ULEZ and the congestion charge for delivery riders in London
What you pay (and don’t) on petrol vs electric — and how much an electric bike saves.
Do delivery mopeds pay ULEZ and the congestion charge in London?
A non-compliant petrol moped pays the £12.50 daily ULEZ charge across all of Greater London, and motorcycles/mopeds are exempt from the Congestion Charge — but petrol running costs and ULEZ still add up fast for a daily rider. A fully electric moped or e-bike pays no ULEZ charge at all, anywhere, 24/7, and no fuel — which is exactly why every Otto vehicle is electric.
For a rider out six or seven days a week, avoiding ULEZ alone can save several hundred pounds a year versus an older petrol moped, before you count fuel. Electric e-bikes go further still: no licence, no road tax, cycle-lane access and pennies of electricity per charge.
What ULEZ means for a delivery rider
The Ultra Low Emission Zone covers all London boroughs. A petrol moped that doesn’t meet the Euro 3 standard pays £12.50 for every day it’s driven inside the zone — which, for a delivery rider, is essentially every working day. Over a year that’s a serious, avoidable cost.
Electric vehicles are zero-emission and pay nothing. Otto’s entire fleet is electric, so ULEZ never applies to you.
The congestion charge
Mopeds and motorcycles are currently exempt from the Congestion Charge, so this affects car-based couriers more than moped riders. Still, an electric bike keeps your options fully open and your running costs at their lowest.
The real saving: fuel and charges combined
Use our savings calculator to see your own numbers, but the pattern is consistent: electric removes ULEZ, removes fuel, and (on an e-bike) removes road tax and licence costs — the difference adds up to hundreds of pounds a year for a full-time rider.