Darb Abu Dhabi now has six toll gates, not four. Al Qurm and Ghantout opened on 4 May 2026 and charge AED 4 a crossing around the clock, while the four older bridge gates charge only in peak hours.
On 20 October 2026 we read the Abu Dhabi Mobility fee page, the Q Mobility Darb FAQ and policy pages, and Gulf News on the two new gates. We did not drive through a gate, and one Gulf Business report refused our request. This is general information, not legal advice.
| Gate | Where, as Darb lists it | When it charges | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sas Al Nakhl | Sheikh Zayed Bridge | Peak hours only | AED 4 |
| Al Maqta’ | Al Maqta’ Bridge | Peak hours only | AED 4 |
| Rabdan | Musaffah Bridge | Peak hours only | AED 4 |
| Al Saadiyat | Sheikh Khalifa Bridge | Peak hours only | AED 4 |
| Al Qurm | Wahat Al Karama Street, at the entrance and exit of Sheikh Zayed Road | 24 hours a day, since 4 May | AED 4 |
| Ghantout | Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Road | 24 hours a day, since 4 May | AED 4 |
Darb Abu Dhabi toll gates and when each one charges
The Q Mobility FAQ states the split plainly: Al Qurm and Ghantout operate 24/7, and the other four charge during peak hours only. Most older guides still describe the four-gate system.
Gulf News reported in April that the two new gates would begin on 4 May 2026 at AED 4 a crossing, running 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It also listed detours: Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Street or Arabian Gulf Street around Al Qurm, and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Street around Ghantoot.
Dubai Eye 103.8 showed the difference on 22 May. For the Eid break, the four bridge gates were free from Monday 25 to Friday 29 May, while Al Qurm and Ghantout kept charging AED 4. If you plan the trip from Dubai, our Dubai to Abu Dhabi guide sets out the routes and the train.
Darb toll fee, peak hours and free days
The fee is AED 4 for each transaction. The Abu Dhabi Mobility page lists two charging windows, 07:00 to 09:00 in the morning and 15:00 to 19:00 in the afternoon, and says they do not apply on Sundays and official holidays.
Caps used to limit what private vehicles paid. Gulf News reported a daily cap of AED 16 and monthly caps of AED 200, AED 150 or AED 100, and said the Integrated Transport Centre announced on 14 August 2025 that they would end on 1 September 2025. The Abu Dhabi Mobility caps page now reads “No More Toll Caps” for the daily cap and “No Maximum Limit” for the monthly one.
Neither window appears for the 24-hour gates on that fee page, so for those we rely on the Darb FAQ and the dated news reports.
Darb registration, wallet and top-up
No tag is needed, because Gulf News explained in 2025 that the system reads the number plate at the gate. Registration asks for your traffic file number, Emirates ID, an active email and a mobile number linked to the traffic file, and new vehicles you own are added to your account automatically.
- Sign-in runs through UAE Pass. Guests and visitors without it can use DARB Lite, which the FAQ says covers public parking and some other services.
- Tolls come out of the wallet assigned to each vehicle. Wallet balances cannot be moved to another customer’s account.
- To top up, log in, open Wallet, choose Top Up, add a card and pick an amount. The FAQ says to allow up to one hour for the balance to apply, and an Auto Top-Up threshold is available.
- Gulf News said vehicles registered outside Abu Dhabi are charged automatically from the Darb wallet once they are registered on the platform.
Outstanding toll fees must also be cleared before you renew, cancel, export or amend a vehicle registration, Gulf News noted.
Darb fines and grace periods
The Abu Dhabi Mobility fines page sets out three fines, each tied to a grace period counted in working days from the crossing. It cites Law No. 17 of 2017 on Road Tolls in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi as the basis.
- Unregistered vehicle: AED 100 the first time, AED 200 the second and AED 400 the third and after, issued once the ten-working-day grace period ends.
- Insufficient balance on a vehicle registered outside Abu Dhabi: AED 50 for each transaction, after a five-working-day grace period to recharge.
- Tampering with a number plate to avoid fees, or damaging a payment machine or toll gate: AED 10,000 each.
- Ceilings: AED 10,000 for each owner of a vehicle the driver committed a violation with, and AED 25,000 per vehicle in the year from the first violation.
Per the FAQ, an SMS goes to the owner, and fines can be paid from the wallet or by card on the website or app.
Who is exempt from Darb
Some vehicles never pay and need no application, while four groups must request an exemption through the Darb website or app. The FAQ gives both lists.
- Automatic: ambulances, armed forces and civil defence vehicles, police vehicles, public transport and school buses, licensed taxis, motorcycles, trailers, and passenger buses with 26 or more seats.
- By request, one vehicle each: People of Determination, low-income Emirati families, UAE citizen senior citizens aged 60 and over, and retired citizens with a Pension and Retirement Fund letter.
An approved exemption can move to another vehicle only after three months on the first one, the same FAQ says, and the first must then be cancelled.
Where the sources disagree
Four points differ between the official pages and the news reports, so check the date on each source before you trust any gate count, cap or Sunday rule.
- Gate count: Gulf News in August 2025 and most guides we read list four gates. The Darb FAQ and Gulf News in April 2026 list six.
- Sundays at the new gates: Gulf News says seven days a week and Dubai Eye reported them charging through Eid. The Darb policy page says “24/7, Except for Sundays and official holidays” without naming gates.
- Caps: the Darb policy page still shows an AED 16 daily cap and monthly caps of AED 200, AED 150 and AED 100. The caps page and the 2025 Gulf News report say they ended.
- Hours: the fee page lists only the two peak windows, which fits the four bridge gates and says nothing of the other two.
What we could not confirm
Several points stay open after our reading, because the official pages are undated and the Gulf Business report returned an error.
- Whether any cap applies at Al Qurm or Ghantout; no source mentions one.
- How the two new gates charge on an ordinary Sunday; we found no official text.
- Whether Q Mobility has updated the fee and policy pages since May 2026.
- How rental cars and visitors pay; the FAQ does not cover rental cars.
- The registration fee: the FAQ’s wording, split into two AED 50 parts, was unclear, so we left it out.
Quick answers on Darb Abu Dhabi
How much is the Darb toll in Abu Dhabi?
AED 4 a crossing at all six gates. The four bridge gates charge from 07:00 to 09:00 and 15:00 to 19:00, and Al Qurm and Ghantout charge around the clock.
Is Darb Abu Dhabi free on Sundays?
For the four bridge gates, yes, along with official holidays. For Al Qurm and Ghantout the sources disagree; Dubai Eye reported them charging during Eid, and we found no official Sunday rule.
What is the fine for not registering for Darb?
AED 100, AED 200 and then AED 400 for the first, second and third violation, once a ten-working-day grace period ends, per the Abu Dhabi Mobility fines page.
Do cars registered outside Abu Dhabi pay Darb?
Yes, from the Darb wallet once registered. The fines page sets AED 50 for each transaction if the balance is short after a five-working-day grace period.
We read these pages on 20 October 2026 and will update the table if Abu Dhabi Mobility changes the gates or the fee. For a Dubai comparison on parking, see our Dubai parking timings page.
