Drivers have forfeited over £3.6 million in unused Dart Charge payments over the past two years, and the Government has retained the majority of these funds. According to a recent Freedom of Information (FOI) request, there were £1,812,379 in unused Dart Charge payments during the 2023/24 fiscal year, in addition to £1,790,559 from the preceding year, totaling £3,602,938 in unclaimed payments.
The Department for Transport (DfT) informed This is Money, the entity that submitted the FOI request to National Highways, that the Government retains the “vast majority” of these expired payments without issuing refunds.
Dart Charge payments, priced at £3.50 per crossing, are utilized by drivers to traverse the Dartford Crossing linking Essex and Kent and remain valid for 12 months before expiration. Drivers have the option to request refunds for unused Dart Charges within the 12-month validity period. Dormant Dart Charge accounts have any remaining funds refunded back to the account holder using the original payment details.
The Dartford Crossing sees up to 180,000 vehicles passing through daily. The revenue generated from Dart Charge payments is directed to the DfT and allocated to transport projects benefiting communities in Essex and Kent, such as the Lower Thames Crossing, as stated by a DfT spokesperson.
The Government raised Dart Charge fees in September 2025, marking the first increase since 2014. This decision coincides with the approval of the Lower Thames Crossing project, aimed at alleviating congestion at the Dartford Crossing. The new crossing will link the A2 and M2 in Kent to the A13 and M25 in Essex via a 2.6-mile tunnel under the Thames, set to be the UK’s lengthiest road tunnel.
Since 2009, substantial planning efforts, supported by over £800 million in taxpayers’ money, have been invested in the Lower Thames Crossing project. The Transport Act 2000 introduced charging schemes for major road infrastructure exceeding 600m, allowing the Highways Agency to continue collecting crossing fees.
The Mirror has reached out to the DfT for further input. AA president Edmund King highlighted the history of tolls at the Dartford Crossing, emphasizing the government’s decision to retain charges post the bridge’s construction cost repayment in 2003, despite the initial agreement to discontinue tolls at that point.