Dart Charge by vehicle class
Four charging classes, plus an exemption. The line that catches people out is not weight, it is whether the vehicle carries goods: a van is Class C at £4.20 from the first kilo, while a motorhome stays on the car rate however heavy it gets.
| Class | What it covers | Pay-as-you-go | Pre-pay | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Motorcycle (Class A) | All motorcycles, mopeds, scooters and quad bikes | Free | Free | - |
| Car (Class B) | Cars, motorhomes, minibuses with 9 or fewer seats | £3.50 | £2.80 | - |
| 2-axle goods (Class C) | Every van, pickup and 2-axle lorry, at any weight, plus 2-axle buses and coaches | £4.20 | £3.60 | Open |
| Multi-axle (Class D) | More than 2 axles. Droppable axles count whether up or down | £8.40 | £7.20 | Open |
| Disability tax exempt | Vehicles in the Disabled Tax Class (must register) | Free | Free | - |
Source: gov.uk/pay-dartford-crossing-charge/charges. Prices effective from 1 September 2025.
How vehicle class is determined
Dart Charge uses four charging classes, A to D. Three things decide which one you are in: whether the vehicle carries passengers or goods, how many seats it has if it carries passengers, and how many axles it has. Revenue weight is not one of them. The charging order behind the scheme (SI 2013/2249, Schedule 2) sets the goods classes by axle count and never by mass, which is why the figure on your V5C makes no difference to what you pay.
Cars and minibuses with 9 or fewer seats including the driver are Class B at £3.50, and so are motorhomes. Goods vehicles are Class C at £4.20 on two axles, which covers every van on the road, from a Berlingo to a 7-tonne rigid. Three or more axles is Class D at £8.40.
What about motorhomes and minibuses?
Motorhomes are Class B at gov.uk, the same rate as a car (£3.50), with no upper weight. In the charging order they are class L(a), motor caravans, and that class has no mass limit written into it, so a 7-tonne A-class pays the same £3.50 as a Fiesta. Minibuses with 9 or fewer seats including the driver are also Class B. Over that seat count a coach classification kicks in on seats alone: 2-axle coaches pay Class C (£4.20), those with more axles pay Class D (£8.40).
Towing a trailer or caravan
A vehicle towing a trailer or caravan is charged at its own class. gov.uk lists Class B as "cars (including trailers)", so hitching up a caravan does not move a car out of Class B, whatever the combined weight. For goods vehicles the thing to watch is axles rather than the trailer itself: on an articulated vehicle only the trailer axles are counted, and droppable axles count whether they are up or down.