Free Traffic Legal Advice

I need help! I have a 2013 diesel car.  It has a private plate on it (a 2011 plate that resembles my name) When ULEZ was introduced my car was deemed compliant upon checking the TfL tool and I’ve been driving it ever since within the ULEZ zone.

We have decided it’s time to sell the car and have reverted the plates to their original.  Since then I have received 14 PCN notices as I live in the ULEZ zone.

I have challenged them and provided evidence of the plate change and both log books and they have rejected my challenge. 

I am currently at approx £1500 of PCN fines.  Where do I stand with getting these cancelled if in fact my car isn’t complaint.  TfL said it was in the first place and surely it’s not my fault just because of a plate change?

Please can you give me some advice?

And dates of issue of the PCNs pl. You were on notice assoon as the first one was served but prior to this 'legitimate expectation' could apply.

And a copy of reps pl.

Please post up the docs/info requested.

Letter

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This issue usually happens the other way round. Folks change the VRM from the original to a private plate and the emissions details don't follow, at least not in a timely manner.

In such cases TFL say you have to manually register the car with them to avoid penalty charges. See here.

In this case could be that the emissions data eventually updated on the private plate and this was before ULEZ inception in your area.

You've now reverted to the original registration and it seems that the emissions data fields have not yet updated. So I suspect you may need to manually register the car with TFL.

Interestingly the TFL ULEZ checker returns:
"We don't know if your vehicle meets emissions standards
Check your number plate is correct. You'll need to provide us proof if you believe it meets emissions standards – we'll tell you how in the next step.

Results will show charges you need to pay today until you tell us more about this vehicle."

Please post up the details page of the V5c for each VRM, redact your name and address and the VIN number and the V5c reference number. Also please confirm the exact model of Range Rover Sport you have. In particular the engine.

Hence the reason I never sold the vehicle and assumed that when I changed plates a few weeks ago that this wouldn’t possibly happen.

In your opening post you told us you have 14 PCNs.
The Notice of Rejection lists only 12 PCNs.
Yesterday you mentioned 21 PCNs.

Please post up a list of all the PCNs you have. Each tell us the dates of contravention and issue, whether each PCN has been challenged, and when, and whether any notice of rejection has been received and the date.

If you appeal all 21 of these of these to the Independent Adjudicator then you are in for a potential £180 each if you lose all of them. That's a possible £3780 in the worst case. With some work I would hope that you would do considerably better than that.

Your option to pay the 12 PCNS on the Notice of Rejection at the discount rate of £90 expired yesterday the 8th May. I haven't checked all 12 but those I have checked still sit at £90 each. That's likely to change very shortly. If any are at £180 then it's a no-brainer decision to appeal to the Adjudicator as the situation can't get any worse.

My advice is to start registering an appeal for each PCN. Put "detailed submission to follow" in the evidence box and ask that all 12 cases be consolidated into one personal hearing and that there are a possible 9 more cases to follow. Do upload the screen-print of the August 2023 check and a dump of the metadata showing it's date as August 2023.

And just so as we're 100% clear on the facts. VRM LO13UOJ is the plate currently on the car? And is this the same VRM that you checked in August 2023 for which you have the screen print? And LO13UOJ was the vehicles original registration? And since the 2023 check and before 23rd March 2025 you were using ANOther private VRM which also emissions compliant on the TFL checker?

LO13 OUJ is the plate that was on the car when I bought it in 2018.  I changed it 1 week later to a plate I had in retention.  I have had the private plate on since then until 23//2025 when I took it off and it reverted to the original plate I bought it with.