Hybrid classification did not establish a Congestion Charge exemption (2026)

Case 9250007112 / 2025-02-17 / Adjudicator Herjinder Mann

Waterloo Bridge

“On the dates in question, the vehicle was not registered for any discount.”

Herjinder Mann

The driver of a leased vehicle said she had been assured that the vehicle was exempt from ULEZ and the Congestion Charge. She relied on website information about zero-emission vehicles. The V5C, however, described the vehicle as hybrid electric with an alternative-fuel taxation class. The Congestion Charge allegations concerned journeys on 29 September and 1 October 2024.

TfL said the vehicle was not eligible for the Cleaner Vehicle Discount applicable to those journeys and was not registered for it. Herjinder Mann found no evidence establishing an exemption or qualifying discount. She accepted that the driver genuinely believed the vehicle was exempt, but that belief did not establish a ground of appeal.

The appeals were refused. The reasons separately recorded that the outstanding amount had already been paid in full. The decision concerned eligibility and registration for the Congestion Charge on the journey dates; the mention of ULEZ in the driver's account did not turn it into a ULEZ decision.

Source and case reference

Use case reference 9250007112 in the London Tribunals register to find the official decision. This commentary distinguishes the adjudicator's finding from a possible argument in a different case; previous tribunal decisions do not bind another adjudicator.