Salik charges UAE 2026 are AED 6.30 per crossing during peak hours and AED 4.20 off-peak, both figures including the 5% VAT applied to Dubai tolls from 1 June 2026. Crossings between 01:00 and 06:00 are free, and Sunday is a flat AED 4.20 all day. Those four numbers decide a bigger share of your motoring budget than most people realise.
The 2026 rate card in full
| Period | Days | Charge per crossing |
|---|---|---|
| 06:00 to 10:00 (peak) | Monday to Saturday | AED 6.30 |
| 10:00 to 16:00 (low-peak) | Monday to Saturday | AED 4.20 |
| 16:00 to 20:00 (peak) | Monday to Saturday | AED 6.30 |
| 20:00 to 01:00 (low-peak) | Monday to Saturday | AED 4.20 |
| 01:00 to 06:00 | Every day | Free |
| All day | Sunday | AED 4.20 |
Variable pricing has been in force since 31 January 2025; the VAT that turned AED 6 into AED 6.30 and AED 4 into AED 4.20 arrived on 1 June 2026. The official position is set out on the Dubai Government's Salik page.
The number worth acting on is the AED 2.10 gap between peak and low-peak. Shifting a single daily round trip out of peak hours saves AED 4.20 a day, roughly AED 1,000 a year for a five-day week. If your employer offers any flexibility on start time, leaving at 10:15 instead of 09:45 is worth real money, and the free 01:00 to 06:00 window means late-night and very early journeys cost nothing at all.
All ten gates, and the one that charges twice
Dubai currently operates 10 Salik gates: Al Barsha, Al Garhoud Bridge, Business Bay Crossing, Al Maktoum Bridge, Al Mamzar North, Al Mamzar South, Al Safa North, Al Safa South, Airport Tunnel and Jebel Ali.
The one that trips people up is Al Safa. The northern and southern Safa gates both sit on Sheikh Zayed Road, and a single journey passing both is charged once, provided both crossings happen within an hour. Exceed the hour and you pay twice. It matters if you stop for lunch or a meeting between the two.
Activating a new Salik tag costs AED 52.50, and accounts are normally opened with an initial prepaid balance on top. Worth doing before you need it rather than after.
What it costs a real commuter over a year
Take a common Dubai pattern: two gates each way, five days a week, both legs in peak hours.
- Per day: 4 crossings × AED 6.30 = AED 25.20
- Per month (≈21.7 working days): ≈ AED 546
- Per year: ≈ AED 6,552
Now run the same commute shifted into low-peak hours: 4 × AED 4.20 = AED 16.80 a day, about AED 364 a month, AED 4,368 a year. The timing alone is worth AED 2,184.
Set that against the rest of your motoring budget. At the September 2026 Special 95 price of AED 3.69 a litre, a 15,000 km year in an economical family car burns around AED 5,800 in fuel. For a peak-hour commuter, Salik can cost more than petrol. That is the fact property portals never state, because they are not thinking about it as a car cost, and it is why tolls belong in the same conversation as fuel economy when you choose a vehicle. Keep an eye on current pump prices on our UAE petrol prices page.
The fines, which are worse than the tolls
Passing a gate without a valid tag escalates fast: AED 100 for the first trip, AED 200 for the second, and AED 400 for every trip after that.
Insufficient balance is treated more gently but still bites. You get a grace period of five working days to top up; after that, a AED 50 violation is incurred for each day the balance stays short. Given a single peak crossing costs AED 6.30, an unnoticed empty account is an expensive way to save nothing. Set up auto-recharge and stop thinking about it.
For everything else that can land on your vehicle record, our guide to UAE traffic fines covers checking, paying and clearing them, which matters especially if you plan to sell, because outstanding fines block a transfer.
Abu Dhabi's Darb is a different system, and it catches Dubai cars
If you drive to Abu Dhabi, Salik rules do not apply and assuming they do is how Dubai-plated cars collect fines.
Per Abu Dhabi Mobility, Darb charges AED 4 per crossing during peak hours of 07:00 to 09:00 and 15:00 to 19:00, excluding Sundays and official holidays. There are now six gates: Al Maqta, Rabdan, Sas Al Nakhl, Al Saadiyat, plus Ghantoot and Al Qurm, and those last two operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week rather than on the peak-hour model.
Two differences matter enormously.
First, the daily and monthly caps have been removed. Darb previously capped daily charges at AED 16 and monthly charges at AED 200 for private vehicles. Those limits are gone, so a heavy user now pays per crossing with no ceiling short of the annual fine cap.
Second, vehicles licensed outside Abu Dhabi must register. Abu Dhabi-registered cars get an account created automatically; everyone else must register before crossing or within 10 days of doing so. Miss it and the same AED 100 / AED 200 / AED 400 escalation applies, plus AED 50 per transaction where the balance is short after a five-working-day grace period. If you have a Dubai plate and an Abu Dhabi trip planned, register first.
Parking is a third, separate cost. Dubai's Parkin tariffs also went VAT-inclusive on 1 June 2026: AED 6.30 an hour premium at peak, AED 4.20 standard, free from 22:00 to 08:00 and all day on Sundays and public holidays. Note that Parkin's peak window starts at 08:00 while Salik's starts at 06:00; they are not the same clock. Our paid parking zone guide covers the zones in detail.
Frequently asked questions
How much is Salik per trip in 2026?
AED 6.30 during peak hours of 06:00 to 10:00 and 16:00 to 20:00, Monday to Saturday, and AED 4.20 during low-peak hours. Crossings between 01:00 and 06:00 are free, and Sunday is a flat AED 4.20 all day. These figures include the 5% VAT applied from 1 June 2026.
How many Salik gates are there in Dubai?
Ten: Al Barsha, Al Garhoud Bridge, Business Bay Crossing, Al Maktoum Bridge, Al Mamzar North, Al Mamzar South, Al Safa North, Al Safa South, Airport Tunnel and Jebel Ali. Passing both Al Safa gates within one hour is charged only once.
Is Salik free at night?
Yes. No charge applies between 01:00 and 06:00 on any day. This is the only genuinely free window. Sunday is discounted to a flat AED 4.20 per crossing rather than free, and public holidays are not exempt from Salik in the way public parking is.
What is the fine for driving through Salik without a tag?
AED 100 for the first trip, AED 200 for the second, and AED 400 for each subsequent trip. If you have a tag but insufficient balance, you get five working days to top up, after which a AED 50 violation is incurred for each day the account remains short.
Do I need to register for Darb if my car is from Dubai?
Yes. Abu Dhabi automatically creates accounts for vehicles licensed in Abu Dhabi only. Any vehicle licensed elsewhere must be registered before crossing a Darb gate or within 10 days of doing so, or the same escalating AED 100 to AED 400 fines apply.
How tolls should change what you buy
If your commute crosses gates in peak hours twice a day, Salik is a AED 6,552 annual line item, and it is entirely independent of the car. That changes the maths in two useful ways. It makes a shorter commute worth more than a slightly cheaper car, and it makes fuel economy relatively less decisive than most buyers assume. Work the whole number on our car loan calculator before you commit, then shop accordingly: browse used cars, filter to cars under AED 50,000 if the toll bill is what is stretching the budget, or look at electric cars, where the fuel line disappears even though the toll line does not.
