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Is that quote normal?
Enter the job, the hour and the figure you were given. This compares it against the ranges in our London price guide and tells you where it sits. It runs entirely in your browser — nothing is sent anywhere, and nobody is contacted on your behalf.
These are ranges, not quotes. There is no official price list for locksmithing in the UK, because there is no regulator to publish one. A figure above the range is not proof of anything on its own — a genuinely difficult door, a high-security lock or a long drive can all justify more. What it should do is prompt you to ask for the reasoningbefore the work starts. Bands last reviewed 27 August 2026.
A quote far below the range is the more dangerous signal.The trade calls it the "49er" — the £39, £49 and £59 price points used to get a van to your door. The Master Locksmiths Association reports final bills of over £500 on lockouts advertised at those figures. The advertised number is not the number you pay. See how the scam works.
London road charges can legitimately push a quote up — but check which ones actually apply. Two separate schemes, often confused, and one of them does not run at night.
| Charge | Amount | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Congestion Charge | £18/day | Central zone only. Mon–Fri 07:00–18:00, and Sat/Sun/bank holidays 12:00–18:00. Nothing outside those hours. |
| ULEZ | £12.50/day | London-wide, 24 hours a day. Only for vehicles that do not meet the emissions standard. Most modern vans are compliant and pay nothing. |
Worst case, a non-compliant vehicle in the central zone on a weekday afternoon: £30.50. Both schemes are suspended on Christmas Day.
The three things worth knowing.
- At 3am there is no Congestion Charge. It stops at 18:00 and restarts at 07:00. If an overnight lockout bill includes an £18 congestion line, ask why.
- ULEZ only applies to non-compliant vehicles. It is not an automatic £12.50. Ask whether their van is compliant — many will say yes, because it is.
- These are per-vehicle, per-day charges, not per-job. A locksmith working five jobs inside the zone in one day pays once. Billing £18 to each of five customers collects five times a charge paid once. Reasonable practice is to share it, absorb it, or state it up front.
None of this makes a higher quote wrong. It makes it explainable — and an explanation you can check is exactly what you want before agreeing. Ask for it as a separate line, not folded silently into the total.TfL publishes both schemes here.
Next: the full price guide ·check a locksmith is genuine ·the phone-call checklist ·already overcharged? report it