What does the Salik and Darb toll calculator show?
Dubai's Salik and Abu Dhabi's Darb charge each time a vehicle passes a toll gate, and both charge more, or only, at peak times. For a fleet that crosses the same gates every day, tolls become a steady monthly cost that grows with every vehicle and every trip.
This calculator turns your routes into a monthly and yearly toll bill, split by Salik time band and Darb, with 5% VAT on Salik. It shows the cost per route and per vehicle, and what moving part of your departures out of peak hours would save. All amounts are in UAE dirhams, because the tariffs are set in dirhams.
Salik and Darb rates used
We checked each rate against its source on 21 October 2026. The admin of this page reviews them every quarter.
| Item | Rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Salik peak, Monday to Saturday, 06:00–10:00 and 16:00–20:00 | AED 6 per crossing | Salik Company disclosure on DFM, 29 Nov 2024 |
| Salik off-peak, 10:00–16:00 and 20:00–01:00 | AED 4 per crossing | Same source |
| Salik, 01:00–06:00 | Free | Same source |
| Salik on Sundays | AED 4 all day, free 01:00–06:00; public holidays and events may differ | Gulf News, updated 7 Oct 2026 |
| Salik in Ramadan | AED 6 at 09:00–17:00; AED 4 at 07:00–09:00 and 17:00–02:00; free 02:00–07:00 | Gulf News, updated 7 Oct 2026 |
| VAT on Salik tolls | 5% from 1 June 2026 | Khaleej Times, 22 May 2026; recovery: Crowe |
| Darb peak, Monday to Saturday, 07:00–09:00 and 15:00–19:00 | AED 4 per crossing; free at other times, on Sundays and on public holidays; no daily or monthly cap since 1 Sep 2025 | Abu Dhabi Media Office (ITC), 14 Aug 2025; The National, 31 Aug 2025 |
Salik has 10 gates: Al Safa North and South, Al Barsha and Jebel Ali on Sheikh Zayed Road, Business Bay Crossing, Al Garhoud Bridge, Al Maktoum Bridge, Al Mamzar North and South, and the Airport Tunnel. Al Mamzar North and South, Al Safa North and South, and Al Mamzar with Al Safa, passed in the same direction within one hour, are charged once.
What inputs do you need?
| Input | Where to find it | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Vehicles and trips per route | Dispatch plans, route sheets | One row per regular route. Group vehicles that run the same route. |
| Salik gates per trip | A map of the route, or last month's Salik statement | Count chargeable gates only, after the one-hour rule. |
| Peak and off-peak % | Departure times, or the time stamps on your statement | What is not peak or off-peak falls in the free night hours. |
| Darb peak crossings | Abu Dhabi trips per vehicle a day | Count only crossings at 07:00–09:00 and 15:00–19:00, Monday to Saturday. |
| VAT you can recover | Your tax adviser | Recovery depends on business use and proper records. |
How is the toll cost calculated?
Salik
Darb
Total and saving
Worked example: 25 vehicles on three routes
The default values are examples. 22 working days Monday to Saturday and 4 working Sundays a month, VAT on and not recovered.
- Jebel Ali to Deira: 10 vehicles, 2 trips a day, 3 gates a trip, 50% peak and 45% off-peak. Each vehicle pays 6 × (0.5 × 6 + 0.45 × 4) × 22 = AED 633.60 Monday to Saturday plus AED 91.20 on Sundays, so AED 7,248 a month for the route.
- Al Quoz to Business Bay: 8 vehicles, 4 trips, 1 gate, 40% peak and 55% off-peak: AED 3,725 a month.
- Dubai to Abu Dhabi: 7 vehicles, 1 trip, 2 Salik gates and 2 Darb peak crossings a day: AED 1,495 Salik and 2 × 4 × 22 × 7 = AED 1,232 Darb a month.
- Salik AED 12,468 + VAT AED 623 + Darb AED 1,232 = AED 14,323 a month, or AED 171,881 a year, about AED 573 per vehicle a month.
- Moving 30% of Salik peak crossings to off-peak and 30% of Darb peak crossings out of peak saves about AED 1,021 a month, or AED 12,252 a year.
How can a fleet lower its toll bill?
- Shift departures: leaving before 06:00 or after 10:00 moves a Salik crossing from AED 6 to AED 4 or to free. Check the effect on delivery windows first.
- Plan routes with tolls in mind: a toll-free road may cost more in fuel and time. Compare both with the Fleet Fuel Cost Calculator and the Route Optimization Savings Calculator.
- Price tolls into each trip: add the toll per trip to the Truck Trip Cost Calculator so quotes cover it.
- Check the statements: compare the crossings on your Salik and Darb statements with the trips your vehicles actually made, vehicle by vehicle.
Assumptions and limits
Results are estimates from the values entered, and every route default is an example. The calculator applies the published per-crossing tariffs to all vehicles; check your statements for terms that apply to your vehicle type or account. Salik charges on public holidays and event days may differ from the rates above. VAT is applied to Salik only, and how much you can recover depends on your tax position. The Ramadan timetable changes the hours of each band, not the rates, so set the shares for the hours your vehicles run in Ramadan. Rates can change; the date each was checked is shown above.