Dart Charge 2026: Dartford Crossing Costs, Payment Deadlines and How to Avoid PCNs
The Dart Charge is the easiest motoring fine in Britain to rack up by accident. The crossing is camera-only, there are no barriers, and you have until midnight the day after you cross to pay — miss it and a £70 Penalty Charge Notice lands on the registered keeper's mat.
Prices went up 40% on 1 September 2025, so if you haven't crossed in a while, the costs in your head are probably out of date. This guide covers the current 2026 charges, every payment method, the rules around lease and hire cars (where most fleet drivers come unstuck), how to appeal a PCN, and exactly when the crossing is free.
Quick answer
The Dart Charge for a car in 2026 is £3.50 per crossing, or £2.80 with a pre-pay account. It applies in both directions, every day between 6am and 10pm. The crossing is free between 10pm and 6am including weekends, bank holidays and Christmas Day. Payment is due by midnight the day after you cross, online at gov.uk/pay-dartford-crossing-charge or by phone on 0300 300 0120. Miss the deadline and you'll receive a £70 PCN.
What is the Dart Charge?
The Dart Charge is the road user charge for the Dartford Crossing — the bridge and tunnels that carry the M25 over (and under) the Thames between Kent and Essex. It's the only fixed road crossing of the river east of central London and one of the busiest stretches of road in Europe.
The crossing has two parts:
- Northbound (Kent to Essex): two bored road tunnels, opened in 1963 and 1980
- Southbound (Essex to Kent): the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, opened in 1991
Since November 2014, there have been no toll booths or barriers. Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras read your registration and the charge is added to your account or held against your plate until paid. You won't be stopped, you won't be flagged at the roadside, and there's nothing on the dashboard to tell you you've been charged.
The crossing is operated by Connect Plus (M25) Ltd on behalf of National Highways under a 30-year contract.
There is no daily cap — every crossing is charged separately, in each direction.
A car towing a caravan or trailer is still charged at the car rate (£3.50/£2.80). The trailer isn't counted as a separate axle for charging purposes. This is different from the M6 Toll, which classifies trailers separately.
Dart Charge for vans and light commercials
This trips up a lot of drivers. The classification depends on how the vehicle is built and registered, not just its size:
- Car-derived vans (Ford Fiesta van, Vauxhall Corsavan etc.) — Class B, charged as a car (£3.50/£2.80)
- Larger vans up to 3.5 tonnes (Transit Custom, Sprinter, Crafter) — usually Class B, charged as a car
- Goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes with two axles — Class C, £4.20/£3.60
- Multi-axle HGVs — Class D, £8.40/£7.20
If you drive a van for work and aren't sure which class your vehicle sits in, the Dart Charge customer service team can confirm based on your registration. For Embrace Leasing customers and other van leasing drivers, the £2.80 account rate adds up fast on regular runs.
Lease cars, hire cars and Dart Charge: the part most guides miss
This is where leasing and hire-car drivers get caught out. The PCN goes to the registered keeper of the vehicle, not the driver.
Lease cars (PCH, BCH, salary sacrifice)
On a contract hire lease, the funder is the registered keeper. If you cross without paying, here's what happens:
- The PCN is issued to the leasing company.
- The leasing company writes to you, transfers liability, and adds an admin fee (typically £20–£50) on top of the £70 PCN.
- You're now paying £90–£120 for what should have been a £3.50 charge.
The fix: set up a Dart Charge pre-pay account in your name, against the vehicle registration, and let it auto-deduct. The leasing company doesn't need to be involved at all because you're the responsible party for charges incurred during the lease.
If you change cars mid-lease (replacement vehicle, courtesy car) update your account immediately — the most common cause of PCNs on lease cars is the new registration not being added.
Hire cars and rental vehicles
Most hire companies (Enterprise, Hertz, Sixt, Avis, etc.) handle Dart Charge differently:
- Some pay on your behalf and add an admin fee to your final invoice
- Some forward the PCN to you with their own surcharge
- Some require you to pay yourself
Always ask at pickup. Don't assume.
Company cars on a fleet account
Many fleet operators run a single Dart Charge business account covering all vehicles, with crossings auto-billed. If you're a driver on a fleet account, you don't need to do anything — but check with your fleet manager before assuming you're covered, especially on a courtesy or replacement vehicle.
When is the Dartford Crossing free?
Charges apply: 6:00am to 10:00pm, every day of the year.
The crossing is free: 10:00pm to 6:00am, every day — including weekends, bank holidays and Christmas Day. The cameras still record your registration, but no charge is generated.
The crossing itself is open 24/7. You don't need to do anything to "claim" the free hours — just cross between those times.
A worked example: cross at 9:55pm on a Friday and you'll be charged. Cross at 10:01pm and you won't. Cross at 5:59am Saturday morning and you won't. Cross at 6:01am and you will.
Do you pay both ways?
Yes. Every crossing is charged separately. If you cross south on the bridge in the morning and back north through the tunnel that evening, that's two charges.
There's no return-trip discount and no daily cap.
How to pay the Dart Charge — every method
You have four ways to pay, all going to the same official system. Some third-party websites add £5–£10 in processing fees for the same transaction — stick to the official routes below.
1. Online (fastest)
Go to gov.uk/pay-dartford-crossing-charge. You'll need:
- Vehicle registration number
- Date and time of crossing
- Debit or credit card
Single payments process in under a minute. You can pay up to a year in advance if you've already booked a trip.
2. By phone
Call 0300 300 0120, lines open 8am to 8pm, seven days a week. Useful if the website isn't working or you don't have card details to hand. Wait times can be long during peak hours.
3. At a Payzone retailer
Around 4,000 corner shops and convenience stores in the Payzone network accept Dart Charge payments in cash or by card. Find one at payzone.co.uk. Bring your vehicle registration and a note of the crossing date.
4. Through the official Dart Charge app
The official mobile app (iOS and Android) lets you pay quickly using saved details. The third-party Caura app also handles Dart Charge plus other UK road and parking charges if you prefer a single app for everything.
Dart Charge accounts: pre-pay vs auto top-up
If you cross more than a couple of times a year, an account makes sense. There are two flavours:
Both give the £2.80 account rate for cars. Both let you add up to 20 vehicles to a single account — useful for households with multiple cars or small businesses. There's a one-time £15 deposit to open an account, refunded when you close it.
Sign up at gov.uk/dart-charge.
Dartford and Thurrock residents: the £25/year unlimited pass
If you live within the Dartford or Thurrock council boundaries, you qualify for one of the cheapest road-pricing deals in the country:
- £25 per year for unlimited crossings, or
- £12.50 per year for 50 crossings (top up £6.25 for 25 more, or £12.50 to upgrade to unlimited)
Apply at gov.uk/dart-charge-residents-discount. You'll need to provide a copy of your V5C plus two proofs of address (recent utility bill, council tax bill, bank statement, etc.). Documents need re-verifying every two years.
For anyone crossing more than 7–8 times a year on the resident scheme, this works out cheaper than even the £2.80 pre-pay rate.
Vehicles exempt from Dart Charge
Some vehicles cross free at any time:
- Motorcycles, mopeds and quad bikes — automatic, no registration needed
- Vehicles in the Disabled or Disabled Passenger Vehicle tax class — automatic exemption based on the V5C tax class. The exemption applies to the vehicle, not the Blue Badge holder personally
- Emergency service vehicles registered to police, fire and ambulance services
- Military vehicles registered to the Ministry of Defence
If you've recently changed your vehicle to the disabled tax class, allow a few weeks for the DVLA-to-Dart Charge data sync. If you receive a PCN in the meantime, contest it with proof of the tax class change.
What happens if you don't pay?
The PCN process is fast and unforgiving:
| Stage | Charge | Window |
|---|---|---|
| Pay within 14 days of PCN | £35 + crossing fee | First 14 days |
| Standard PCN | £70 + crossing fee | Days 15–28 |
| Increased PCN | £105 + crossing fee | After 28 days |
| County court enforcement | Approx. £157.50 + court costs | If unpaid after final reminder |
Ignored PCNs become county court judgments, which damage your credit file and can be enforced by bailiffs. Always respond — even if you're contesting it.
How to appeal a Dart Charge PCN
You can challenge a Dart Charge PCN at no cost. There are two stages:
Stage 1: Make a formal representation
Within 28 days of receiving the PCN, write to Dart Charge stating your grounds. Common successful grounds:
- You weren't the registered keeper at the time of crossing (e.g. you'd already sold the car)
- You'd already paid (provide receipt or account statement)
- The vehicle wasn't there (number plate cloning — provide tracker data, employer records, fuel receipts elsewhere)
- Your account direct debit failed through no fault of your own (provide bank evidence)
- You're in the disabled tax class and the system hadn't synced
Send the representation through the appeal form on gov.uk or in writing to Dart Charge, PO Box 842, Leeds, LS1 9QF. Include the PCN number and any evidence.
Stage 2: Traffic Penalty Tribunal
If your representation is rejected, you'll receive a Notice of Rejection with details on how to appeal to the Traffic Penalty Tribunal (trafficpenaltytribunal.gov.uk). The tribunal is free, independent and can be done entirely online. About a third of appeals succeed at this stage.
Don't pay the PCN while you're appealing — paying is treated as accepting liability.
How to check if you owe a Dart Charge payment
Three quick ways to check:
- Log into your Dart Charge account at gov.uk/dart-charge — recent crossings are listed with payment status.
- Check your bank statement for the line "DARTFORD CROSSING" or "DART CHARGE" with a date matching your trip.
- Call customer services on 0300 300 0120 (8am–8pm) with your registration to hand. They can tell you if a charge is outstanding.
If you cross and immediately can't remember whether you paid, just pay again — duplicate payments on the same crossing are automatically refunded to your card within 5–10 working days.
Foreign-registered vehicles
The same rules apply. A foreign plate doesn't exempt you from Dart Charge, and ANPR captures international plates the same as UK ones. National Highways works with European enforcement agencies to pursue unpaid charges across borders, and unpaid PCNs can show up at customs on your next entry to the UK.
Restrictions and crossing direction
A few things worth knowing:
- The tunnels are northbound only (Kent to Essex). Southbound traffic uses the bridge.
- Vehicles over 4.8m high can't use the tunnels — they must wait for an escort or use an alternative route.
- Vehicles carrying hazardous loads must use the tunnel under escort and may face delays.
- Cyclists, pedestrians and learner drivers can't use the crossing. Learners must complete a separate cab transfer service (free).
What about the Lower Thames Crossing?
The new Lower Thames Crossing — a tunnel between Shorne in Kent and South Ockendon in Essex, about 14 miles east of Dartford — broke ground in March 2026, with target completion in 2032. It will be a separate tolled crossing with its own charging system, intended to relieve the chronic congestion at Dartford.
Until it opens, the Dartford Crossing remains the only fixed crossing east of London, and the queues — particularly southbound at the bridge — aren't going anywhere.
Tips for regular crossers
- Set up an auto top-up account — saves 70p per crossing and removes the risk of forgetting
- Add every vehicle on your account, including any replacement vehicles you might receive on lease
- Cross during free hours when you can — 10pm–6am is more achievable than it sounds for early starts and late returns
- Check your registration is correct on the account — one wrong digit is the most common reason for missed payments
- Save the gov.uk/pay-dartford-crossing-charge URL as a phone bookmark
- For business drivers, set up a fleet account or push for one with your employer
Considering a more predictable monthly motoring cost?
Toll charges, road tax, depreciation, MoTs, servicing and surprise repair bills all eat into household budgets in unpredictable chunks. A car or van lease wraps fixed monthly costs around the use of a brand-new vehicle, with road tax included, a manufacturer's warranty in place for the full term, and zero depreciation risk.
For drivers regularly crossing the M25 — whether for work, school runs or visiting family — Silverstone Leasing offers:
- Personal car leasing on the latest models
- Business contract hire for sole traders, partnerships and limited companies
- Van leasing for trades and small businesses
- Salary sacrifice schemes for employers wanting to offer EVs as a tax-efficient benefit
We're an FCA-authorised, BVRLA-registered leasing brokerage based in Northampton. Get in touch or call us to discuss your next vehicle.
We're an FCA-authorised, BVRLA-registered broker based in Northampton, and we'd be happy to talk you through whether personal leasing or business contract hire is right for your next car.
FAQs
A car costs £3.50 per crossing pay-as-you-go, or £2.80 with a pre-pay account. Two-axle goods vehicles pay £4.20 (£3.60 on account), multi-axle HGVs pay £8.40 (£7.20 on account), and motorcycles cross free. These rates have applied since 1 September 2025 following a 40% price increase.
The crossing is free between 10pm and 6am every day, including weekends, bank holidays and Christmas Day. Charges apply only between 6am and 10pm.
You must pay by midnight the day after you cross. Cross on Monday, pay by 11:59pm Tuesday. Miss the deadline and a £70 Penalty Charge Notice will be issued, reduced to £35 if paid within 14 days, or rising to £105 after 28 days.
Yes. Every crossing in either direction is charged separately. There is no daily cap and no return-trip discount.
Pay online at gov.uk/pay-dartford-crossing-charge, by phone on 0300 300 0120 (8am–8pm), at any Payzone retailer, or through the official Dart Charge app. Avoid third-party websites that add processing fees.
Yes — you can pay up to a year in advance through the official online service. Useful if you've already booked a trip across.
The PCN is issued to the leasing company as registered keeper. They'll transfer liability to you and add an admin fee (typically £20–£50) on top of the £70 PCN. Set up a pre-pay account in your name to avoid this — you don't need the leasing company's involvement.
Vans up to 3.5 tonnes are usually charged at the car rate (£3.50/£2.80). Goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes with two axles are £4.20/£3.60, and multi-axle HGVs are £8.40/£7.20.
Within 28 days of the PCN, submit a formal representation through the appeal form on gov.uk or by writing to Dart Charge, PO Box 842, Leeds, LS1 9QF. If rejected, you can escalate to the Traffic Penalty Tribunal at no cost. Don't pay the PCN while appealing — payment is treated as acceptance of liability.
Yes. Motorcycles, mopeds and quad bikes cross free at all times, with no registration required.
If you live within the Dartford or Thurrock council boundaries, you can apply for unlimited crossings for £25 a year, or £12.50 for 50 crossings. Apply at gov.uk/dart-charge-residents-discount.
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