Darb Toll in Abu Dhabi 2026: Toll Gate Timings, Registration and Costs for Dubai Drivers

All six Darb toll gates, when you pay, Darb registration for a Dubai car, fines, and what a month of Dubai–Abu Dhabi commuting costs.

Dubai drivers know Salik. Over the border, the Abu Dhabi toll system is called Darb, and its rules are different. Abu Dhabi toll gate timing depends on the gate. Four gates charge only at rush hour. Since 4 May 2026, two new gates charge around the clock, and one of them, Ghantoot, sits on the E11, the main road from Dubai.

If you drive your own Dubai-registered car, you need a Darb account, or fines follow. In a Rentico rental car there's nothing to set up: our cars are already registered with Darb. This guide covers where the gates are, when you pay a toll in Abu Dhabi, how to register, and what a month of commuting costs. If you're only going for the day, see our Abu Dhabi day trip by car guide.

Darb runs six gates. Four sit on the bridges onto Abu Dhabi island. The two newer gates are on main roads into the city.

Sources: Khaleej Times, 24.04.2026; ITC, 23.04.2026.

There is no sticker or tag. Cameras read your number plate, and the toll comes out of the Darb wallet linked to the car.

Every darb toll gate charges the same fee: AED 4 per crossing. This is the flat rate ITC publishes. Unlike Salik, which added 5% VAT on 1 June 2026, no VAT has been announced for Darb, so AED 4 is what you pay. What changes from gate to gate is the Abu Dhabi toll gate time when you pay.

• Bridge gates (Sas Al Nakhl, Al Saadiyat, Al Maqta, Rabdan): you pay only from 7:00 to 9:00 and from 15:00 to 19:00, Monday to Saturday. The evening window was widened to 15:00–19:00 on 1 September 2025.

• Abu Dhabi toll gate free time: outside those hours the bridges are free, and so is all of Sunday and official public holidays.

• Ghantoot and Al Qurm: AED 4 every time you cross, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Some guides still list a daily cap of AED 16 and monthly caps of AED 200 / 150 / 100. ITC removed these caps for private vehicles on 1 September 2025, so every charged crossing now costs AED 4 with no upper limit.

During Ramadan and holidays, hours can change; check the ITC Darb page before you travel.

Darb toll gate registration is for privately owned cars. If you rent, the rental company registers its cars with Darb, so you don't need an account. Rentico's cars are already registered, and you can skip this section.

Cars registered outside Abu Dhabi, including Dubai cars, pay Darb tolls from a Darb wallet, and tolls are only deducted if the vehicle is registered on the platform. Here is how to register in Darb toll gate:

1. Create an account. Open the Darb app or darb.itc.gov.ae and enter your email address.

2. Verify yourself. Enter your traffic number, Emirates ID and mobile number.

3. Add your vehicle. Register each car you plan to drive into Abu Dhabi.

4. Set up the e-wallet. Setting up the wallet that tolls are taken from requires an initial payment. You'll see the exact amount in your account after you register.

5. Top up as needed. Keep enough balance for your crossings.

You have 10 working days from your first crossing to complete Darb registration (ITC). Doing it before your first trip is simpler.

Since Ghantoot started charging 24/7, the Abu Dhabi toll bill for a regular commuter has changed, and most guides haven't recalculated it yet. Here is the formula, with every assumption shown.

Assumptions: 22 working days a month, one return trip a day on the E11, which passes Ghantoot each way. Darb charges a flat AED 4 per crossing; no VAT has been announced. On a Rentico car, our AED 1.5 service fee is added to each crossing.

Each extra round trip through Ghantoot, on a Saturday for example, adds AED 8 (AED 11 on a Rentico car). A bridge crossed outside peak hours adds nothing.

Avoiding Ghantoot. ITC suggests Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Street as the alternative to the E11. Whether it suits you depends on where you start and finish, so check whether your route still crosses a bridge gate at peak.

Salik on the Dubai side. Since 1 June 2026, Salik costs AED 6.30 at peak and AED 4.20 off-peak, including 5% VAT (Gulf News, 22.05.2026). How many gates you pass depends on your route; see our guide to Salik charges in Dubai.

Mileage. The distance from Dubai to Abu Dhabi is often given as about 140 km each way. At that distance, 22 return trips come to about 6,160 km a month. Rentico's allowance is 250 km per day, counted over the whole rental period (about 7,500 km for a 30-day rental), and extra kilometres cost AED 1–3 per km depending on the car. If you also drive at weekends, agree a mileage allowance that fits your actual routine.

These fines concern owners of privately registered cars. On a Rentico rental car, Darb registration and the wallet balance are our responsibility, so the registration and balance fines below don't apply to you.

• Unregistered vehicle: after the 10-working-day grace period, AED 100 the first time, AED 200 the second, and AED 400 for the third time and after.

• Insufficient balance (vehicles registered outside Abu Dhabi): five working days to top up, then AED 50 per transaction.

• Tampering with a number plate or damaging toll equipment: AED 10,000 each.

• Caps: fines are capped at AED 10,000 per vehicle owner and at AED 25,000 per vehicle per year from the first violation.

Dubai fines work differently. See how to check and pay traffic fines.

On a Rentico rental car, our AED 1.5 service fee is added to every Darb and Salik crossing. Rental cars come with Salik tags and Darb registration already in place.

Sources: ITC; Gulf News, 22.05.2026; dubai.ae. Checked 04.11.2026.

On a Rentico car, Darb works exactly like Salik:

• No registration needed. Every car is already registered with Darb, so you just drive.

• Charged automatically. Each crossing is recorded at the official rate (AED 4 at a charged time) and settled when you return the car.

• Our service fee: AED 1.5 per crossing, the same as for Salik. A Ghantoot crossing on a Rentico car costs you AED 5.50 in total.

• Fines and notifications. We notify you of any fines and toll charges linked to the car. If a fine is paid through Rentico, a 10% commission applies.

• Deposit. The deposit can be held for up to 21 calendar days after return, because toll and fine data can arrive late.

• Mileage: 250 km per day, counted over the whole rental period; extra kilometres cost AED 1–3 per km.

• Abu Dhabi airport: delivery or collection at AUH costs AED 349.

On the E11 you now pay at Ghantoot around the clock; on the bridges, only at rush hour. If it's your own car, register it before the first trip; if it's a rental, check how tolls are billed. Either way, work out the full month (Darb, Salik and mileage) before you commit to a commute.