EV drivers in Westminster face 1,800% hike in parking charges

Electric car drivers will now have to pay considerably more to park in Westminster, London, as the borough's Labour-run council has introduced a new emissions-based pricing scheme.

Drivers of EVs and plug-in hybrids had enjoyed a perk that allowed them to park for up to four hours by only paying for 10 minutes. Parking charges for these drivers were as low as 8p per hour in the borough, but as of April 8, 2024, this will now rocket by 1,800% to £1.46 an hour.

In some parking zones, drivers will have to fork out £4.62 per hour to park their cars, up from 24p per hour before. Meanwhile, residents who had enjoyed parking their EVs for free will now have to pay £1.50 a week for a permit to park outside their homes.

The new charging scheme will see owners paying for parking based on the emissions their vehicles emit, with plug-in hybrids and zero-emission electric cars still paying less to park than petrol and diesel vehicles. 

Westminster City said it has 'some of the highest carbon emissions and worst air quality of any national local authority', and that the new charges are designed to help tackle this and reach its goal to be Net Zero by 2040.

The council added that it is one of several London boroughs introducing an emissions-based scheme, as 'the popularity of electric vehicles continues to grow'.

Councillor Paul Dimoldenberg, Cabinet Member for City Management and Air Quality, said: "Westminster City Council has invested heavily in electric vehicle infrastructure to encourage people to switch to EVs and low polluting vehicles.

"Westminster has more than 2,500 electric vehicle chargers across the city which is more than any other local authority in the UK. And 50% of our waste collection fleet is now made up of zero-emission electric vehicles. 

"Until now, pay to park charges for EVs in Westminster have been extremely low, and to keep up with the increasing demand for EVs the council is moving to an emissions-based charging system. The new scheme will support the growth of electric vehicles in the city while keeping charges fair, proportionate, and as low as possible. To encourage more people to switch to an EV, the cost of parking an EV in Westminster will remain much lower than driving or a petrol or diesel car."