The Congestion Charge applies in certain areas in London. Every day from 7 am to 10 pm you have to pay the fee if you want to drive in central London. You can either choose to pay the Congestion Charge or you can attempt to plan a route that avoids the congestion charge.
How to avoid congestion charge on Google Maps
Google Maps offers a user-created Google Maps Congestion Zone, so when you’re planning your route you can check whether you will go into the Congestion Zone and if you will have to pay the Congestion Charge.
Does Google Maps avoid the Congestion Charge? Yes, when planning a journey in London all you have to do is look for the warning of “This route has tolls”. So in short, yes, there is an option to avoid the Congestion Charge in Google Maps. It isn’t a specified option but instead comes under the category of “Tolls”.
As of August 2021, Google Maps announced that it will notify drivers when their route will take them through an area that has emission or congestion charges. For drivers in London, this applies to London's Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ), which covers most of central London. This zone currently covers the Congestion Zone and there are plans to expand it.
So if you’re wondering, is ULEZ the same as the Congestion Zone? Yes, but the ULEZ is set to cover more of London in the coming years.
Therefore, if your Google Maps journey takes you through the Congestions Charge or ULEZ zones that incur fees, you will be shown a warning labelled “Tolls” then you can choose an alternative route.
However, some regular Google Maps users have reported recurring issues when using the “Avoid Tolls” setting on Google Maps as it has guided them into the Congestion Zone. Google Maps isn’t the most reliable avoid congestion route planner. Users should double-check the Congestion and ULEZ zones if they plan to use the “Avoid Tolls” option so they don’t get led into the zones unknowingly.
Is there another avoid congestion charge route planner?
If you’re looking for a route planner to avoid Congestion Charge that isn’t Google Maps, try the route planning app called Waze.
In the app, simply enable the “Avoid Tolls” option and the app should route you around the Congestion Charge. But again double-check your route doesn’t take you through the Zone.
