Drivers have lost more than £3.6 million in unused Dart Charge payments over the past two years, with the UK Government retaining the majority of these funds, according to a Freedom of Information request.
The FOI, issued by This is Money to National Highways, revealed that £1,812,379 in unused payments were recorded in the 2023/24 fiscal year, on top of £1,790,559 from the previous year, totalling £3,602,938. The Department for Transport (DfT) confirmed that the “vast majority” of expired payments are not refunded and are kept by the Government.
Dart Charge payments, which cost £3.50 each way for crossing the Dartford Crossing between Essex and Kent, remain valid for 12 months before expiring. Drivers can request a refund within that period, and dormant account balances are returned to the account holder using the original payment method.
The Dartford Crossing is used by up to 180,000 vehicles daily. A DfT spokesperson stated: “All Dart Charge revenue is paid to the DfT and spent on transport projects which benefit people across Essex and Kent, such as the Lower Thames Crossing.”
AA president Edmund King criticised the charges, noting: “The real irony is the Dartford crossing original agreement was that the tolls would stop once the bridge's construction costs were paid off, a milestone reached in 2003. However, the government reversed its decision, retaining the charges to manage traffic and as a general revenue raiser.”
The Government increased the Dart Charge in September 2025, the first rise since 2014, and has approved the Lower Thames Crossing project, a 2.6-mile tunnel under the Thames expected to reduce congestion. More than £800 million of taxpayers’ money has been spent on planning since 2009.
