Changes to London’s daily congestion charge kicked in from 4 January, with charges rising from £8 to £10 per day, while registered sub-100g/km cars conforming to Euro5 emissions standards are now exempt from the charge.

Motorists can now also use an automated payment service, CC Auto Pay, which cuts the daily cost to £9 and works by recording the number of days a vehicle enters the zone and then charging the owner’s debit card on a monthly basis.

Transport for London’s director of congestion charging and traffic enforcement, Nick Fairholme said when the changes were first announced: “CC Auto Pay accounts will take all the hassle out of paying the Congestion Charge. The reduced daily charge and the peace of mind that you will never be sent a Penalty Charge Notice for forgetting to pay the charge are also welcome benefits to holding a CC Auto Pay account.”

To register at www.cclondon.com, drivers must have a credit or debit card and pay a £10 annual registration charge for each vehicle on the account.

Motorists not using auto pay who leave it until the day after to pay the fee will now face a £12 charge compared with £10 last year.

The zone’s western extension was scrapped on 24 December 2010 after a public consultation.

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