Dartford Crossing Cost

Dartford Crossing cost for minibuses

Minibuses split at 9 seats. A minibus with 9 or fewer seats including the driver pays the car rate: £3.50 pay-as-you-go, £2.80 pre-pay. Add a tenth seat and it becomes Class C at £4.20 / £3.60. This page covers how the classification works, the school and community use cases, and why a pre-pay account is worth setting up for any minibus that crosses more than once a month.

The 9-seat split, in detail

The threshold counts the driver as one of the 9 seats. So 8 passengers plus driver = Class B. 9 passengers plus driver = Class C.

Class B (car rate)

Up to 9 seats including driver

PAYG

£3.50

Pre-pay

£2.80

  • 9-seat MPVs: VW Sharan, Ford Galaxy 9-seat, Toyota Proace City Verso
  • 7-seat SUVs: Hyundai Santa Fe, Kia Sorento, Discovery, Q7
  • 9-seat versions of Berlingo, Caddy, Tourneo Connect
  • 9-seat Sprinter and Vito (M-Class) minibuses
  • Driving instructor cars and 6-seat tuition vehicles
Class C

10+ seats including driver

PAYG

£4.20

Pre-pay

£3.60

  • 12-, 14-, 16- and 17-seat Ford Transit Custom Combi
  • 15-seat Mercedes Sprinter Travelliner
  • 17-seat Iveco Daily, Volkswagen Crafter, Renault Master
  • School-bus configurations of any standard panel van chassis
  • Community-transport minibuses on Section 19 / 22 permits

School, church and community minibuses

Three things to know if you're running a community or school minibus and crossing the Dartford routinely:

  1. Permit type is irrelevant to the toll. Section 19 (not-for-hire), Section 22 (community bus) and ordinary commercial minibuses all pay the same per-seat-count rate. The permit affects who can drive the vehicle, not the toll.
  2. Open a single pre-pay account in the organisation's name. Schools, churches, scouts and other small-org transport gets the £2.80 / £3.60 pre-pay rate. Single £15 deposit and Direct Debit funds the whole fleet.
  3. Save the monthly statement as proof of activity. Useful for end-of-year accounts, charity audits and Gift Aid claims. Available as PDF download from the account dashboard.

Annual minibus cost at common frequencies

Assumes 52 weeks a year crossing in both directions. Class B (9 seats or fewer) and Class C (10+ seats) shown side-by-side so you can pick the row that matches your minibus.

Crossings / weekClass B PAYGClass B pre-payClass C PAYGClass C pre-payPre-pay saves (Class C)
1x£182£146£218£187£31/yr
2x£364£291£437£374£62/yr
4x£728£582£874£749£125/yr
10x£1820£1456£2184£1872£312/yr

For other vehicles

Minibus questions

How much does a minibus pay at the Dartford Crossing?+

It depends on seats. A minibus with 9 or fewer seats including the driver pays the car rate: £3.50 PAYG or £2.80 pre-pay. A minibus with 10 or more seats is Class C and pays £4.20 PAYG or £3.60 pre-pay.

Why is the 9-seat threshold including the driver?+

Because the Dart Charge follows the same Class B definition the DVLA uses for the standard category B (car) driving licence. A car licence permits up to 8 passengers plus the driver. The Dart Charge structure mirrors that to keep the classification consistent with what the driver is licensed to drive.

What about a school minibus on a section 19 or 22 permit?+

The Dart Charge rate is the same regardless of permit type. Section 19 (not-for-hire) and section 22 (community bus) minibuses are charged by seat count: under 9 seats is Class B (£3.50), 10+ seats is Class C (£4.20). The permit affects who can drive it, not how much you pay at the toll.

Is a 9-seat people carrier the same as a 9-seat minibus?+

Yes for Dart Charge purposes. The system counts the seats on the V5C log book, not the body style. A 9-seat Volkswagen Touran, Ford Tourneo Custom, Citroen Berlingo and Volkswagen Caravelle all pay the £3.50 car rate. Some manufacturers register their 9-seat versions as 'minibus' on the V5C; same rate.

Can my church or school open a Dart Charge fleet account?+

Yes. A pre-pay account holds up to 20 vehicles regardless of organisation type. £15 deposit, Direct Debit top-up, all minibuses on one account. The £2.80 rate applies per crossing for any Class B minibus (under 10 seats). Class C minibuses (10+ seats) get the £3.60 pre-pay rate on the same account.

What about a 17-seat school minibus?+

Class C, £4.20 PAYG or £3.60 pre-pay per crossing. Above 17 seats (e.g. 22-seater coaches) is still Class C as long as it has 2 axles. Three-axle coaches become Class D at £8.40. For school transport that crosses regularly, the £15 pre-pay deposit saves 60p per crossing and is universally worth it.

Oliver Wakefield-Smith, founder of Digital Signet

Oliver Wakefield-Smith

Founder, Digital Signet

Independent reference for Dart Charge prices and routing, sourced from gov.uk and updated against announced National Highways tariff changes.

About the operator
Last verified:7 May 2026·Source: gov.uk/pay-dartford-crossing-charge