Latest update — August 2026: Since 1 June 2026, a 5% VAT applies to Salik tolls and to all Parkin parking services. A peak-hour Salik crossing is now AED 6.30 (was AED 6.00) and premium peak parking is AED 6.30 per hour. Cash payments at Parkin meters were phased out from the same date. In Abu Dhabi, the Darb toll's daily and monthly caps were removed from 1 September 2025, and the afternoon toll window was extended to 3:00pm–7:00pm.
Driving in Dubai carries two recurring costs: Salik road tolls of AED 6.30 per crossing at peak (6:00–10:00am and 4:00–8:00pm, Monday–Saturday) and AED 4.20 off-peak, plus Parkin public parking at AED 2.10–6.30 per hour depending on zone and time. Both figures include the 5% VAT applied from 1 June 2026, and both are set by published tariffs: tolls by Salik PJSC under the RTA's variable pricing framework in force since 31 January 2025, and parking by Parkin PJSC under the RTA-approved variable parking tariff in force since 4 April 2025.
This guide covers the current toll bands and all 10 gates, how to top up and avoid the AED 50-a-day insufficient-balance fine, Parkin's zones, permits and free days, and how Abu Dhabi's Darb toll and Mawaqif parking compare — ending with a worked monthly budget for a typical commuter.
At a Glance
| Item | Current rate (incl. 5% VAT) |
|---|---|
| Salik peak (6–10am, 4–8pm Mon–Sat) | AED 6.30 per crossing |
| Salik off-peak (10am–4pm, 8pm–1am Mon–Sat) | AED 4.20 per crossing |
| Salik late night (1–6am, daily) | Free |
| Salik Sundays (except holidays/major events) | Flat AED 4.20 |
| Number of Salik gates | 10 |
| Salik insufficient-balance fine | AED 50 per day after a 5-working-day grace window |
| Parkin premium parking (peak 8–10am, 4–8pm) | AED 6.30 per hour |
| Parkin standard zones | AED 2.10–4.20 per hour |
| Parkin free days | Sundays and public holidays (on-street) |
| Abu Dhabi Darb toll | AED 4, peak only (7–9am, 3–7pm Mon–Sat), no caps |
| Abu Dhabi Mawaqif parking | AED 2/hour standard, AED 3/hour premium |
Salik Rates in 2026: How Variable Pricing Works
Salik switched from a flat AED 4 to time-based pricing on 31 January 2025, and the bands have been stable since — only the VAT line changed in June 2026. There are no barriers: overhead gantries read the tag on your windscreen and deduct the toll automatically.
| Time band (Monday–Saturday) | Rate per crossing |
|---|---|
| Peak: 6:00am–10:00am | AED 6.30 |
| Off-peak: 10:00am–4:00pm | AED 4.20 |
| Peak: 4:00pm–8:00pm | AED 6.30 |
| Off-peak: 8:00pm–1:00am | AED 4.20 |
| Late night: 1:00am–6:00am | Free |
Three refinements worth knowing:
- Sundays are charged at a flat AED 4.20 all day (the 1:00–6:00am window stays free), except on public holidays or during major events, when Salik announces a separate schedule in advance.
- Ramadan gets adjusted bands each year, published before the month starts. In 2025, for example, the peak ran 9:00am–5:00pm at the higher rate, with free travel 2:00am–7:00am for suhoor. Check the Salik app for the current year's schedule.
- The one-hour rule: the paired gates — Al Mamzar North/South and Al Safa North/South — charge only once if you pass both in the same direction within 60 minutes.
The 10 Salik Gates
Dubai has had 10 toll gates since 24 November 2024, when Salik activated Business Bay Crossing and Al Safa South (announced via the Dubai Media Office).
| Gate | Road | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Al Mamzar North | Al Ittihad Road (E11) | Dubai–Sharjah corridor; paired with Al Mamzar South |
| Al Mamzar South | Al Ittihad Road (E11) | One charge if both Mamzar gates crossed within an hour |
| Airport Tunnel | Beirut Street | Serves Dubai International Airport traffic |
| Al Garhoud Bridge | Sheikh Rashid Road | Dubai Creek crossing |
| Al Maktoum Bridge | Umm Hurair Road | Dubai Creek crossing |
| Business Bay Crossing | Al Khail Road (E44) | Active since 24 November 2024 |
| Al Safa North | Sheikh Zayed Road (E11) | Paired with Al Safa South |
| Al Safa South | Sheikh Zayed Road (E11) | Between Meydan Street and Umm Al Sheif Street; active since 24 November 2024 |
| Al Barsha | Sheikh Zayed Road (E11) | Near Mall of the Emirates |
| Jebel Ali | Sheikh Zayed Road (E11) | Towards Abu Dhabi |
Salik Account, Tag and Top-Up
Every vehicle needs a Salik tag linked to a prepaid account. A tag kit costs AED 100 at petrol stations (ENOC, EPPCO, Emarat, ADNOC) — that is AED 50 for the tag and AED 50 of starting toll balance — or about AED 120 ordered online with delivery. Since June 2026 the AED 50 activation-fee component carries VAT (AED 52.50), so confirm the current bundle price in the Salik app before buying.
Top-up channels, all near-instant:
- Salik app or salik.ae — card payment, and the place to set up auto top-up: pick a threshold (say AED 25) and a recharge amount (say AED 100), and the account refills itself after a crossing drops you below the line. This is the single best defence against balance fines.
- RTA app and Dubai Now — under government payments.
- Most UAE banking apps (bill-payments section).
- Petrol-station kiosks and recharge vouchers at ENOC/EPPCO and partner outlets.
Rental cars: hire vehicles carry the rental company's tag. Crossings are recorded to the company and re-billed to your card after the rental, usually with a per-crossing or per-day administration fee — ask for the fee schedule before you sign, because it varies widely between companies.
Selling your car: a Salik tag is not transferable between owners. Remove the tag from the windscreen and delete the vehicle from your Salik account (free, online) before ownership transfer — otherwise the buyer's crossings keep debiting your balance. The flip side matters when you buy: unpaid Salik amounts and fines sit against the vehicle file and block transfer until cleared, one of several checks covered in our guide to buying a used car in the UAE.
Salik Fines and the Grace Window
Salik's published violation rules give you room to fix an empty account before fines start:
- Insufficient balance: you have 5 working days from the crossing date to recharge. Miss that and it becomes a violation of AED 50 per day on which you made crossings — multiple crossings in one day count once, but the daily fines accumulate fast if you keep driving.
- No tag / unregistered vehicle: after a first crossing you get 10 working days to register the vehicle. After that, commonly reported penalties are AED 100 for the first violation trip, AED 200 for the second and AED 400 for each subsequent trip — confirm your actual position in the Salik app, which lists any pending violations against your plate.
Unpaid toll violations follow the vehicle: they must be settled before you can complete annual registration renewal or an ownership transfer. Note that Salik balance fines are separate from police-issued offences — for speeding and the post-2025 federal penalty schedule see our UAE traffic fines guide.
Parkin: Zones, Tariffs and Free Days
Parkin PJSC operates Dubai's public paid parking under RTA-approved tariffs. Since 4 April 2025 the network runs a variable tariff: roughly 40% of the public portfolio is designated "premium" — high-demand areas such as Downtown Dubai, Business Bay, Deira, Al Wasl and spaces near Metro stations — with time-based pricing, while the rest keeps flat zone rates. All prices below include the 5% VAT applied from 1 June 2026.
| Parking type | Rate (incl. VAT) | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Premium — peak | AED 6.30/hour | 8:00–10:00am and 4:00–8:00pm, Monday–Saturday |
| Premium — off-peak | AED 4.20/hour | 10:00am–4:00pm and 8:00–10:00pm, Monday–Saturday |
| Standard commercial roadside (Zone A type) | AED 4.20/hour | Paid hours, commonly 8:00am–10:00pm |
| Commercial car park (Zone B type) | AED 3.15/hour | Paid hours |
| Residential zones (C/D type) | AED 2.10/hour | Paid hours |
When parking is free: on-street parking is free overnight (most zones 10:00pm–8:00am), all day on Sundays, and on official UAE public holidays. Multi-storey car parks and some special zones charge around the clock — the signage on each street shows the zone code, tariff and paid hours, and the Parkin app shows the same when you enter the code, so check before assuming a free day.
How to pay (cash at meters was phased out from 1 June 2026):
- Parkin app — select the zone code, plate and duration; it can remind you before time expires and extend remotely.
- SMS to 7275 — text your plate, zone code and hours in the format A12345 [space] 365A [space] 2. An SMS fee of about AED 0.30 applies per message, and you get an expiry-reminder text.
- Meters — card, nol card or contactless phone payment; coins are no longer accepted.
Seasonal cards remain the workaround for daily parkers: commonly published rates are about AED 4,500 a year for roadside zones and AED 2,400 a year for car-park-only zones (plus VAT since June 2026), with 3- and 6-month options. Demand jumped after variable pricing — Parkin reported a record 100,600 seasonal cards sold in Q1 2026, up 129% year on year — and seasonal-card prices have been reported to be under review, so verify the current price in the app before buying a long card.
Parkin Fines
Parking penalties in Dubai are issued against the plate and appear in the RTA/Dubai Police systems. The most common, as published by the RTA:
| Violation | Fine |
|---|---|
| Not paying the parking fee / no valid ticket | AED 150 |
| Exceeding the paid time | AED 100 |
| Parking in a no-parking area | AED 200 |
| Parking on the pavement / obstructing traffic | AED 200–500 (varies by offence) |
| Misusing a People of Determination space | AED 1,000 |
Amounts for the less common violations are reported with some variation across sources — always confirm the exact fine on your record via the Dubai Police or RTA app before paying, and note the RTA offers a discount for early settlement of parking fines in some campaigns.
Abu Dhabi Comparison: Darb and Mawaqif
Abu Dhabi prices road use very differently. The Darb toll, run by the Integrated Transport Centre (Abu Dhabi Mobility), charges AED 4 per crossing only during peak windows — 7:00–9:00am and 3:00–7:00pm, Monday to Saturday — at four gates on the bridges onto Abu Dhabi island (Al Maqta, Rabdan/Musaffah, Sas Al Nakhl/Sheikh Zayed Bridge and Al Saadiyat/Sheikh Khalifa Bridge). Crossings outside those windows, on Sundays and on public holidays are free. From 1 September 2025 the old caps (AED 16/day, AED 100–200/month) were removed, so every peak crossing now bills in full. New Darb gantries have also been installed on the E11 near Ghantoot and at Al Qurm; as of April 2026 they were still in testing, with activation to be announced on the Abu Dhabi Mobility platform — check the Darb app before assuming the highway is toll-free.
Mawaqif, the capital's parking system, charges AED 2/hour for standard bays (or AED 15 for up to 24 hours) and AED 3/hour for premium bays (4-hour maximum stay), with paid hours roughly 8:00am–midnight Monday–Saturday and free parking on Sundays and public holidays. Payment runs through the Darb app, SMS 3009 or meters.
| Cost item | Dubai | Abu Dhabi |
|---|---|---|
| Toll per crossing | AED 4.20–6.30, all hours except 1–6am | AED 4, peak windows only |
| Toll-free times | 1:00–6:00am daily | All off-peak hours, Sundays, holidays |
| Daily/monthly toll cap | None | None (removed 1 Sept 2025) |
| Parking per hour | AED 2.10–6.30 | AED 2–3 |
| Free parking days | Sundays, public holidays | Sundays, public holidays |
What a Dubai Commute Actually Costs per Month
Worked example, using post-VAT 2026 rates and a 22-working-day month:
- Tolls: one gate each way at peak = 2 × AED 6.30 = AED 12.60/day, or about AED 277/month. Shift both crossings off-peak (before 6am or the 10am–4pm window) and it drops to AED 8.40/day — about AED 185/month, saving roughly AED 92. A Sharjah–Dubai commuter crossing Al Mamzar pays the same per-gate arithmetic; route options and timings are in our Sharjah–Dubai commute guide.
- Parking hourly in a premium zone (8am–6pm workday): 4 peak hours at AED 6.30 + 6 off-peak hours at AED 4.20 = about AED 50/day, or a punishing AED 1,100+/month.
- Parking on a seasonal card instead: an annual roadside card at about AED 4,500 + VAT works out near AED 394/month — which is why card sales more than doubled after variable pricing arrived.
Realistic total for a peak-hour commuter who parks in a paid zone: roughly AED 650–700 per month (tolls plus seasonal card), against about AED 176/month in tolls for an equivalent Abu Dhabi commuter (2 peak Darb crossings daily) plus cheaper Mawaqif parking. Where these numbers sit in a full household budget is covered in our UAE cost of living guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I top up my Salik account?
Instantly via the Salik app or salik.ae, the RTA and Dubai Now apps, most UAE banking apps, or kiosks and vouchers at ENOC/EPPCO petrol stations. The safest option is auto top-up in the Salik app: set a threshold and amount once, and the account recharges itself before it can go negative.
How much is Salik per gate in 2026?
AED 6.30 per crossing at peak (6:00–10:00am and 4:00–8:00pm, Monday–Saturday) and AED 4.20 off-peak (10:00am–4:00pm and 8:00pm–1:00am), including the 5% VAT added on 1 June 2026. Sundays are a flat AED 4.20 except on public holidays or event days with announced special pricing.
Is Salik free at night?
Yes — crossings between 1:00am and 6:00am are free every day under the variable pricing in force since 31 January 2025. During Ramadan the free window shifts (it was 2:00am–7:00am in 2025), so check the schedule Salik publishes each year.
What is the fine if my Salik balance is insufficient?
Nothing at first: you get 5 working days from the crossing date to recharge. After that it becomes an AED 50 violation for each day on which you made crossings, so a week of ignored commuting can cost AED 250+ on top of the tolls. Unpaid violations also block vehicle registration renewal and ownership transfer.
How much is Parkin parking per hour in Dubai?
Between AED 2.10 and AED 6.30 per hour including VAT. Premium zones (about 40% of public spaces, in areas like Downtown, Business Bay and Deira) charge AED 6.30 at peak (8–10am, 4–8pm) and AED 4.20 off-peak; standard zones charge flat rates of AED 2.10–4.20 depending on the zone code shown on the street signage.
Is parking free on Sunday in Dubai?
Yes — on-street public parking is free on Sundays and on official public holidays, plus overnight (most zones 10:00pm–8:00am). Multi-storey car parks and some special zones charge every day, so check the signage or the Parkin app for the specific zone code.
How do I pay for Dubai parking by SMS?
Text 7275 with your plate number, the zone code and the number of hours, separated by spaces — for example "A12345 365A 2". About AED 0.30 is added per SMS, and you receive a reminder before your time expires so you can extend by reply.
Do I pay Salik in a rental car?
Yes, but not directly: rental cars carry the company's tag, and crossings are re-billed to your payment card after the rental, usually with an administration fee per crossing or per day. Check the rental agreement's Salik fee clause before signing, as the markup varies between companies.
Related reading: start with the UAE driving guide hub, check the post-2025 penalty schedule in UAE traffic fines, see what toll and fine checks matter when buying a used car, plan the toll gates on the Sharjah–Dubai commute, and see where driving costs fit in the overall UAE cost of living.
