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Car finance ›
Money Making Tolls
Updated: Wednesday, 28 August 2024
Which toll roads make the greatest revenue from their charges?
The number of toll roads has fallen drastically since the 19th-century days of ‘turnpike trusts’. But while there are few toll roads in the UK, they can be pretty costly, and it’s important to know where they are and if they can be avoided. Bad credit car finance experts Moneybarn reviewed the toll roads in the UK to see which make the most money and which will cost the most so that you don’t have to!
So, which of the country’s toll roads make the most money, and which will cost you the most to use? Our study looks at the cost of driving a car through each toll on a weekday to identify the most expensive ones.
Which UK toll roads make the greatest revenue?
1. M25 Dartford Crossing, revenue: £215.9 million
The toll road that makes the most money in the country is the Dartford Crossing on the M25, which had a total revenue of £215.9 million between 2022 and 2023. This is an almost 7% increase or £13.6 million from the previous year when the revenue was £202.3 million.
Most of this year-on-year revenue increase (£11.6 million) comes from ‘enforcement’, which means fines for those who have failed to pay.
2. M6 Toll, revenue: £107.9 million
Despite charging almost 4 times as much as the Dartford Crossing, the revenue generated by the M6 Toll Road isn’t quite as great, but it is still a vast £107.9 million.
The M6 Toll is the country’s only major toll road and runs through the West Midlands. While it can be avoided by taking other routes, many motorists seem happy to pay the price for convenience, with the road making over £100 million in 2022.
3. A533 Mersey Gateway, revenue: £48.9 million
Another high-earning bridge is the Mersey Gateway in Cheshire, which connects the towns of Runcorn and Widnes, which made almost £50 million between 2023 and 2024.
The Mersey Gateway refers to 2 bridges: the Gateway itself and the nearby Silver Jubilee Bridge, which was built to ease pressure and later converted into a toll bridge.
Which UK toll roads are the most expensive to use?
1-3. M6 Toll, toll charge: £6.20 to £9.70
The M6 Toll is the most expensive stretch of road in the UK. Car charges range from £6.20 to £9.70. The road is divided into 3 zones, and the price depends on how many zones you pass through.
That charge is almost doubled for class 5 vehicles (HGVs), which must pay between £14.20 and £17.20, although discounts exist for people who pay through a breeze account.
4. Mersey Tunnels, toll charge: £4.20
The Mersey Tunnels toll costs £4.20 to cross, but this could be £3.40 with a T-FLOW account, which uses a video tolling system.
Liverpool City Region residents can claim a discount on these prices, reducing it to £3.40. This includes residents of local authorities like Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, St Helens, Sefton and Wirral.
5. Tamar Bridge, toll charge: £2.60
The Tamar Bridge is the third most expensive stretch of road to use in the UK. It costs £2.60 for cars, though it is free for motorcycles with and without trailers.
The Tamar is a suspension bridge that links Plymouth to Cornwall, but the £2.60 charge is only payable when travelling eastbound into Devon. It can be cut in half by paying via the electronic TamarTag scheme.
Methodology
The data in this study is accurate as of August 2024.
Revenue
The revenues shown are all for the most recent 12-month period available and show the total income received by the toll road, bridge, tunnel, or company running them. The dates for each road can be viewed in the sources linked below.
Toll charges
Toll charges refer to the cost for a class 2 vehicle (two-axle car) travelling through the day on a weekday, paying a full-price toll without any discounts.
A complete list of revenue and toll charge sources can be viewed here. All data was collected on August 12th, 2024 and is correct as of this date.
Which toll roads make the greatest revenue from their charges?
The number of toll roads has fallen drastically since the 19th-century days of ‘turnpike trusts’. But while there are few toll roads in the UK, they can be pretty costly, and it’s important to know where they are and if they can be avoided. Bad credit car finance experts Moneybarn reviewed the toll roads in the UK to see which make the most money and which will cost the most so that you don’t have to!
So, which of the country’s toll roads make the most money, and which will cost you the most to use? Our study looks at the cost of driving a car through each toll on a weekday to identify the most expensive ones.
Which UK toll roads make the greatest revenue?
1. M25 Dartford Crossing, revenue: £215.9 million
The toll road that makes the most money in the country is the Dartford Crossing on the M25, which had a total revenue of £215.9 million between 2022 and 2023. This is an almost 7% increase or £13.6 million from the previous year when the revenue was £202.3 million.
Most of this year-on-year revenue increase (£11.6 million) comes from ‘enforcement’, which means fines for those who have failed to pay.
2. M6 Toll, revenue: £107.9 million
Despite charging almost 4 times as much as the Dartford Crossing, the revenue generated by the M6 Toll Road isn’t quite as great, but it is still a vast £107.9 million.
The M6 Toll is the country’s only major toll road and runs through the West Midlands. While it can be avoided by taking other routes, many motorists seem happy to pay the price for convenience, with the road making over £100 million in 2022.
3. A533 Mersey Gateway, revenue: £48.9 million
Another high-earning bridge is the Mersey Gateway in Cheshire, which connects the towns of Runcorn and Widnes, which made almost £50 million between 2023 and 2024.
The Mersey Gateway refers to 2 bridges: the Gateway itself and the nearby Silver Jubilee Bridge, which was built to ease pressure and later converted into a toll bridge.
Which UK toll roads are the most expensive to use?
1-3. M6 Toll, toll charge: £6.20 to £9.70
The M6 Toll is the most expensive stretch of road in the UK. Car charges range from £6.20 to £9.70. The road is divided into 3 zones, and the price depends on how many zones you pass through.
That charge is almost doubled for class 5 vehicles (HGVs), which must pay between £14.20 and £17.20, although discounts exist for people who pay through a breeze account.
4. Mersey Tunnels, toll charge: £4.20
The Mersey Tunnels toll costs £4.20 to cross, but this could be £3.40 with a T-FLOW account, which uses a video tolling system.
Liverpool City Region residents can claim a discount on these prices, reducing it to £3.40. This includes residents of local authorities like Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, St Helens, Sefton and Wirral.
5. Tamar Bridge, toll charge: £2.60
The Tamar Bridge is the third most expensive stretch of road to use in the UK. It costs £2.60 for cars, though it is free for motorcycles with and without trailers.
The Tamar is a suspension bridge that links Plymouth to Cornwall, but the £2.60 charge is only payable when travelling eastbound into Devon. It can be cut in half by paying via the electronic TamarTag scheme.
Methodology
The data in this study is accurate as of August 2024.
Revenue
The revenues shown are all for the most recent 12-month period available and show the total income received by the toll road, bridge, tunnel, or company running them. The dates for each road can be viewed in the sources linked below.
Toll charges
Toll charges refer to the cost for a class 2 vehicle (two-axle car) travelling through the day on a weekday, paying a full-price toll without any discounts.
A complete list of revenue and toll charge sources can be viewed here. All data was collected on August 12th, 2024 and is correct as of this date.
For a better road ahead
Moneybarn is a member of the Finance and Leasing Association, the official trade organisation of the motor finance industry. The FLA promotes best practice in the motor finance industry for lending and leasing to consumers and businesses.
Moneybarn is the trading style of Moneybarn No. 1 Limited, a company registered in England and Wales with company number 04496573, and Moneybarn Limited, a company registered in England and Wales with company number 02766324. The registered address for these companies is: Athena House, Bedford Road, Petersfield, Hampshire, GU32 3LJ.
Moneybarn’s VAT registration number is 180 5559 52.
Moneybarn Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (Financial Services reference No. 702781)
Moneybarn No. 1 Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (Financial Services reference No. 702780)
