Dartford Crossing Cost

Dartford Crossing cost for vans

A van does not pay the car rate. It is a goods vehicle, and every 2-axle goods vehicle is Class C at the Dartford Crossing, whatever it weighs. The only line that moves your van is the axle count.

How much is the Dart Charge for a van?

A van pays £4.20 per crossing (£3.60 on a pre-pay account). That is Class C, and it applies to every van at any weight, because gov.uk classes a van as a goods vehicle and charges 2-axle goods vehicles £4.20. It is 70p more than the £3.50 car rate. The charge applies 6am to 10pm; crossings between 10pm and 6am are free.

There is no 3.5-tonne threshold

It is widely repeated that a van under 3.5 tonnes pays the car rate. The Dartford charging scheme has no weight threshold in it at all. The Dartford-Thurrock Crossing Charging Scheme Order 2013 builds its goods classes from the axle-based categories in the 2001 vehicle-class regulations, and deliberately not from the 3.5-tonne, 12-tonne mass categories the same regulations define alongside them. gov.uk reflects that: its Class C row reads simply "Vehicles with 2 axles", under a heading that names vans.

Class C (2 axles)

Every van on the road

Two-axle goods vehicles, at any weight. This is where a van lands whether it is a car-derived van or a 7-tonne box.

PAYG

£4.20

Pre-pay

£3.60

Includes:

  • Ford Transit and Transit Custom, every wheelbase
  • Vauxhall Vivaro and Movano, Peugeot Partner, Citroen Berlingo
  • Mercedes Sprinter and VW Crafter on two axles
  • Pickups: Ranger, Hilux, L200, Amarok
  • Luton and box vans, and 2-axle rigid lorries
Class D (3+ axles)

The only step up from Class C

Adding a third axle doubles the charge. Weight still does not come into it.

PAYG

£8.40

Pre-pay

£7.20

Includes:

  • Articulated tractor units with their trailers
  • 3-axle and 4-axle rigid lorries and tippers
  • Any 2-axle van or lorry drawing a 1-axle trailer
  • Droppable axles count whether raised or lowered
  • On an artic, only the trailer axles are counted

How to know which class your van is

Two things decide it, and neither is the weight. First, does the vehicle carry goods? Second, how many axles has it got?

  • V5C log book, body type and taxation class. A panel van, pickup or Luton registered in the light or heavy goods taxation class is a goods vehicle, so Class C on two axles. The "Revenue weight" field is the one to ignore here: it changes nothing about the charge.
  • Count the axles, including any you are towing. Two axles is Class C at £4.20. Three or more is Class D at £8.40, and a trailer axle counts.
  • Crew vans and kombis are the one grey area. Some are type-approved to carry passengers rather than goods. If your V5C shows a passenger body type and 9 or fewer seats including the driver, it is Class B at £3.50. Check it on the free DVLA enquiry at gov.uk/get-vehicle-information-from-dvla.

Van running costs at common frequencies

Our arithmetic over the gov.uk Class C rates across 52 weeks, counting each direction as its own crossing. The last column is what the 3.5-tonne myth would have cost you to believe: the gap between the Class C rate a van actually pays and the £3.50 car rate it is often said to pay.

Annual Dart Charge cost for a 2-axle van, at the gov.uk rates of £4.20 pay-as-you-go and £3.60 pre-pay per crossing, checked 28 September 2026.
Crossings a weekClass C PAYGClass C pre-payPre-pay saves
1x£36/yr over the car rate£218£187£31/yr
2x£73/yr over the car rate£437£374£62/yr
3x£109/yr over the car rate£655£562£94/yr
5x£182/yr over the car rate£1092£936£156/yr
10x£364/yr over the car rate£2184£1872£312/yr

Multiple vans on one account

A pre-pay account holds up to 20 vehicles, all charged at the discounted rate, all billed via one Direct Debit. The fleet guide covers the admin side, downloadable reports and end-of-year tax exports.

Fleet account guide

Dart Charge for vans: common questions

How much is the Dart Charge for a van?+

A van pays £4.20 per crossing, or £3.60 on a pre-pay account. Vans are goods vehicles, and gov.uk puts every 2-axle goods vehicle in Class C regardless of what it weighs, so a small Berlingo and a 7-tonne box van pay the same. The charge applies 6am to 10pm; crossings between 10pm and 6am are free.

Do vans pay more than cars at the Dartford Crossing?+

Yes. A car is Class B at £3.50 (£2.80 pre-pay) and a van is Class C at £4.20 (£3.60 pre-pay), so a van costs 70p more per crossing pay-as-you-go and 80p more on pre-pay. The gap is not about size or weight: gov.uk lists vans under 'Buses, coaches, vans and other goods vehicles', which is a different table from cars.

How much is the Dartford Crossing for a Transit van?+

A Ford Transit pays £4.20 per crossing, or £3.60 on a pre-pay account. It is a 2-axle goods vehicle, which is Class C. Weight makes no difference: the short-wheelbase 3.1-tonne Transit and the 4.7-tonne jumbo are both Class C, and neither pays the £3.50 car rate.

Is there a 3.5-tonne threshold for vans at the Dartford Crossing?+

No. The Dartford charging scheme has no weight threshold at all. The Dartford-Thurrock Crossing Charging Scheme Order 2013 sets the goods classes by axle count, taking the axle-based categories from the 2001 vehicle-class regulations rather than the 3.5-tonne and 12-tonne mass categories those same regulations define. Two axles is Class C at £4.20; more than two is Class D at £8.40.

Is the Dart Charge cheaper for vans on a pre-pay account?+

Yes. A pre-pay account cuts a Class C van from £4.20 to £3.60 per crossing, a saving of 60p, and a Class D vehicle from £8.40 to £7.20. One account holds up to 20 vehicles, all charged the discounted rate via a single Direct Debit.

Last verified:28 September 2026·Source: gov.uk/pay-dartford-crossing-charge

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