Pay online at gov.uk/pay-dartford-crossing-charge by midnight the day after you cross. A car is £3.50 a crossing (£2.80 on a pre-pay account). You can also pay on 0300 300 0120 (8am to 8pm every day) or in cash at a Payzone shop.
Rates and deadline from gov.uk, re-read 12 November 2026. Charges in force since 1 September 2025.
Pick your vehicle, the number of crossings made between 6am and 10pm, and the date of the crossing.
One-off or pay as you go
£3.50
1 x £3.50
Same crossings on a pre-pay account
£2.80
1 x £2.80, £0.70 less
Crossed on Thursday 12 November: pay by midnight on Friday 13 November.
Rates: gov.uk charges table, in force since 1 September 2025. Crossings between 10pm and 6am are free and need no payment.
Deadline
Pay by midnight the day after you cross. Cross on Monday, pay by Tuesday night.
Miss it and gov.uk says you can get a £70 fine (£35 if paid within 14 days, £105 if not paid), on top of the crossing charge. You can also pay in advance: a payment for a future crossing stays valid for 12 months and is used automatically.
Car prices shown. Vans and lorries follow the same pattern at their own rates (see the Dart Charge price list 2026).
| Way to pay | Car, per crossing | When it is paid | You need | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One-off payment online (gov.uk) | £3.50 | Up to midnight the day after, or in advance (valid 12 months) | Number plate, card | An occasional crossing |
| One-off payment by phone | £3.50 | Every day, 8am to 8pm | Number plate, card | No internet to hand |
| Cash at a Payzone store | £3.50 | Shop opening hours, same deadline | Number plate, cash | Paying without a card |
| Pay as you go account | £3.50 | Taken from your card automatically at midnight the day after | Account with a card on file | Never missing the deadline |
| Pre-pay account | £2.80 | Taken from your balance when you cross | Account, £15 first payment | Regular crossers |
| Local resident discount | £25 a year, unlimited | Annual fee, on a Dart Charge account | Dartford or Thurrock council address, V5C, 2 proofs | People who live there |
gov.uk: a pre-pay account gives "a discount of up to 20%"; to switch between pre-pay and pay as you go you close the account and open a new one.
There is no official Dart Charge app, so the online route is the way to pay from a phone. Regular crossers save with a pre-pay account.
Check you are on gov.uk before you enter card details. gov.uk links its Dart Charge guide to its advice on internet scams and phishing.
Open gov.ukThis number takes crossing payments and sets up accounts. Fines are paid on 0300 1313 120.
Paying Dart Charge by phonegov.uk lists Payzone as the place to pay with cash. Same deadline: midnight the day after you cross.
Paying Dart Charge at PayzoneBy post you can set up an account and pay in advance or top up an account, but not pay a crossing you have already made: see paying Dart Charge by post. Already have an account? Sign in to your Dart Charge account.
Every rate on this page is copied from the charges table on gov.uk/pay-dartford-crossing-charge/charges, the deadline and ways to pay from the gov.uk guide's "Paying the charge" page, and the fine amounts from its "Fines (Penalty Charge Notices)" page. We re-read all three on 12 November 2026. The calculator multiplies the gov.uk rate for your vehicle by the number of crossings you enter; it adds nothing of its own. We are not part of National Highways or gov.uk and do not take payments.
A car costs £3.50 a crossing as a one-off payment or on a pay as you go account, and £2.80 on a pre-pay account. A 2-axle van, bus or goods vehicle costs £4.20 (£3.60 pre-pay) and a vehicle with more than 2 axles £8.40 (£7.20 pre-pay). Motorcycles are free. These are gov.uk's rates, in force since 1 September 2025 and re-read on 12 November 2026. The charge applies 6am to 10pm every day; crossings between 10pm and 6am are free.
Midnight the day after you cross. gov.uk says: 'You need to pay the Dartford Crossing charge (Dart Charge) by midnight the day after you cross.' Cross on Monday, pay by midnight on Tuesday. You can also pay before you travel: a payment for a future crossing is valid for 12 months and is used automatically on your next crossing.
gov.uk lists 3 ways to pay: a one-off payment (no account needed), a pay as you go account (a card on file is charged at midnight the day after you cross) and a pre-pay account (crossings come out of money you have added, with a discount of up to 20%). It also lists other routes: cash at a Payzone store, setting up an account or paying in advance by post, and paying or setting up an account through the Dart Charge contact centre on 0300 300 0120.
gov.uk says you can get a £70 fine (a Penalty Charge Notice) if you do not pay. It drops to £35 if you pay within 14 days and rises to £105 if you do not pay it. The fine is in addition to the original crossing charge. PCNs are paid online or on 0300 1313 120, a different number from the main contact centre.
Yes. The Dart Charge contact centre on 0300 300 0120 (textphone 18001 0300 300 0120) takes payments and sets up accounts, every day 8am to 8pm. A fine is paid on a separate line, 0300 1313 120.
There is no official Dart Charge app. The gov.uk service works in a phone browser, and signing in to an account there lets you manage the account or pay the charge.
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