Which road charges apply on bank holidays?
Almost all of them. On a bank holiday the Congestion Charge switches to its shorter weekend hours and the Blackwall and Silvertown tunnels are off-peak all day; every other scheme EveryDrive covers charges just as it does on any other day.
| Scheme | Charged on a bank holiday? | Pay by |
|---|---|---|
| Congestion Charge | 12pm–6pm (no charge 25 Dec–1 Jan) | Midnight on the 3rd day after |
| London ULEZ | 24 hours (not Christmas Day) | Midnight on the 3rd day after |
| Blackwall and Silvertown tunnels | 6am–10pm, off-peak all day (not Christmas Day) | Midnight on the 3rd day after |
| Dartford Crossing | 6am–10pm | Midnight the next day |
| Mersey Gateway | Every crossing | 11:59pm the next day |
| Tyne Tunnel | Every crossing | Midnight the next day |
| Clean Air Zones | 24 hours | 11:59pm on the 6th day after |
| Oxford ZEZ | 7am–7pm | Within 6 days after |
The ULEZ and the Clean Air Zones only charge vehicles that miss their emissions standards, so a compliant car pays nothing in them on any day. Check yours with the ULEZ checker.
What’s charged over Christmas and New Year 2026?
Only the Congestion Charge stops for the whole Christmas week; the ULEZ and the Blackwall and Silvertown tunnels are free on Christmas Day only, and the other schemes charge every day.
| Scheme | Thu 24 Dec | Fri 25 Dec | Sat 26–Thu 31 Dec | Fri 1 Jan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Congestion Charge | 7am–6pm | No charge | No charge | No charge |
| ULEZ | 24 hours | No charge | 24 hours | 24 hours |
| Blackwall and Silvertown | 6am–10pm, peak times apply | No charge | 6am–10pm; off-peak all day 26–28 Dec | 6am–10pm, off-peak all day |
| Dartford Crossing | 6am–10pm | 6am–10pm | 6am–10pm | 6am–10pm |
| Mersey Gateway | Every crossing | Every crossing | Every crossing | Every crossing |
| Tyne Tunnel | Every crossing | Every crossing | Every crossing | Every crossing |
| Clean Air Zones | 24 hours | 24 hours | 24 hours | 24 hours |
| Oxford ZEZ | 7am–7pm | 7am–7pm | 7am–7pm | 7am–7pm |
Times show when each scheme charges; outside them, driving is free. The Congestion Charge restarts at 12pm on Saturday 2 January 2027.
Is the Congestion Charge on bank holidays?
Yes. On bank holidays the Congestion Charge applies from 12pm to 6pm, the same hours as Saturdays and Sundays (TfL).
So on a bank holiday Monday such as Easter Monday (29 March 2027) you can drive in the zone free before noon or after 6pm. Drive in it at any point between 12pm and 6pm and you owe the full daily charge: £18 if you pay on the day or in advance, or £21 if you pay in the three days after. Electric cars registered for TfL Auto Pay pay £13.50.
The ULEZ doesn’t change on bank holidays. A non-compliant vehicle still owes £12.50 for driving anywhere in London that day, whatever the time.
Is there a Congestion Charge at Christmas?
No. There’s no Congestion Charge from Christmas Day to the New Year’s Day bank holiday, inclusive, which this year means Friday 25 December 2026 to Friday 1 January 2027 (TfL).
Christmas Eve, Thursday 24 December, is a normal weekday with charging from 7am to 6pm. Charging restarts at 12pm on Saturday 2 January 2027. The ULEZ doesn’t take the same break: between Christmas and New Year it only stops on Christmas Day itself, so a non-compliant car driven in central London on 29 December owes the ULEZ charge but not the Congestion Charge.
Is the ULEZ charged on Christmas Day?
No. The ULEZ operates 24 hours a day, every day of the year except Christmas Day (25 December) (TfL).
It runs as normal on Boxing Day (Saturday 26 December), on the Monday 28 December bank holiday and on New Year’s Day. Each charging day runs from midnight to midnight, so a non-compliant car still being driven after midnight on Christmas night owes £12.50 for 26 December.
Are the Blackwall and Silvertown tunnels charged on bank holidays?
Yes. The tunnels are charged from 6am to 10pm on every bank holiday except Christmas Day, and bank holidays count as off-peak all day (TfL).
TfL’s statement of charges defines peak hours as weekdays other than bank holidays, so Good Friday and Easter Monday have no peak times. The off-peak price — £1.55 for a car — only applies with TfL Auto Pay. Pay online, by phone or in the app and every crossing between 6am and 10pm costs £4.20 (TfL).
Between Christmas and New Year the tunnels are free only on Christmas Day. Tuesday 29 to Thursday 31 December 2026 are ordinary weekdays, with peak times northbound 6am–10am and southbound 4pm–7pm.
Is the Dartford Crossing charged on Sundays and bank holidays?
Yes. The Dart Charge applies from 6am to 10pm every day, including Sundays and bank holidays, and crossing between 10pm and 6am is free (GOV.UK).
GOV.UK gives no exception for Christmas Day. The deadline doesn’t move either: cross on Christmas Eve and the Dart Charge must be paid by midnight on Christmas Day. Prices are on our Dartford Crossing page.
Are the Mersey Gateway and Tyne Tunnel charged on bank holidays?
Yes. Both charge a toll for every crossing at the same price whatever the day or time, and neither Merseyflow nor TT2 lists a bank holiday or Christmas exception.
The deadlines are short and don’t stop for holidays: 11:59pm the day after for the Mersey Gateway and midnight the day after for the Tyne Tunnel. Merseyflow’s £75 off-peak monthly pass is valid all day on public holidays, but that only matters if you hold one.
If you miss the Tyne Tunnel deadline, TT2’s Unpaid Toll Charge Notice timetable adds a day for each bank holiday. That extra time applies to the notice, not to paying the toll.
Do Clean Air Zones charge on bank holidays?
Yes. GOV.UK says Clean Air Zones operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year, with each charge covering midnight to midnight (GOV.UK).
That covers Birmingham, Bristol, Bath, Bradford, Sheffield, Newcastle and Gateshead and Portsmouth. You have until 11:59pm on the sixth day after you drove in to pay. The GOV.UK payment phone line (0300 029 8888) is closed on bank holidays, so pay online over Christmas.
Is Oxford’s Zero Emission Zone charged on bank holidays?
Yes. Oxfordshire County Council says the ZEZ charges from 7am to 7pm, seven days a week, all year round (Oxfordshire County Council).
Oxford’s traffic filters, on trial since 28 September 2026, also operate year-round including bank holidays (Oxfordshire County Council). They’re a separate scheme with their own hours and penalties — see Oxford traffic filters. EveryDrive doesn’t detect the traffic filters.
When are the bank holidays in 2026 and 2027?
The next five bank holidays in England and Wales are Christmas Day, the Boxing Day substitute day, New Year’s Day, Good Friday and Easter Monday (GOV.UK).
| Bank holiday | Date | Congestion Charge |
|---|---|---|
| Christmas Day | Friday 25 December 2026 | No charge |
| Boxing Day (substitute day) | Monday 28 December 2026 | No charge |
| New Year’s Day | Friday 1 January 2027 | No charge |
| Good Friday | Friday 26 March 2027 | 12pm–6pm |
| Easter Monday | Monday 29 March 2027 | 12pm–6pm |
Boxing Day falls on a Saturday in 2026, so the bank holiday moves to Monday 28 December.
Do payment deadlines pause over bank holidays?
No. Payment deadlines keep running through weekends, bank holidays and Christmas, so a trip on Christmas Eve has to be paid by these dates:
| Drove on Thursday 24 December 2026 | Pay by |
|---|---|
| Dartford Crossing | Midnight, Friday 25 December |
| Mersey Gateway | 11:59pm, Friday 25 December |
| Tyne Tunnel | Midnight, Friday 25 December |
| Congestion Charge, ULEZ, Blackwall and Silvertown tunnels | Midnight, Sunday 27 December |
| Clean Air Zones | 11:59pm, Wednesday 30 December |
| Oxford ZEZ | Wednesday 30 December |
Paying the Congestion Charge after the day of travel costs £21 rather than £18. If you’ve already missed a deadline, see forgot to pay the Dart Charge? or forgot to pay the ULEZ?.
How EveryDrive helps over the holidays
Holiday trips are when charges get forgotten: a different route, a borrowed car, a crossing you use once a year. EveryDrive is an iPhone app that notices when you drive into the ULEZ, the Congestion Charge zone, one of the seven English Clean Air Zones or Oxford’s ZEZ, or through the Dartford, Blackwall, Silvertown, Mersey Gateway or Tyne Tunnel crossings. It tells you whether that trip is charged and reminds you before the deadline. It never takes payment — you pay the operator yourself — and it doesn’t cover Oxford’s traffic filters, the Humber Bridge, the M6 Toll or Scottish Low Emission Zones.