Porsche’s High Court action to challenge the London pollution charge shows it has misunderstood public opinion, pro-environment group Friends of the Earth claimed.

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Its executive director Tony Juniper said:  “Porsche has clearly misunderstood public opinion, since the majority of Londoners support an increased congestion charge for the most polluting vehicles. People are recognising the urgency of cutting carbon dioxide emissions and the producers of gas-guzzling vehicles have got to face facts. It’s high time Porsche stopped fighting popular initiatives and started manufacturing cleaner vehicles.”


Porsche has served legal papers on the mayor of London over plans to introduce a new higher congestion charge from October this year. A High Court decision on whether to allow it to proceed with the case is expected soon.


In the papers Porsche said the charge would cost it tens of millions of pounds in lost sales – these could fall by about 11% if the new GBP25 charge for cars that emit more than 225g/km CO2 is introduced.


The papers are applying for permission for a judicial review. This would be a step towards ruling the charge illegal. A judge will decide if there are grounds for the complaint to move to a full hearing.

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Porsche’s lawyers claim the mayor does not have the legal authority to push through the changes. They also claim the higher charge infringes human rights and the free movement of goods.


Dealership Pendragon Premier is also contesting the charge. It said it would face GBP180,000 in higher congestion charge costs and would be forced to close.


BMW, which operates a flagship dealership in London’s Park Lane, has previously criticised the capital’s congestion charge, claiming it added GBP300,000 a year to costs and required one staff member just to process the paperwork.