Driving to Gatwick, Luton, Stansted or another destination across the Thames on the eastern side of London? Your route may use the Dartford Crossing. There are no toll booths: cameras record each vehicle and drivers pay separately. The deadline is midnight on the day after the crossing. If you miss it, you may receive a £70 Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) for each unpaid crossing; this can increase to £105 if it remains unpaid. This APH guide explains the current 2026 Dart Charge prices, payment options, exemptions, late-payment rules and appeal process.
Beat fines at the Dartford Crossing. Image credit
Dart Charge, the quick answer
- Cars pay £3.50 per crossing, or £2.80 using a pre-pay Dart Charge account.
- The charge applies daily from 6am to 10pm. It is free overnight, 10pm to 6am, every day including Christmas Day.
- You must pay by midnight the day after you cross.
- Miss the deadline and a £70 fine follows, reduced to £35 if paid within 14 days, or rising to £105 after 28 days.
- Pay on the official GOV.UK Dart Charge service, by phone on 0300 300 0120, or with cash at a Payzone store.
Dartford Crossing charge, the basics
The Dartford Thurrock River Crossing carries the M25 across the Thames between Kent and Essex. It is made up of two tunnels for northbound traffic and the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge for southbound traffic. A toll called the Dart Charge applies to most vehicles using it, every day from 6am to 10pm, including weekends and bank holidays. Between 10pm and 6am, the crossing is free for everyone, including on Christmas Day.
Motorcycles, mopeds and quad bikes do not pay. You also do not need to pay if you receive free UK vehicle tax because of a disability; the vehicle is checked automatically when it crosses. A Blue Badge by itself does not provide an exemption. Other vehicles normally pay, including electric and hybrid vehicles, because the Dart Charge is a road-user charge rather than an emissions charge.
There are no barriers or kiosks at the crossing itself. Cameras using automatic number plate recognition log every vehicle as it passes, and payment happens separately, online, by phone, in a shop, or through a pre pay account. Because nothing is collected at the crossing, it is entirely down to the driver to remember to pay.
Dart Charge prices in 2026
Prices rose by 40 percent on 1 September 2025, the first increase since the toll booths were removed in 2014. If the number in your head is still £2.50, it is out of date. Here is what a single crossing costs now.
| Vehicle type | One-off or pay-as-you-go account | Pre-pay account |
|---|---|---|
| Motorcycles, mopeds and quad bikes | Free | Free |
| Cars (including trailers), motorhomes and minibuses with no more than 9 seats including the driver | £3.50 | £2.80 |
| Vehicles with 2 axles | £4.20 | £3.60 |
| Vehicles with more than 2 axles | £8.40 | £7.20 |
There is no return fare or daily cap: each chargeable crossing in either direction is paid separately. Eligible residents within the Dartford or Thurrock council boundaries can apply for a local-resident plan: £25 a year for unlimited crossings or £12.50 a year for 50 crossings. An account and proof of residence are required. Always check the official Dart Charge prices and exemptions before travelling.
How to pay the Dartford Crossing charge
Choose between a one-off payment, a pay-as-you-go account or a discounted pre-pay account. A pre-pay account generally suits regular users; a one-off payment may be simpler for an occasional airport journey. A pay-as-you-go account takes the standard charge automatically but does not receive the pre-pay discount. Whichever method you choose, the payment must cover the crossing by midnight the following day.
1. Set up a pre pay Dart Charge account
A Dart Charge pre-pay account is the lowest-cost option for regular users. Money is added to the account in advance and each crossing is deducted automatically at the discounted rate—£2.80 for a car instead of £3.50. Keep enough credit available and make sure the correct vehicle registration is attached to the account. Set up or manage an account through the official Dart Charge service.
Keep an eye on your balance. If the account runs dry and you do not have auto top up switched on, the crossing is not automatically covered and you could still receive a fine. For anyone crossing more than a few times a year, though, an account is the simplest way to stop worrying about the deadline altogether.
2. Pay as you go, one off payment online
For an occasional trip, make a one-off payment without opening an account. Use the official GOV.UK Dart Charge payment page and enter the vehicle registration carefully. You can pay after crossing, provided you do so by midnight the following day, or pay in advance. An advance payment remains valid for 12 months and is used automatically on the vehicle’s next chargeable crossing.
If you expect to cross in both directions, remember that two separate crossing charges are due. Save the payment confirmation and check that the number plate is correct.
Planning ahead is the easiest way to avoid a slip up. If you have booked airport parking with APH and know you will cross at Dartford on the way, pay the toll for both directions while you are sorting the rest of your trip, rather than leaving it until you are rushing for a flight or driving home tired.
3. Pay by phone
Call the Dart Charge contact centre on 0300 300 0120. The line is open every day from 8am to 8pm. Have the vehicle registration and payment details ready. If you are close to the deadline, do not leave the call until after the contact centre has closed.
4. Pay in person at a Payzone retailer
You can pay the Dart Charge in cash at a participating Payzone store. Find a suitable shop before travelling, provide the correct vehicle registration and keep the receipt as proof of payment.
5. Postal account and advance-payment options
GOV.UK also provides postal options for setting up an account, paying in advance or topping up an account. Because post is not suitable for a last-minute payment, check the current instructions on the official Dart Charge payment guidance and allow enough time before travelling.
What happens if you do not pay on time
Miss the midnight deadline and a Penalty Charge Notice is posted to the vehicle’s registered keeper. Here is how the fine escalates.
- The initial fine is £70 per crossing, on top of the original toll.
- Pay within 14 days of the PCN date and it drops to £35.
- Leave it beyond 28 days and it rises to £105, with further enforcement costs, court action, debt collection or even clamping possible after that.
- Each unpaid crossing gets its own PCN, so a missed outbound and return trip means two separate fines.
Read the PCN carefully and follow the stated payment or challenge instructions. Do not assume that a first missed payment will be cancelled; any discretion is case-specific and is not guaranteed.
If you believe a PCN is wrong, for example you already paid, the plate was misread, or you were not the registered keeper at the time, you have the right to appeal.
How to appeal a Dart Charge penalty
- Make an initial representation to Dart Charge customer services within 28 days of the PCN, quoting the reference number and attaching any evidence, such as a payment receipt, proof the vehicle was sold, or proof it was stolen at the time.
- If that is rejected and you still disagree, escalate to the Traffic Penalty Tribunal, an independent adjudicator, within the timeframe given in the rejection letter. There is no extra cost to appeal at this stage beyond the original fine if you lose.
Follow every deadline printed on the PCN and any subsequent notice. Missing a deadline can reduce your options or increase the amount due.
For independent guidance on the formal appeal stage, see the Traffic Penalty Tribunal’s Dart Charge appeal grounds.
Tips to avoid Dartford Crossing fines
- Choose the right account type. A pre-pay account gives the discounted rate; a pay-as-you-go account charges automatically at the standard rate.
- Only ever use the official site, gov.uk/pay-dartford-crossing-charge. Copycat sites appear in search results and add processing fees on top of the toll, sometimes charging significantly more, without the receipts or safeguards the government service provides. The official site never charges more than the standard toll, and highway signs only say to search Dart Charge online rather than giving the exact URL, which is part of why confusion persists. Bookmark the real link and ignore anything that looks similar but different.
- Set a location based reminder. On an iPhone, create a reminder, tap the info icon, turn on remind me at a location, and set it for the airport or your home address. It will alert you to pay as soon as you arrive. Android users can use a similar location reminder app, or simply a calendar alert for the next morning.
- Pay for both directions. The charge applies each way, there is no round trip rate. If you are paying manually rather than through an account, make sure you settle the return crossing too, not just the outbound one.
- Warn overseas visitors. There is no exemption for foreign registered vehicles, and unpaid charges are pursued across borders. If friends or family are driving a hire car through Dartford, make sure they know to pay online or by phone before the deadline.
- Check the hire or lease agreement. A PCN is normally sent first to the registered keeper, and the provider may charge an administration fee under its own terms.
Has removing the toll barriers improved traffic?
Free-flow charging removed the need to stop at payment booths, but the Dartford Crossing and its approaches can still become congested at busy times or during incidents. The proposed Lower Thames Crossing received development consent in March 2025 and is intended to add a new road link between Kent, Thurrock and Essex. Its delivery timetable remains subject to funding and construction decisions, so drivers should continue to plan journeys around the existing Dartford route and check live traffic conditions before setting off.
Dartford Crossing charge FAQs
Every day from 6am to 10pm, including weekends, bank holidays and Christmas Day. It is free overnight, 10pm to 6am, for everyone.
Cars pay £3.50 per crossing, or £2.80 with a pre-pay Dart Charge account. Two-axle vehicles pay £4.20, or £3.60 with a pre-pay account. Vehicles with more than two axles pay £8.40, or £7.20 with a pre-pay account. Motorcycles are free.
Online at the GOV.UK Dart Charge page, by phone on 0300 300 0120, at a Payzone retail outlet, or by post in advance. You can also set up a pre pay account for automatic payments, or pay up to 12 months ahead for a specific date.
Until midnight the day after you crossed. If you used the crossing on Monday, you have until 11.59pm on Tuesday to pay. Missing that deadline triggers a fine.
A £70 Penalty Charge Notice per crossing, reduced to £35 if paid within 14 days, or increased to £105 after 28 days. You will still need to pay the original toll on top.
Yes. If you believe it was issued in error, you can challenge it through Dart Charge customer services within 28 days. If that is rejected, you can escalate to the independent Traffic Penalty Tribunal. Common successful grounds include a misread number plate, a payment system error, or not being the registered keeper at the time.
It escalates. Additional fines, court action and enforcement, including debt collection or clamping, can follow. Rental and lease companies also add their own admin fee if the PCN is issued to them first as registered keeper. It is not worth ignoring.
Yes. You have until midnight the day after you cross. You do not have to pay in advance, though you can. Just do not go past that following midnight.
Motorcycles and mopeds are free. Vehicles registered in the disabled tax class are exempt, based on the vehicle’s tax class rather than the driver. Emergency services and Ministry of Defence vehicles are also exempt. Everyone else pays, including electric vehicles, since this is a road user charge rather than an emissions charge.
Yes. Southbound over the bridge and northbound through the tunnels are both charged separately during chargeable hours, and there is no combined or return rate.
There is no dedicated Dart Charge app from the government. The official gov.uk site works fully in a mobile browser, and the safest option is to use the official GOV.UK Dart Charge service for payments and account management.
0300 300 0120, open every day from 8am to 8pm. If calling from outside the UK, use +44 300 300 0120.
It is free between 10pm and 6am on every day of the year, including Christmas Day, the same as any other night. Between 6am and 10pm on Christmas Day, the standard charge still applies.
Yes, there is no exemption for vehicles registered outside the UK. Automatic number plate recognition captures international plates the same as UK ones.
The Penalty Charge Notice is issued first to the registered keeper, which for a rental or lease vehicle is the rental or leasing company. They will then transfer liability to you and may add an administration fee under the rental or lease agreement. Paying the toll directly and on time avoids this altogether.
The takeaway for anyone travelling with APH is simple, plan ahead and pay promptly. The Dartford Crossing is a key link to several South East airports, and a little preparation keeps it stress free and fine free.
Related APH travel guides
This guide reflects prices and rules at the time of writing. Dart Charge fees and policies can change, most recently on 1 September 2025, so always confirm the current charges on the official Dart Charge website or by calling their helpline before you travel. APH is not responsible for changes made after publication.