Dart Charge Dartford crossing tolls leap 40% as government tries to "manage demand"

Drivers will soon have to pay more in order to use the Dartford Crossing as government ministers claim the current rate is insufficient to “manage demand and protect the crossing”.

Currently, the majority of motorists must pay £2.50 if they wish to make use of either the QE2 bridge or the Dartford Tunnel if they are travelling clockwise or anti-clockwise on the M25 respectively.

However, the charge for cars is set to increase by £1 (40 per cent) in September to £3.50 per crossing; those with a DART account will see charges increase by 80 pence from £2 to £2.80.

Motorcyclists making use of the crossing still won’t have to pay the charge, but two-axled buses, coaches and HGVs will see prices increase to £4.20 (£3.60 for DART account holders) and those with more than two axles will, from September, have to pay £8.40 (£7.20 if you have a DART account). Local residents can pay £25 per year for unlimited crossings, up from £20 annually.

In a statement, Transport Secretary Lillian Greenwood said that she is “aware that these necessary changes to the charges will be unwelcome news for users of the crossing”.

Greenwood continued: “In the 11 years since [the charge was last increased], demand at the crossing has grown 7.5 per cent, with the crossing now used by an average of over 150,000 vehicles every day and up to 180,000 vehicles on the busiest days

“These traffic levels are well in excess of the crossing’s design capacity, causing delays for drivers using the crossing, congestion and journey disruption to drivers on the M25 and a range of knock-on impacts for local communities”.

The new charge will come into effect on 1 September, with the government keen to remind drivers that the increase is still below inflationary levels between now and when toll booths were removed in 2014.

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