If you are driving into London for the first time, here is the short version: parking is expensive, the rules change from one borough to the next, and the fastest way to lose £100 on your trip is to stop in the wrong place for five minutes. This guide covers the apps you will actually use, what they cost, and the traps that catch out visitors most often.

Should you even drive into London?

London has two separate daily charges for driving into the centre, and both are easy to miss if you are not from the UK.

The Congestion Charge is £18 a day (this rose from £15 in January 2026). It applies Monday to Friday, 7am to 6pm, and Saturday, Sunday and bank holidays, 12pm to 6pm. There is no charge between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. The zone covers a large part of central London, including most of the areas visitors want to see, so check the map on Transport for London’s website before you drive in.

ULEZ (Ultra Low Emission Zone) is a separate £12.50 a day charge for vehicles that do not meet current emissions standards. Unlike the Congestion Charge, ULEZ covers every London borough, not just the centre. Most UK rental cars from the last few years meet the standard and will not be charged, but check your specific vehicle on the TfL website before you travel, since the charge applies automatically and there is no warning sign at the roadside.

You have until midnight on the third day after you drove in the zone to pay the Congestion Charge online or by phone. Miss it, and TfL sends a PCN instead, starting at £90 if you pay quickly, rising if you ignore it.

If you are only in London for a city break, read our essential apps to download before visiting London and our cheapest way to travel around London guides first. A day of Tube and bus fares will almost always cost less than the Congestion Charge plus parking plus the risk of a fine.

The parking apps you need to know

Nearly all on-street “pay and display” parking bays in London are now cashless. You pay with your phone, either through an app or by texting a code, using whichever provider the street’s sign names. You do not need to guess which one to use: the sign will tell you.

App Best for Typical cost
RingGo On-street meters (most boroughs) Meter tariff, plus a small fee in some boroughs
PayByPhone On-street meters (remaining boroughs) Meter tariff, plus a few pence per session
JustPark Pre-booked driveways and private spaces From around £1 an hour or £5 a day
YourParkingSpace Pre-booked private spaces and car parks From around £2.50 a session
NCP Multi-storey and surface car parks Varies, cheaper if pre-booked

RingGo and PayByPhone: paying at the meter

RingGo is used by most London boroughs. Enter the location code shown on the street sign, choose how long you want to stay, and pay in the app. You pay the same tariff as the meter itself, though some boroughs add a small convenience fee for using the service, this varies by council, and some charge nothing extra. The app always shows the total before you confirm, so check it.

PayByPhone works the same way and covers the boroughs RingGo does not. It typically adds a flat fee of a few pence per parking session, again shown clearly before you pay.

Both apps let you extend your parking remotely without walking back to the car, and both send a text reminder before your time runs out, which is genuinely useful since London traffic wardens do check meters closely.

JustPark and YourParkingSpace: booking a space in advance

JustPark lets you search for and book a parking space ahead of time, including private driveways, residential spaces and off-street car parks. Prices in London start from roughly £1 an hour or under £5 a day at some locations, often cheaper than a meter, and useful near stations, museums or event venues where street parking is scarce or restricted.

YourParkingSpace works similarly: private spaces and car parks you can book in advance, from around £2.50 a session. Booking ahead is usually cheaper than turning up and paying on the day.

NCP: multi-storey car parks

NCP (National Car Parks) runs multi-storey and surface car parks across London. You can pre-book through their app or website, which is usually cheaper than paying on arrival, and useful if you want a guaranteed space near a specific attraction.

Free and cheaper parking, if you know where to look

London does not have one single set of parking rules. Each of its 32 boroughs, plus the City of London, sets its own hours, tariffs and exceptions, so the same street sign in two different boroughs can mean two different things. Always read the sign next to your parking space rather than assuming a rule you learned elsewhere still applies.

That said, a few patterns are common across much of London:

  • Many boroughs make pay-and-display bays free on bank holidays. Kensington and Chelsea, for example, offers free pay-by-phone parking on bank holidays, though resident permit bays follow their own separate rules.
  • Single yellow lines (one continuous yellow line painted at the kerb) are often unrestricted on Sundays and bank holidays, meaning you can park there for free outside the times shown on the nearby sign.
  • Double yellow lines mean no parking at any time, every day of the year, bank holidays and Sundays included. There is no free window on a double yellow line.

Because the details genuinely differ street by street, treat this as a list of things to check for rather than a guarantee, and always read the actual sign before you leave your car.

If you have a Blue Badge

Blue Badge holders, the UK’s disabled parking permit, get some of the most generous free parking allowances in London, and many visitors do not realise how far it extends:

  • Free parking on single yellow lines and in resident bays outside of controlled hours.
  • Up to four hours of free parking in a dedicated Blue Badge bay during controlled hours, unless a sign says otherwise.
  • On red routes, unlimited time in marked short-term Blue Badge boxes, and up to three hours in loading boxes that carry the Blue Badge symbol.

The badge and, where required, a parking clock must both be clearly visible on the dashboard at all times. Double yellow lines and clearways still apply to everyone, badge or not.

Red routes

Some of London’s busiest roads are marked with a red line instead of a yellow one. These are red routes, controlled directly by Transport for London rather than the local borough. Stopping rules on red routes are stricter and enforced closely, mostly because these roads are kept clear to keep traffic moving.

Parking fines and how to appeal

A parking fine in London is officially called a Penalty Charge Notice, or PCN. Since April 2025, fines across London were increased for the first time since 2011. The exact amount depends on the borough and how serious the contravention is, but the general bands are:

Contravention type Full charge If paid within 14 days
Higher band (more serious) £160 or £140 £80 or £70
Lower band (less serious) £110 or £90 £55 or £45

Bus lane and moving traffic offences (driving where you should not, rather than parking) are generally charged at the higher rate too.

Every PCN in London is cut in half if you pay within 14 days of the notice being issued. Wait longer than that, and you pay the full amount.

If you think a fine was unfair

  1. Write to the council first.

    Send an informal challenge explaining why you think the PCN is wrong, as soon as you can after receiving it.

  2. Wait for their decision.

    If they reject your challenge, you will receive a Notice of Rejection of Formal Representations.

  3. Appeal to London Tribunals.

    You have 28 days from the rejection to appeal to this independent body using the form it provides.

  4. Keep an eye on the deadline.

    There is no cost to appeal, and the fine does not increase while your case is being considered.

Common questions

Do I need a different app for every borough?
Not exactly. Most boroughs use either RingGo or PayByPhone, and the street sign tells you which. You will likely only need one or two apps installed for a typical visit.
Is it cheaper to use a meter, or book ahead with JustPark or YourParkingSpace?
It depends on the location, but booking ahead is very often cheaper, especially near popular attractions or on match days and event days, when on-street parking is scarce and meters are priced accordingly.
What is the difference between the Congestion Charge and ULEZ?
The Congestion Charge is a fee for driving into central London at all, regardless of your vehicle. ULEZ is a separate fee, covering the whole of London, that only applies if your specific vehicle does not meet emissions standards. You may owe one, both or neither, depending on where you are driving and what you are driving.
Can I pay a parking fine on the street?
No. London parking fines are paid online or by phone through the issuing council, not on the spot. There is no cash payment to a traffic warden.
Is parking free anywhere in central London?
Genuinely free, unrestricted parking is rare in central London. Your best chance is a single yellow line outside its controlled hours, or on a Sunday or bank holiday where the local rules allow it. Always confirm on the sign rather than assuming.
Do rental cars usually have to pay ULEZ?
Most modern rental cars meet the ULEZ emissions standard and will not be charged, but this is not guaranteed for every vehicle. Check the registration number on the TfL website before you rely on it.

Official sources and last check

This guide was checked on 6 September 2026 using:

Congestion Charge, ULEZ and PCN rates can change. Always confirm the current figure on tfl.gov.uk or your local council’s website before you travel.

Planning the rest of your visit? Our free printable trip itinerary planner keeps your bookings, journeys and neighbourhoods together in one A4 PDF.