The Dart Charge is the road user charge for crossing the Dartford Crossing between Kent and Essex on the A282. It applies to the tunnels and the QEII bridge, and must be paid online or by phone rather than at a barrier.
In one line: The Dart Charge is the fee for using the Dartford Crossing, paid online or by account rather than at a barrier.
How the Dart Charge works
The Dartford Crossing is barrier-free, so the Dart Charge is paid remotely by midnight the day after crossing. Cameras read number plates and match them to payments or a pre-pay account, with charging applying between 6am and 10pm.
The standard car charge is 3.50 GBP per crossing, or 2.80 GBP with a pre-pay account (GOV.UK). For example, a commuter crossing twice each weekday on a pay-as-you-go basis pays 7 GBP a day, around 35 GBP across a five-day week before any account discount.
Not paying on time turns the charge into a penalty charge notice issued to the registered keeper, so an unpaid crossing escalates quickly.
Dart Charge vs the Congestion Charge
The Dart Charge is a per-crossing toll for one specific river crossing, while the Congestion Charge is a daily fee for an entire central London zone. One is paid each time the crossing is used, the other once per charging day.
Both rely on camera enforcement and escalate to a penalty charge notice if unpaid, but the Dart Charge is not affected by a vehicle's emissions rating.
Primary source: GOV.UK: Dart Charge
