New findings have revealed that owners of some older cars may have been wrongly paying ULEZ fines, and explain what to do to avoid further charges.

Findings from The Times have revealed that owners of older models from manufacturers including the brands BMW, Land Rover, Mercedes and Toyota may have been hit with undue ULEZ fees.

From August 29, the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) expanded into all Greater London boroughs, including the south east London boroughs of Bromley and Bexley.

Residents driving non-compliant vehicles within the newly expanded zone will now be required to pay £12.50 a day, or a £180 fine if they cross the zone without paying the daily charge.

But, according to The Times, as many as 100,000 petrol cars that were registered between 1995 and 2005 may meet the low emission zone criteria.

However, most owners of such cars may have faced paying fines unnecessarily, due to not knowing that their car was in fact compliant.

TFL claim that nine out of ten cars are compliant, according to data from November 2022.

But data from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), obtained by the RAC, suggests that 691,559 licensed cars in the whole of London are potentially non-compliant.

Additionally, these figures do not factor in other vehicles including vans and lorries, or vehicles that enter London from neighbouring counties.

Bromley based trader Glen who attended a recent ULEZ protest in Widmore Road in the lead up to the planned expansion has said that he fears the £12.50 daily charge to run his van, which is currently non-compliant, will deter customers from using his business.

Glen said: “I use my van to help out in the community. I try and keep my prices low.

“With this extra £12.50 that I've got to charge if I go into the zone, it means that I might not get a job to help the community with a lower charge for moving their stuff.

“And if I have to not take the charge it makes me out of pocket.”

According to TFL, the small number of vehicles affected should have received a certificate with emissions information when the vehicle was purchased.

Owners without a certificate can apply for a new one from the manufacturer, which will mean that motorists of these affected cars can avoid ULEZ charges.

TfL told The Times: “There may be a tiny number of individual cases of vehicles that [met] emission standards ahead of time and we continually update the vehicle checker with this information for individual vehicles when provided.

“The tiny number of vehicles affected should have been issued with a certificate with emissions information when they were purchased.

“They can apply for a new one from the manufacturer if they do not have one and TfL will ensure they are on the system and don’t have to pay the ULEZ charge.”