Is Kensington in the Congestion Zone? 2026 Answer and ULEZ
No. Kensington is outside London's Congestion Charge zone, and so are South Kensington, Knightsbridge, Chelsea and Earl's Court: the zone starts at Park Lane and Hyde Park Corner. Kensington is inside the ULEZ, though, where a non-compliant car pays £12.50 a day. TfL's checker puts Holiday Inn Kensington Forum outside the charge.
Last verified: 8 October 2026.
We checked the hotel's own address, 97–109 Cromwell Road, SW7 4DN, on TfL's postcode checker on the date above. It came back "Outside the Congestion Charge zone" and "Inside the ULEZ". We ran the same check for a landmark in each neighbouring area, and the results are below. Several pages that rank for this question are out of date: some still quote the old £15 charge, and one says Kensington is inside the zone.
Which Kensington areas are in the congestion zone?
None of them. Every area around Holiday Inn Kensington Forum is outside the Congestion Charge zone and inside the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ). These are the TfL postcode-checker results for 8 October 2026:
| Area | Address checked | Congestion Charge (£18) | ULEZ (£12.50) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kensington | 97–109 Cromwell Road, SW7 4DN (the hotel) | Outside | Inside |
| South Kensington | Natural History Museum, SW7 5BD; Royal Albert Hall, SW7 2AP | Outside | Inside |
| Knightsbridge | Harrods, 87–135 Brompton Road, SW1X 7XL | Outside | Inside |
| Chelsea | Royal Hospital Chelsea, SW3 4SR | Outside | Inside |
| Earl's Court | Warwick Road, SW5 9TA | Outside | Inside |
| Notting Hill | 87 Notting Hill Gate, W11 3JZ | Outside | Inside |
| Hyde Park | Hyde Park Corner Lodge, W1J 7NT | Outside | Inside |
| Victoria | Station outside; Victoria Street east of Bressenden Place inside | Straddles | Inside |
| Mayfair | The Dorchester, 53 Park Lane, W1K 1QA | Inside | Inside |
Knightsbridge does not straddle the boundary. On TfL's map the whole district sits west of Hyde Park Corner, so a trip to Harrods is charge-free. Victoria is the one that does: Victoria station and Victoria Coach Station are outside the zone, but Westminster Cathedral, off Victoria Street, is inside.
Where does the congestion zone start?
The western edge runs down Park Lane, round Hyde Park Corner, down Grosvenor Place, past the north-east side of Victoria station on Bressenden Place, then along Vauxhall Bridge Road. Everything west of that line is outside the zone, as TfL's zone map shows. That includes Hyde Park, Knightsbridge, Belgravia, Pimlico, Chelsea and Kensington.
The boundary roads themselves are free. TfL's map shows Park Lane, Grosvenor Place and Vauxhall Bridge Road as uncharged roads, and a 2007 TfL monitoring report describes the Inner Ring Road as the boundary on which "no charge applies". Turning off them into the zone side is chargeable. Look for the red "C" signs and the red C markings painted on the road at each entry point; TfL's road signs page shows them.
From the hotel, Hyde Park Corner is the nearest edge: about 3.1 km by road, along Brompton Road. We measured that route on OpenStreetMap's car router on 8 October 2026.
Is Kensington in the ULEZ?
Yes. The ULEZ has covered every London borough since 29 August 2023, so all of Kensington and Chelsea is inside it. Heathrow is inside it too. It runs 24 hours a day, every day except Christmas Day, and a car that doesn't meet the standard pays £12.50 a day.
The ULEZ standards are Euro 4 for petrol cars and Euro 6 for diesel cars. As a rough guide, that means most petrol cars first registered after 2005 and most diesel cars registered after September 2015. TfL enforces on declared emissions, not age, so check the registration on TfL's vehicle checker. Cars registered outside the UK must also meet the standards or pay, and they have to be registered with TfL even if they comply.
Two rules matter for a hotel stay. A charging day runs midnight to midnight, so a drive across midnight counts as two days. And you don't pay on a day the car stays parked and isn't driven.
Do you pay both the ULEZ and the congestion charge?
Yes, if you drive into the Congestion Charge zone in a car that doesn't meet the ULEZ standard. TfL says the ULEZ charge is "in addition to any Congestion Charge", so a weekday daytime trip into Mayfair in a non-compliant car costs £18 plus £12.50. In Kensington, outside the Congestion Charge zone, only the ULEZ applies, and only to non-compliant cars.
How much is the congestion charge in 2026, and when does it apply?
£18 a day if you pay in advance or on the day, or £21 if you pay by midnight on the third day after you drive. The charge rose from £15 on 2 January 2026, according to TfL's Congestion Charge page. You pay once a day, however often you drive in and out.
| Detail (2026) | |
|---|---|
| Hours | 07:00–18:00 Monday–Friday; 12:00–18:00 Saturday, Sunday and bank holidays |
| No charge | Christmas Day to New Year's Day bank holiday: 25 December 2026 – 1 January 2027 |
| Daily charge | £18 (advance or same day), £21 (up to midnight on the third day after) |
| Penalty | £180, cut to £90 if paid within 14 days; £270 after 28 days |
| Electric cars | Free entry ended 25 December 2025. Electric cars on Auto Pay pay £13.50; not on Auto Pay, £18 |
Pay only through TfL's website or the official TfL Pay to drive in London app, as TfL's payment page advises, not through unofficial websites. Black cabs and two-wheeled motorbikes are exempt; minicabs and ride-hailing cars are not. Blue Badge holders can register for a 100% discount, according to TfL's discounts and exemptions page, but that discount doesn't cover the ULEZ.
Was Kensington ever in the congestion zone?
Kensington is NOT in the Congestion Charge zone today: the Western Extension that covered it ended on 24 December 2010. The extension started on 19 February 2007 and took in most of Kensington and Chelsea, including Cromwell Road, Knightsbridge and the King's Road. After a consultation in which 62% of respondents backed removing it, Mayor Boris Johnson confirmed the decision on 20 October 2010, according to TfL's announcement. From 4 January 2011 the zone went back to roughly its pre-2007 boundary. Pages written between 2007 and 2010 still say Kensington is inside; they are more than 15 years out of date.
Driving to Holiday Inn Kensington Forum: what you pay
Driving in from Heathrow or the west costs no Congestion Charge. The M4/A4 into Cromwell Road stays west of the Park Lane boundary. Heathrow is inside the ULEZ, though, so a non-compliant car owes £12.50 for that day. The hotel puts Heathrow at about 45 minutes by car, or about 40 minutes on the Piccadilly line from Gloucester Road. The concierge can book an airport transfer in advance (details on the hotel FAQ).
Once you arrive, the cheapest plan is to leave the car parked:
- Hotel parking is £35 a day and must be reserved in advance.
- On days the car stays parked, there's no ULEZ charge, even for a non-compliant car.
- For central London, take the tube. Gloucester Road station is 270 metres from the lobby, and the West End and the City are inside the Congestion Charge zone. Our South Kensington station guide covers the lines and this autumn's closures.
- Concerts and the park are charge-free. The Royal Albert Hall and Hyde Park are both outside the zone. See staying for the Royal Albert Hall for the 15-minute walk and the Hall's £11 car park.
Parking on the street in Kensington
Kensington and Chelsea takes on-street parking payment through PayByPhone only: the app, online, by phone on 020 7023 9078, by text to 65565, or with cash at a PayPoint shop. PayByPhone adds 10p per session, according to the RBKC PayByPhone page. The council does not use QR codes for parking at all. Any QR sticker on a parking sign is a scam, as our QR code parking warning explains.
FAQs
Is Kensington in the congestion zone?
No. Kensington is outside London's Congestion Charge zone. TfL's postcode checker gives 97–109 Cromwell Road, SW7 4DN, as outside the zone and inside the ULEZ (checked 8 October 2026).
Is South Kensington in the congestion zone?
No. The Natural History Museum (SW7 5BD) and the Royal Albert Hall (SW7 2AP) both check as outside the Congestion Charge zone and inside the ULEZ.
Is Knightsbridge in the congestion zone?
No. Knightsbridge sits entirely west of Hyde Park Corner, the zone's nearest edge. Harrods checks as outside the Congestion Charge zone and inside the ULEZ.
Is Chelsea in the congestion zone?
No. Chelsea is outside the Congestion Charge zone. The Royal Hospital Chelsea (SW3 4SR) checks as outside and inside the ULEZ.
Is Earl's Court in the congestion zone?
No. Warwick Road, SW5 9TA, checks as outside the Congestion Charge zone and inside the ULEZ.
Is Kensington in the ULEZ?
Yes. The ULEZ has covered all London boroughs since 29 August 2023. Cars that don't meet Euro 4 (petrol) or Euro 6 (diesel) pay £12.50 a day, every day except Christmas Day.
Do I need to pay both ULEZ and the congestion charge?
Only if you drive into the Congestion Charge zone in a car that doesn't meet the ULEZ standard. Then you pay both: £18 plus £12.50. In Kensington itself, only the ULEZ can apply.
Do I pay the congestion charge driving to Holiday Inn Kensington Forum?
No. The hotel is outside the zone, and the drive in from Heathrow or the west doesn't cross it. A non-compliant car pays the £12.50 ULEZ charge on days it's driven. Hotel parking is £35 a day.
Sources & further reading
- Transport for London — Congestion Charge zone and postcode checker, zone map, 2026 charges, paying the charge, penalties, discounts and exemptions, road signs
- Transport for London — ULEZ, ULEZ standards, vehicle checker and boundary description (Heathrow)
- Transport for London — announcement confirming removal of the Western Extension (20 October 2010)
- Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea — PayByPhone visitor parking and the QR code scam warning
Images: Congestion Charge and ULEZ signs on Euston Road (April 2019), by citytransportinfo, public domain (CC0) via Wikimedia Commons. The cover is centred on a blurred extension of the same photo, and the 2019 sign shows weekday hours only (current hours are in the table above). Charts: Holiday Inn Kensington Forum.
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Compiled by the Holiday Inn Kensington Forum Travel Team. Last verified 8 October 2026.