UK road tolls
Blackwall Tunnel (Blackwall and Silvertown tunnels user charge)
Blackwall Tunnel (Blackwall and Silvertown tunnels user charge) in London (A102, Greenwich Peninsula to Poplar/Tower Hamlets) lists a car tariff of £1.55 per crossing with these conditions: Auto Pay off-peak; From 21 September 2026. Transport for London (TfL) publishes the position recorded here as of 7 September 2026; payment and exemption rules depend on the crossing.
Transport for London, Blackwall and Silvertown tunnels (as of 7 September 2026); Transport for London, Paying Blackwall and Silvertown tunnel charges (as of 7 September 2026); Transport for London, Blackwall and Silvertown tunnels (as of 7 September 2026); Transport for London, Blackwall and Silvertown tunnels (as of 7 September 2026)How much does the Blackwall Tunnel cost to drive through now?
| Vehicle class | Price | Payment method or tariff | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buses, coaches and minibuses (DVLA body type bus, coach or minibus) | £0.00 GBP per crossing | Standard tariff | Exempt at all times, no registration needed. | Transport for London, Blackwall and Silvertown tunnels (as of 7 September 2026) |
| Motorcycles, mopeds and motor tricycles | £1.55 GBP per crossing | Auto Pay off-peak | Auto Pay off-peak. From 21 September 2026. | Transport for London, Paying Blackwall and Silvertown tunnel charges (as of 7 September 2026) |
| Motorcycles, mopeds and motor tricycles | £2.60 GBP per crossing | Auto Pay peak | Auto Pay peak, or any time without Auto Pay. From 21 September 2026. | Transport for London, Paying Blackwall and Silvertown tunnel charges (as of 7 September 2026) |
| Cars and small vans | £1.55 GBP per crossing | Auto Pay off-peak | Auto Pay off-peak. From 21 September 2026. | Transport for London, Paying Blackwall and Silvertown tunnel charges (as of 7 September 2026) |
| Cars and small vans | £4.20 GBP per crossing | Auto Pay peak | Auto Pay peak, or any time without Auto Pay. From 21 September 2026. | Transport for London, Paying Blackwall and Silvertown tunnel charges (as of 7 September 2026) |
| Large vans | £2.60 GBP per crossing | Auto Pay off-peak | Auto Pay off-peak. From 21 September 2026. | Transport for London, Paying Blackwall and Silvertown tunnel charges (as of 7 September 2026) |
| Large vans | £6.80 GBP per crossing | Auto Pay peak | Auto Pay peak, or any time without Auto Pay. From 21 September 2026. | Transport for London, Paying Blackwall and Silvertown tunnel charges (as of 7 September 2026) |
| Heavy goods vehicles | £5.25 GBP per crossing | Auto Pay off-peak | Auto Pay off-peak. From 21 September 2026. | Transport for London, Paying Blackwall and Silvertown tunnel charges (as of 7 September 2026) |
| Heavy goods vehicles | £10.50 GBP per crossing | Auto Pay peak | Auto Pay peak, or any time without Auto Pay. From 21 September 2026. | Transport for London, Paying Blackwall and Silvertown tunnel charges (as of 7 September 2026) |
When is peak time at the Blackwall Tunnel, and which way does it count?
Peak pricing at Blackwall follows the rush-hour flow, not just the clock. On weekdays it covers northbound trips, from the Greenwich side towards Poplar and the A12, between 06:00 and 10:00, and southbound trips between 16:00 and 19:00. A car heading north at 17:00, or south at 08:00, is travelling against the flow and counts as off-peak.
The off-peak price only reaches drivers registered for TfL Auto Pay. Pay any other way and every chargeable crossing is billed at the peak rate, whatever the time or the day.
| Vehicle | Auto Pay, off-peak | Auto Pay at peak, or paying any other way |
|---|---|---|
| Motorcycle, moped or motor tricycle | £1.55 | £2.60 |
| Car or small van | £1.55 | £4.20 |
| Large van | £2.60 | £6.80 |
| Heavy goods vehicle | £5.25 | £10.50 |
| Bus, coach or minibus by DVLA body type | Free | Free |
TfL, Paying the Blackwall and Silvertown tunnels charge, read 26 September 2026. When charging began in April 2025 a car paid £1.50 off-peak and £4.00 at peak.
Example
A Charlton commuter driving to Canary Wharf five mornings a week
- Vehicle
- Petrol hatchback registered for Auto Pay
- Morning
- Northbound at 07:40, Monday to Friday
- Evening
- Southbound at 18:15
- 07:40 northbound is inside the northbound morning peak, so the crossing costs £4.20.
- 18:15 southbound is inside the southbound evening peak: another £4.20.
- From TfL's tariff that makes £8.40 a day and £42.00 for a five-day week.
- Leaving after 19:00 turns the return into an off-peak crossing at £1.55: £5.75 a day, £28.75 a week.
£42.00 a week with both legs at peak, or £28.75 by heading home after 19:00. Paying without Auto Pay, that late return would still cost £4.20.
Is my van a small van or a large van at the Blackwall Tunnel?
You never declare a class. TfL takes the category from the DVLA's weight classification, and for vans the dividing line is reference mass. A van in category N1 class I, with a reference mass of no more than 1,305kg and a maximum mass of no more than 3,500kg, pays what a car pays. Classes II and III, above 1,305kg, pay the large van rate.
Over 3,500kg maximum mass the vehicle is a heavy goods vehicle and pays the top rate in both columns.
Example
A Poplar electrician's large panel van on a Saturday job in Greenwich
- Vehicle
- Panel van, N1 class III
- Trips
- Southbound at 09:00 and northbound at 15:30, Saturday
- Account
- Auto Pay
- Business
- Sole trader registered in Tower Hamlets
- Weekends are off-peak all day, so on Auto Pay each crossing costs the large van rate of £2.60.
- Paid one crossing at a time instead, each would cost £6.80, or £13.60 for the pair.
- As a Tower Hamlets sole trader on Auto Pay he qualifies for the tunnels business discount of £1 off each off-peak crossing, leaving £1.60 each way.
£3.20 for the round trip with Auto Pay and the business discount, against £13.60 paying for each crossing separately.
How do I pay for the Blackwall Tunnel, and how long do I have?
- Pay in advance, on the day, or by midnight on the third day after the crossing. Auto Pay is billed automatically each month.
- Auto Pay (card or Direct Debit, up to five vehicles, only way to get off-peak rates), TfL website, TfL Pay to drive in London app (Apple/Google), phone 0343 222 2222 (+44 343 222 2222 international, textphone 020 7649 9123). Camera enforced, no booths.
Is TfL Auto Pay worth setting up just for the Blackwall Tunnel?
For anybody who crosses outside the weekday peaks, yes. Auto Pay is the only route to the off-peak rate, it costs nothing to register or renew, and TfL says a registered vehicle is protected from penalty charge notices for non-payment. One account takes up to five vehicles; a business with six or more uses Fleet Auto Pay, which is also free to join.
Bills are monthly, by Direct Debit or card, and TfL warns that crossings can take up to five working days to appear in the account, so a blank statement the next morning does not mean the cameras missed you.
- Open a TfL road user charging account online. You must be at least 18; drivers aged 16 or 17 must register their vehicles on a parent or guardian's Auto Pay account.
- Add Auto Pay and register each vehicle by its number plate, up to five of them.
- Choose a Direct Debit or a payment card for the monthly bill.
- Drive through as normal: each crossing is matched to the account and priced by the time and direction you travelled.
What is the fine for not paying the Blackwall Tunnel charge?
PCN £180 if the correct charge is not paid by midnight on the third day after travel; £90 if paid within 14 days of service; rises to £270 (charge certificate) if not paid or challenged within 28 days. TfL's November 2024 press release says a maximum of one PCN per day is issued.
What happens if a Blackwall Tunnel PCN is ignored?
Day 28 is the last day both to pay the full £180 and to challenge the notice. TfL's November 2024 recommendations for the scheme said only one PCN would be issued per day, however many unpaid trips the vehicle made.
These notices are common. Answering a freedom of information request, TfL said it had issued 819,681 PCNs for the two tunnels by 4 February 2026, and had received 144,298 representations, accepting 99,806 and rejecting 39,421. A challenge backed by evidence is often worth making.
- A crossing made between 06:00 and 22:00 is still unpaid at midnight on the third day after it.
- TfL issues a PCN for £180, reduced to £90 if paid within 14 days of service.
- By day 28: pay £180 or make a representation, which freezes the notice while TfL considers it.
- No response by then: a charge certificate raises the penalty by half, to £270, due within 14 days, and representations are closed.
- Still unpaid: the debt is registered at the Traffic Enforcement Centre, a registration fee is added and you have 21 days to pay.
- Last stage: a warrant, and enforcement agents who TfL says may charge for every letter, visit and action.
What mistakes lead to Blackwall Tunnel penalty notices?
Each of these assumptions can end in a £180 penalty notice.
- Thinking the tunnel is still free: it has been charged since 7 April 2025, the day Silvertown opened.
- Paying one-off and expecting the off-peak price: only Auto Pay gets it, so a Sunday crossing paid online still costs a car £4.20.
- Paying for one direction: each crossing is charged separately with no daily cap, so a return trip is two charges.
- Leaving an unregistered Blue Badge on the dashboard: the 100% discount only starts once the badge is registered, for £10.
- Paying the wrong operator: a Dart Charge payment or account covers Dartford only, so TfL still treats the Blackwall crossing as unpaid.
Who can get money off the Blackwall Tunnel charge?
- Auto Pay off-peak rate (£1.50 car until 20 September 2026, £1.55 from 21 September 2026) instead of the peak rate charged to everyone not on Auto Pay.
- East London low-income residents: 50% discount on tunnel charges for residents of qualifying boroughs claiming eligible benefits (TfL says available until at least April 2028).
- Blackwall and Silvertown tunnels business discount: £1 off per off-peak crossing for small businesses and charities in Greenwich, Newham and Tower Hamlets, up to 3 vehicles.
- Blue Badge holders: 100% discount, £10 to register.
- 9+ seat vehicles: 100% discount, £10 a year to register.
- Accredited breakdown vehicles: 100% discount, £10 per vehicle.
Can Greenwich, Lewisham or Tower Hamlets residents get half price at Blackwall?
Yes, provided they also claim a qualifying benefit. The East London low income residents' discount takes 50% off the tunnels charge for people who live in Barking and Dagenham, Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Hackney, Havering, Lewisham, Newham, Redbridge, Southwark, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest or the City of London. TfL's Silvertown Tunnel page says it will run until at least April 2028.
The benefits that count are Income Support, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, Universal Credit, Pension Credit, Child Tax Credit, Working Tax Credit, Carer's Allowance and Housing Benefit. The car need not be registered to you: a company or leased vehicle kept for your sole use qualifies, and so does a hire or car club vehicle.
- Check that you live in one of the 12 boroughs or the City of London and receive one of the listed benefits.
- Gather photo ID, two documents proving your address, proof of the benefit and the vehicle's documents.
- Apply through the discounts and exemptions pages on the TfL website before using the tunnels. TfL says to allow at least 10 days for the application to be processed and to pay the full charge until it is approved.
Which vehicles go through the Blackwall Tunnel for free?
- No charge 22:00 to 06:00 and no charge on Christmas Day (25 December).
- TfL-licensed taxis (black cabs).
- Wheelchair-accessible private hire vehicles while carrying out a private hire booking.
- Vehicles registered with the DVLA as body type minibus, bus or coach.
- Ambulances and fire engines with ambulance or fire engine taxation class, NHS vehicles exempt from vehicle tax, disabled taxation class vehicles, HM Coastguard, port authorities, armed forces and Royal Parks vehicles.
Does a Blue Badge get me through the Blackwall Tunnel free?
Only once it is registered with TfL. A valid Blue Badge from anywhere in the European Economic Area qualifies for a 100% discount, but registration costs £10 and covers up to two vehicles. Renewal follows the badge's own expiry date, with no further fee if you renew within 90 days of it. TfL asks for both sides of the badge and one proof of identity, and someone can apply for you with its declaration of authority form.
Some vehicles need no paperwork. TfL recognises these automatically: vehicles taxed as an ambulance or fire engine, NHS vehicles exempt from vehicle tax, and vehicles in the disabled tax class. Anything the DVLA records as a bus, coach or minibus also crosses free without registering.
Vehicles with nine or more seats not recorded as a bus, coach or minibus, and breakdown and recovery vehicles, must register, for £10 a year each. London taxis are exempt while licensed by TfL; private hire vehicles pay unless wheelchair accessible or zero emission capable and on a booking.
When did the Blackwall Tunnel start charging drivers?
Blackwall Tunnel opened in 1897 (northbound bore) with the second, southbound bore added in 1967; it was toll-free until TfL introduced the joint Blackwall and Silvertown tunnels user charge on 7 April 2025, the day the Silvertown Tunnel opened. First price change is the inflation-based rise on 21 September 2026 (car Auto Pay off-peak £1.50 to £1.55, peak £4.00 to £4.20).
How old is the Blackwall Tunnel, and why does it bend?
The first tunnel was built between 1891 and 1897 to designs by London County Council engineer Alexander Binnie. It was made for horse-drawn vehicles and pedestrians, and opened on 22 May 1897.
The bends in the Victorian bore were deliberate: the route avoided a main sewer and some housing. A second tunnel was built between 1958 and 1967 for southbound vehicles, leaving the original tunnel to carry northbound traffic.
| Year | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1897 | The first tunnel opens on 22 May |
| 1967 | The second tunnel opens for southbound traffic |
| 2012 | The Silvertown Tunnel is first proposed, with both tunnels to be charged |
| 2024 | Consultation on the charge closes on 3 September; TfL sets out its recommended package in November |
| 2025 | Silvertown opens and charging starts at both tunnels on 7 April; warning notices only until 4 May |
| 2026 | Inflation-based rise on 21 September: a car now pays £1.55 off-peak and £4.20 at peak |
London Museum, TfL press releases of July and November 2024 and TfL's tunnels charge pages, read 26 September 2026.
Why was a free tunnel given a charge?
Because of its new neighbour. TfL's July 2024 consultation release explained that the two tunnels are so close together that both had to be charged, or drivers would pour into whichever stayed free. The same release described the Victorian tunnel closing more than 700 times a year, with the tailbacks and poor air that follow.
The money is spoken for. TfL says the charge manages traffic, repays the cost of building Silvertown and goes towards running and maintaining both tunnels, and Article 57 of the Silvertown Tunnel Order 2018 lists the Blackwall Tunnel's upkeep among the costs it may cover. In the first year TfL reports that peak journey times on the A102 northbound approach from Sun in the Sands fell by 58% in the morning and 47% in the evening.
Why is the northbound Blackwall Tunnel so low?
Because the Victorian bore was never meant for lorries. TfL gives the northbound tunnel a limit of 4.0 metres (13 feet) in the nearside lane and 2.8 metres (9 feet) in the offside lane, while the 1967 southbound tunnel takes vehicles up to 4.72 metres (15 feet 6 inches). Over-height vehicles caused 1,117 of the 1,604 closures TfL counted between April 2010 and January 2011, and TfL now reports a 23% fall in those closures since the Silvertown Tunnel, with its lane for buses and HGVs, opened next door.
How else can I cross the Thames in east London?
Every nearby option comes with a catch. TfL's charge covers only Blackwall and Silvertown, so the Rotherhithe Tunnel on the A101 costs nothing, but a traffic order made permanent on 1 May 2019 bans vehicles over 2 metres high or wide and goods vehicles over 2 tonnes gross weight, because its ventilation can handle a car fire but not a van fire. Tower Bridge and its approaches carry an 18 tonne weight limit.
Downstream, the Woolwich Ferry is free and carries cars, vans and lorries up to 4.7 metres high and 3.5 metres wide, though not vehicles showing Hazchem signs, and sailings can stop in dense fog or at extremely high tides. Beyond London, the A282 Dartford Crossing charges a car £3.50 between 6am and 10pm, or £2.80 on a Dart Charge pre-pay account.
Common questions
- Is the Blackwall Tunnel free at night?
- Yes. Nothing is charged between 22:00 and 06:00, so a car going through at 22:30 or 05:45 pays nothing and there is no trip to register. Christmas Day is free around the clock. Every other day, bank holidays included, is charged from 06:00 to 22:00. The weekday peak runs one way at a time: at 09:30 a car heading south pays the off-peak rate on Auto Pay, while the same car heading north pays £4.20.
- Do I pay the Blackwall Tunnel charge in both directions?
- Yes. TfL charges each crossing in each direction, so north through Blackwall in the morning and south again in the evening counts twice. A commuter who makes both trips inside the weekday peaks pays £8.40 a day, Auto Pay or not. Penalties are the only thing capped: TfL's November 2024 package allowed no more than one PCN a day, however many crossings went unpaid, but that single notice is still £180.
- Can I pay for the Blackwall Tunnel after I have driven through?
- Yes, until midnight on the third day after the crossing, so a Friday evening trip can be paid until midnight on Monday. Pay on the TfL website, in the TfL Pay to drive in London app for iPhone and Android, or by phone on 0343 222 2222 (+44 343 222 2222 from abroad, textphone 020 7649 9123). Paying this way always costs the peak rate, £4.20 for a car, even for a Sunday crossing. Only Auto Pay, billed monthly, gets the £1.55 off-peak price.
- Do motorbikes pay to use the Blackwall Tunnel?
- Yes. Motorcycles, mopeds and motor tricycles pay £1.55 off-peak on Auto Pay and £2.60 at peak or when paying any other way. That catches out riders used to the Congestion Charge, where two-wheelers are exempt: TfL's discount pages spell out that motorbikes and mopeds still pay the tunnels charge. The 100% discount for small motor tricycles is a Congestion Charge discount only.
- Do electric cars get a discount at the Blackwall Tunnel?
- No. The Cleaner Vehicle Discount TfL introduced on 2 January 2026 gives electric cars 25% off, and electric vans, HGVs and quadricycles 50% off, but only on the Congestion Charge. TfL's discounts page shows it at 0% for the tunnels, so an electric car pays the same £1.55 off-peak or £4.20 peak as a petrol one. Even in the Congestion Charge zone it needs Auto Pay, and it is already set to shrink from 4 March 2030.
- Why did I get a Blackwall Tunnel PCN when I thought I had paid?
- TfL gives three common reasons: the payment was made for the wrong number plate, for the wrong travel date, or it did not cover every chargeable crossing the vehicle made. Check your receipt against the date, time and direction on the notice. If the charge really was paid on time, challenge within 28 days of service on the ground that it was paid, quoting the payment reference.
Sources
- Transport for London, Blackwall and Silvertown tunnels (as of 7 September 2026)
- Transport for London, Paying Blackwall and Silvertown tunnel charges (as of 7 September 2026)
- Transport for London, Blackwall and Silvertown tunnels (as of 7 September 2026)
- Transport for London, Blackwall and Silvertown tunnels (as of 7 September 2026)
- Transport for London, Blackwall and Silvertown tunnels: where and when (as of 26 September 2026)
- Transport for London, Vehicle classifications for the tunnels charge (as of 26 September 2026)
- Transport for London, Discounts and exemptions: Congestion Charge and tunnels (as of 26 September 2026)
- Transport for London, Tunnels charge enforcement process (as of 26 September 2026)
- Transport for London, Auto Pay (as of 26 September 2026)
- Transport for London, Fleet Auto Pay (as of 26 September 2026)
- Transport for London, FOI-4141-2526: Blackwall and Silvertown tunnel fines (as of 26 September 2026)
- Transport for London, Silvertown Tunnel (project and monitoring) (as of 26 September 2026)
- Transport for London, Consultation on the tunnels user charge (July 2024) (as of 26 September 2026)
- Transport for London, Tunnels charges and discounts package (November 2024) (as of 26 September 2026)
- Transport for London, Check before you travel through the Blackwall Tunnel (2011) (as of 26 September 2026)
- British History Online (Survey of London), Southern Blackwall: The Blackwall Tunnel (as of 26 September 2026)
- London Museum, A history of the Blackwall Tunnel (as of 26 September 2026)
- legislation.gov.uk, Silvertown Tunnel Order 2018, article 57 (as of 26 September 2026)
- Transport for London, FOI-0261-2122: Rotherhithe Tunnel restrictions (as of 26 September 2026)
- City of London Corporation, Weight limits on City of London streets (as of 26 September 2026)
- Transport for London, Woolwich Ferry (as of 26 September 2026)
- GOV.UK, Pay the Dartford Crossing charge: charges (as of 26 September 2026)
- National Highways, A282 Dartford Crossing maintenance and repairs (as of 26 September 2026)