in August 2023 to cover the whole of Greater London, including parts of the boundary that border Surrey suburbs such as Surbiton, New Malden, Tolworth, and Feltham.
The charge is £12.50 per day for non-compliant cars and vans, and it applies every day of the year including weekends and bank holidays. Compliant vehicles, broadly those meeting Euro 4 petrol or Euro 6 diesel standards or newer, are exempt from the charge entirely.
For historical context on how these charges have evolved and their impact on the private hire industry, our earlier piece on
how the Congestion Charge rise has affected the private hire sector is worth reading.
What Is the Congestion Charge?
The Congestion Charge is a separate daily charge for driving within the Congestion Charge Zone (CCZ), which covers central London, roughly bounded by the Inner Ring Road. It currently costs £16 per day for most vehicles and operates Monday to Friday from 07:00 to 18:00, and at weekends and bank holidays from 12:00 to 18:00.
The CCZ is smaller than ULEZ and doesn't directly affect most journeys originating in Surrey unless the destination is in central London. For passengers travelling to destinations in areas like Mayfair, the City, Soho, or Knightsbridge, the Congestion Charge may apply if your journey passes through or into the CCZ during charging hours.
Does ULEZ Apply to Journeys from Surrey?
This is where a lot of passengers get confused. Surrey itself is not inside the ULEZ. However, if your journey crosses the Greater London boundary, your driver's vehicle enters the ULEZ zone and the daily charge applies to the vehicle. Most modern private hire vehicles are ULEZ compliant, which means the charge doesn't apply to them at all.
At Zedcarz, our fleet meets ULEZ compliance standards, so there is no ULEZ surcharge passed on to passengers on standard bookings. If you're travelling into central London and the Congestion Charge applies, this will be made clear in your quote rather than added on unexpectedly at the end.
Whether you're travelling from
Surbiton or Kingston,
Tolworth,
New Malden, or
Epsom, the principle is the same: your quoted fare should tell you upfront what's included.
Who Is Responsible for Paying ULEZ: Passenger or Driver?
The ULEZ charge is levied on the vehicle's registered keeper, not the passenger. Whether or not it gets passed on to you in your fare depends entirely on the operator's pricing model. Some operators apply a blanket surcharge to all London journeys regardless of their vehicle's compliance status. Others, like Zedcarz, absorb the cost through maintaining a compliant fleet.
When comparing quotes, it's worth asking directly: “Is your vehicle ULEZ compliant, and is there any ULEZ surcharge on this journey?” A clear answer to both questions tells you a lot about how transparent the operator is with their pricing. For full information on how we handle payments and charges, see our
payments page.
Airport Journeys and ULEZ
One of the most common Surrey-to-London journeys involving ULEZ is an airport transfer. Heathrow sits within the Greater London boundary, so any private hire vehicle travelling to or from Heathrow crosses into the ULEZ zone. Compliant vehicles are unaffected, but non-compliant vehicles incur the £12.50 daily charge.
Stansted and Luton are outside the ULEZ zone entirely. Gatwick sits outside Greater London to the south, so ULEZ doesn't apply to direct Surrey-to-Gatwick routes either. For passengers booking an
airport transfer from Surrey, knowing whether ULEZ applies to your specific route helps you compare quotes fairly.
What's Changing in 2026?
As of 2026, the core ULEZ and Congestion Charge boundaries and rates have remained stable following the 2023 expansion, though TfL periodically reviews charges and operating hours. The most significant ongoing development is the continued phase-out of older non-compliant vehicles from the private hire fleet across London, as operators work to maintain compliance.
We'll update this article if material changes come into effect. For the most current information, the TfL website is the definitive source.
How Zedcarz Handles These Charges
Our approach is simple: our vehicles are ULEZ compliant, and any applicable charges are reflected in the quoted fare rather than added on afterwards. We don't apply blanket surcharges that bear no relation to the actual route or vehicle standard. What you're quoted is what you pay.
If you're booking a journey that will pass through the Congestion Charge zone, we'll flag this at the point of quoting. If you're travelling for business and need to track costs accurately, our open a business account option makes it straightforward to manage and report on spend across multiple journeys — or complete an account application online to get set up quickly.
Whether you need a standard private hire vehicle for a straightforward journey or an executive car for a business trip into the city, our fleet is ULEZ compliant across the board. As part of the Zedcarz Group, we operate one of the most established London minicab networks in South West London and Surrey.
Get a transparent fixed-price quote →
Take a look at our full range of services, contact us if you have a specific journey in mind, or download the Zedcarz app to book and track your journey on the go.
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