London considers charges for large SUVs under new road safety plan

Drivers of large SUVs could face additional charges to enter London under new proposals aimed at improving road safety in the capital.

The idea forms part of a new Vision Zero Action Plan, which sets out 43 measures designed to eliminate deaths and serious injuries on London’s roads by 2041.

The plan proposes a range of interventions to reduce road danger, including expanding 20mph speed limits, introducing AI technology to detect dangerous driving, and examining the impact of larger vehicles on urban streets.

Concerns over growing number of SUVs

The proposal to potentially charge large SUVs follows research by Transport for London (TfL) suggesting that the vehicles are creating “immediate and intensifying risks” on the capital’s roads.

According to campaign group Clean Cities, the number of SUVs in London has risen sharply over the past two decades — from around 80,000 in 2002 to approximately 800,000 in 2023.

The Vision Zero plan states that the growth of larger vehicles is changing the design and safety dynamics of city streets.

“Large SUVs are physically reshaping urban streets, with half of new cars now too wide for minimum specified parking spaces,” the report said.

It added that the vehicles occupy more road space, reduce visibility at crossings and junctions, and increase risks for people walking, cycling or motorcycling.

“Their bulk makes junctions, crossings and residential streets more hazardous for everybody outside the vehicle,” the report states.

Progress but further action needed

Provisional TfL data shows that 95 people were killed on London’s roads in 2025, down from 110 fatalities in 2024, indicating progress in reducing road deaths.

However, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said further action is needed to achieve the Vision Zero target.

“I’m proud that we have saved lives through the important steps already taken to deliver my Vision Zero goal, making our roads safer more quickly than the rest of the country and equivalent international capitals including New York and Paris,” he said.

“But every death or serious injury on our roads is unacceptable and we must go further and faster to eliminate this heartbreak across the capital.”

Building on earlier Vision Zero programme

The new action plan builds on London’s first Vision Zero strategy introduced in 2018, and will be delivered in partnership with the Metropolitan Police Service and London boroughs.

Officials say the latest measures are designed to further reduce road danger while supporting the creation of safer, fairer streets across London.