£3.50 per crossing
The default rate for anyone without an account. Pay on the day or up to 24 hours before, or by midnight the day after. Miss the deadline and the £70 PCN replaces the £3.50.
Dartford Crossing cost for cars
A standard car pays £3.50 every time it goes through, or £2.80 on a pre-pay account. This page covers what counts as a car for Dart Charge purposes, the cost at common crossing frequencies, and the point at which the £25-a-year resident pass beats the regular options.
£2.80 per crossing
A £15 minimum deposit, automatic deduction each time the camera reads the plate, top-ups by Direct Debit when the balance hits £10. 70p saved every crossing.
Sign up at gov.uk/pay-dartford-crossing-charge.
What counts as a car at the Dartford Crossing
Dart Charge Class B is the catch-all for ordinary private vehicles. The technical wording on gov.uk/pay-dartford-crossing-charge/charges is "cars (including taxis), motorhomes, minibuses with 9 or fewer seats including the driver, and goods vehicles with a maximum gross vehicle weight of 3.5 tonnes or less". In practice, anything with a normal car shape pays the car rate.
Class B (car rate)
- Standard saloons, hatchbacks, estates, SUVs
- All electric cars (Tesla, Polestar, BYD, etc.)
- Taxis (private hire and Hackney carriages)
- People carriers up to 9 seats (driver counted)
- Smaller motorhomes and campervans
- Light commercial vans up to 3.5t GVW (Transit, Vivaro, Berlingo)
- Pickups under 3.5t (Ranger, Hilux, L200)
- Car towing a caravan or trailer
Not Class B
- 10+ seat minibuses (Class C even if light)
- Motorhomes over 3.5 tonnes GVW (Class C)
- Box vans over 3.5 tonnes (Class C)
- Tippers and 7.5-tonne lorries (Class C or D)
- Any HGV with 3+ axles (Class D)
- Coaches (Class C or D depending on axles)
Annual car cost at common frequencies
Both directions count as separate crossings, so a daily commute is 10 trips a week, not 5. The numbers below assume 52 weeks a year of crossing.
| Crossings / week | Use case | PAYG @ £3.50 | Pre-pay @ £2.80 | Pre-pay saves | Resident pass £25 cheaper? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1x | Occasional weekend trip | £182 | £146 | £36/yr | Yes (£25 unlimited) |
| 2x | One return commute or shop | £364 | £291 | £73/yr | Yes (£25 unlimited) |
| 4x | Two return commutes | £728 | £582 | £146/yr | Yes (£25 unlimited) |
| 6x | Three return commutes | £1092 | £874 | £218/yr | Yes (£25 unlimited) |
| 10x | Daily commute (both directions) | £1820 | £1456 | £364/yr | Yes (£25 unlimited) |
| 14x | Daily commute plus extra trips | £2548 | £2038 | £510/yr | Yes (£25 unlimited) |
Resident pass column assumes you live in an eligible DA or RM postcode. For exact eligibility see the Dartford resident discount and Thurrock resident discount pages.
The 9-seat boundary, in detail
The Dart Charge rule reads "minibuses with 9 or fewer seats including the driver". That means a vehicle with 9 total seats (driver plus 8 passengers) is Class B at £3.50 per crossing. Add one more seat and the same vehicle becomes a minibus by the Dart Charge definition, which is still Class B in most cases but jumps to Class C if the vehicle is also above 3.5 tonnes GVW.
Where this most often catches people out: the 9-seat versions of the Citroen Berlingo, Ford Tourneo Connect, VW Caddy Maxi and Renault Trafic Combi. All pay the car rate. The 12 to 17-seat versions of the Tourneo Custom, Transit Custom and Vivaro Combi cross into the minibus territory and may pay Class C if their GVW is over 3.5t.
Camper conversions are decided by what the V5C log book says. If the V5C body type is "motor caravan" or "motorhome" and the GVW stays under 3.5t, you pay £3.50 even if there are 6 berths inside.
Tunnel or bridge: same £3.50 either way
Cars northbound use the tunnels (Kent to Essex). Cars southbound use the QE2 Bridge (Essex to Kent). The Dart Charge is identical in both directions: £3.50 PAYG or £2.80 pre-pay. There's no surcharge for the bridge and no discount for the tunnel. You pay once per direction, not once per round trip.
A car that can't physically use the tunnels (because of height over 4.88m, dangerous goods, or escort requirement) gets diverted to the bridge in both directions. The price doesn't change. See the tunnel vs bridge directional guide for more.
For different vehicles, different pages
Common car questions
How much does a car pay at the Dartford Crossing?+
A car pays £3.50 on pay-as-you-go or £2.80 on a Dart Charge pre-pay account. The same rate applies in both directions: northbound through the tunnels and southbound across the QE2 Bridge. There is no higher peak-hour rate.
Is a 7-seater car charged at the car rate?+
Yes. The Class B threshold is 9 seats including the driver, so any 7, 8 or 9-seat MPV or SUV pays the £3.50 car rate. Add a tenth seat and it becomes a minibus, still Class B as long as it stays under 9 passenger seats.
Does an electric car pay the same as a petrol car?+
Yes. The Dart Charge is by vehicle class and seat count, not by powertrain. EVs, plug-in hybrids, petrol, diesel and hydrogen all pay £3.50 PAYG / £2.80 pre-pay in the car class. Only the disabled tax class and motorcycles are exempt.
What about a car towing a caravan or trailer?+
If the car itself is Class B (under 3.5 tonnes, under 10 seats) it stays Class B even when towing. The combined weight isn't relevant for Dart Charge classification, only the towing vehicle's own GVW and seating. A camper based on a Class B chassis also stays Class B.
Is the pre-pay £2.80 worth it for occasional car trips?+
It pays for itself after 22 crossings. The £15 minimum deposit funds about 5 PAYG car crossings or 5 pre-pay crossings at 70p saving each. If you cross more than once a fortnight, pre-pay returns the deposit cost within a year and saves £36.40 over 52 weekly trips.
Can I share a car pre-pay account with my partner?+
Yes. One pre-pay account holds up to 20 vehicles. Add both VRMs to the same account and either driver gets the £2.80 rate regardless of who is driving. Direct Debit tops the balance up from one bank account.