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02 Feb 2021

CITROËN FINDS UK MOTORISTS HAVE BEEN FINED UP TO £130 MILLION FOR FAILING TO PAY LONDON CONGESTION CHARGE

Exclusive research by Citroën finds UK motorists attracted up to £130 million in fines for failing to pay the London Congestion Charge* in the 12 months to September 2020. Transport for London also generated £52 million in revenue from those that did pay the daily charge over the same period*. Electric vehicles are exempt from the daily payments, potentially saving owners hundreds in fines or charges. Zero-emissions New Citroën ë-C4 compact hatchback and ë-SpaceTourer MPV are exempt from Congestion Charge and Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) payments, making them ideal for use in London – other UK cities are proposing similar schemes in 2021. The 100% electric ë-Dispatch medium van is also exempt from Congestion Charge and Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) charges, providing significant savings for many businesses. For more information on the Citroën range, please visit: www.citroen.co.uk

CITROËN FINDS UK MOTORISTS HAVE BEEN FINED UP TO £130 MILLION FOR FAILING TO PAY LONDON CONGESTION CHARGE

Motorists were issued with up to £130 million of fines in the 12 months to September 2020, for failing to pay the London Congestion Charge, new research by Citroën UK has revealed. That is significantly more than the £52 million of revenue actually received by Transport for London (TfL) in daily congestion charges over the same period*.

The fee, which was increased from £11.50 to £15 from June 2020, alongside an extended seven-days-per-week charging window, is levied on vehicles that do not meet strict exemption criteria – namely emitting less than 75g/km of CO2 and having a minimum 20-mile zero emissions range. Failure to pay the London Congestion Charge results in a fine of £160, reduced to £80 if paid within 14 days.

Citroën UK obtained the TfL data following a Freedom of Information request, which revealed TfL had issued more than 817,000 Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) to vehicle owners in the 12 months to September 2020. Over 60% of these PCNs were issued during the four months that followed the seven-days-per-week extension, suggesting many motorists may have been caught out on weekend trips to the Capital.

The £160 fine can be avoided completely if motorists remember to pay the London Congestion Charge within three days of travelling within the specified zone, or are travelling in an exempt vehicle – such as the 100% electric New Citroën ë-C4 compact hatchback, which could save owners hundreds in fines and charges.

New Citroën ë-C4 features a 50kWh lithium-ion battery pack and a 100kW (136hp) electric motor. With a WLTP-compliant range of up to 217 miles from a single charge, New ë-C4 meets the needs of private and fleet drivers alike. Supporting CCS (Combined Charging System) rapid charging, an 80% charge takes just 30 minutes when using a 100kW rapid charger. A Type 2, Mode 3 charging cable is included as standard on all models allowing home charging to take just 7.5 hours using a 32A Wallbox.

Similarly, the new Citroën ë-SpaceTourer MPV is available with a 50kWh battery offering up to 143 miles from a single charge, with re-charge times mirroring those of New ë-C4. Available in both ‘Feel’ and ‘Business’ trim levels, ë-SpaceTourer suits both commercial and family buyers. Its clever interior design is capable of accommodating up to nine passengers on-board a 'Business' version.

New Citroën ë-Dispatch medium van is available with either a 50kWh or a 75kWh battery pack, and has an impressive range of up to 205 miles on a single charge. Supporting up to 100kW rapid charging, it too can charge up to 80% of capacity in just 30 minutes. With up to 6.6m3 of load volume with the Moduwork® multi-function dual passenger bench and a payload of up to 1,002kg, the new ë-Dispatch van suits the needs of many fleet and business users.

Eurig Druce, Citroën UK's Managing Director, commented: “Electric vehicles, such as the New ë-C4, New ë-SpaceTourer and New ë-Dispatch van are perfect for keeping motoring bills to a minimum. Not only do they help drivers save significantly on running costs, but as our latest research shows, they also eliminate the chance of unexpected and expensive fines for forgetting the Congestion Charge Zone payment and other low emission zone tariffs.”

New Citroën ë-C4 starts from £30,380 after the Government's current Plug-in Car Grant has been applied to the on-the-road price, with the model available in 'Sense Plus', 'Shine' and 'Shine Plus' trims.

New ë-SpaceTourer starts from £45,600 in ‘Business’ trim after the current Plug-in Car Grant.

New ë-Dispatch van is also available to order now with a choice of three trim levels and three lengths, and a basic price excluding VAT from £25,053 after the Government's Plug-in Van Grant.

Selected Citroën vehicles be ordered online via the new Citroën Store, which allows buyers to configure and order their vehicle entirely from the comfort of their own home.

ENDS

*Freedom of Information request sent to Transport for London requesting the total number of fines issued for failing to pay the London Congestion Charge, as well as the total number of payments made for the Congestion Charge. The responses covered the period from October 2019 to September 2020.

With a fine of £160, and more than 817,000 fines issued between October 2019 and September 2020, motorists faced up to £130 million in fines.

A total of 4,022,208 London Congestion Charge payments were made for vehicles between October 2019 and September 2020. With a payment of £11.50 until June and £15 thereafter, this totals £52,773,772.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:

JOHN HANDCOCK, HEAD OF COMMUNICATIONS

07810 180249

john.handcock@citroen.com

SIMON BROOME, PR MANAGER

07827 840050

simon.broome@citroen.com

MICHAEL ARNOLD, PRESS FLEET MANAGER

07831 829410

michael.arnold@stellantis.com

JEREMY TOWNSEND, COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR

JOSEPH GORSUCH, PRODUCT COMMS ASSISTANT

07827 896480

jeremy.townsend@stellantis.com

joseph.gorsuch@stellantis.com

FOLLOW CITROËN ON TWITTER AT: www.twitter.com/citroenuk

FIND CITROËN ON FACEBOOK AT: www.facebook.com/citroenuk

FOLLOW CITROËN ON INSTAGRAM AT: www.instagram.com/citroenuk

The Citroën Brand

At the heart of the automotive market, Citroën has asserted itself since 1919 as a popular brand in the true sense of the word, making people and their lifestyles its first source of inspiration. This spirit is underlined by the ‘Inspired by You’ brand signature and is embodied by cars combining unique design and benchmark comfort. Within the sector of mainstream brands, Citroën also stands out with a unique customer experience (Citroën Advisor, ‘La Maison Citroën’, etc.). In 2019, the Citroën sold one million vehicles in over 90 countries.

The Citroën Brand in the UK

The UK is the 4th largest market for Citroën globally, with 80,000 vehicles sold in 2019. Based in Coventry, Citroën UK’s range of hatchbacks includes C1 (city car), C3 (supermini) and C4 Cactus (compact family car). The UK SUV line-up consists of C3 Aircross (compact SUV) and C5 Aircross (mid-size SUV). The UK MPV range features Berlingo (5 or 7-seats), Grand C4 SpaceTourer (7-seats) and SpaceTourer (up to 9-seats). Citroën UK’s Light Commercial Vehicle offering covers all sectors of the market with Berlingo Van, Dispatch and Relay. Citroën has a clearly defined electrification strategy with all models across the range offering an electrified version by 2025. In the UK, 2020 sees the launch of New C5 Aircross SUV Hybrid (PHEV), plus the introduction of Dispatch and Relay battery electric vehicles (BEV).

Citroën UK media site: https://www.media.stellantis.com/uk-en/citroen - @CitroenUK

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