Salik tolls in Dubai: gate locations, peak and off-peak rates and who pays

What is Salik and how does it work?

Salik is Dubai’s road toll. There are no booths and no barriers: a gantry over the road reads a tag on the windscreen as the car drives under it. The toll then comes off the car’s Salik account.

Salik runs the gates under a concession from Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) that lasts until June 2071. In 2025 its 10 gates logged 852.7 million trips, of which 639.1 million were charged. Abu Dhabi has its own system, Darb, covered further down.

For a visitor, Salik matters in three places: a taxi meter, a rental contract and a chauffeur quote. Our guide to getting around Dubai covers the Metro, taxis and parking that sit around it.

Where are Dubai’s Salik toll gates?

Salik’s 2025 annual report names 10 gates. Eight are older and two, Business Bay Crossing and Al Safa South, opened on 24 November 2024. The roads below come from the gantry positions on OpenStreetMap.

Gate	Road	Worth knowing
Jebel Ali	Sheikh Zayed Road at Jebel Ali	On the way to Abu Dhabi and from DWC to the Marina
Al Barsha	Sheikh Zayed Road at Al Barsha	Between Dubai Marina and Downtown
Al Safa	Sheikh Zayed Road	One charge with Al Safa South if you pass both within an hour, same direction
Al Safa South	Sheikh Zayed Road	Opened 24 November 2024
Business Bay Crossing	Al Khail Road	Opened 24 November 2024
Al Garhoud	Al Garhoud Bridge, over Dubai Creek	On the fastest route from DXB Terminal 1 to Downtown
Al Maktoum	Al Maktoum Bridge, over Dubai Creek	On the fastest route from DXB Terminals 2 and 3 to Downtown
Airport Tunnel	Beirut Street, at the Airport Tunnel	Not on the fastest routes from the terminals to Downtown or the Marina
Al Mamzar South	Al Ittihad Road towards Sharjah	About 1 km from Al Mamzar North
Al Mamzar North	Al Ittihad Road towards Sharjah	On the main road from Deira and DXB to Sharjah

On the fastest routes we checked, every trip from a DXB terminal to Downtown, the Marina, the Palm or Sharjah passed at least one gate.

How much is Salik at peak, off-peak and overnight?

Salik switched to variable pricing on 31 January 2025, at all 10 gates. Each pass under a gate is charged at the rate for that moment.

Time	Monday to Saturday	Sunday
6:00 to 10:00	AED 6 (peak)	AED 4
10:00 to 16:00	AED 4 (off-peak)	AED 4
16:00 to 20:00	AED 6 (peak)	AED 4
20:00 to 01:00	AED 4 (off-peak)	AED 4
01:00 to 06:00	Free	Free

Salik’s report says the peak periods follow rush hour. Our rush hour guide covers Dubai’s traffic hour by hour. Salik’s report also lists gate-specific free time among its unpaid trips, so one gate’s hours can differ from the table.

Do Salik rates change on Sundays, holidays and in Ramadan?

Sundays have no peak rate. Every pass costs AED 4 from 6 am to 1 am, and nothing from 1 am to 6 am.

Salik’s approved schedule leaves public holidays and events out of that Sunday rule. On those days, check the rate in the Salik app or on salik.ae before you plan around AED 4.

This guide does not list Ramadan hours. If you travel during Ramadan, check salik.ae for the hours in force that month.

Who pays Salik in a taxi, a rental car or a chauffeur booking?

The gate always charges the car. Who ends up paying depends on how you travel.

• Taxi. RTA’s tariff says toll gate charges are billed to the customer. The meter adds a Salik fee to the starting fare, distance and waiting time. An empty taxi on its way to you is not charged. Our Dubai taxi fares guide works through the rest of the meter.
• Self-drive rental. The car passes the gates on the rental company’s account, and the contract sets what you are charged back. Read the Salik clause before you sign, and ask whether a fee is added to each crossing.
• Chauffeur car. The toll is a cost of your trip, like fuel. Your Assure quote states whether Salik is included. This matters most on a car with driver by the hour, where the car may cross the Creek several times in a day.

Which routes from DXB and DWC pass through Salik gates?

The table shows the gates on the fastest road route in free-flowing traffic, from OSRM on OpenStreetMap data. A chauffeur may pick another road on the day, which can add or remove a gate.

Trip	Road distance	Gates on the fastest route
DXB Terminal 1 to Downtown Dubai	about 14 km	Al Garhoud
DXB Terminal 3 to Downtown Dubai	about 15 km	Al Maktoum
DXB Terminal 1 to Dubai Marina	about 32 km	Al Garhoud, Al Safa, Al Barsha
DXB Terminal 3 to Dubai Marina	about 32 km	Al Maktoum, Al Safa, Al Barsha
DXB Terminal 3 to Palm Jumeirah	about 33 km	Al Maktoum, Al Safa, Al Barsha
DXB Terminal 2 to Sharjah	about 14 km	Al Mamzar South, Al Mamzar North
DXB Terminal 3 to Abu Dhabi city	about 150 km	Al Maktoum, Al Safa, Al Barsha, Jebel Ali
DWC to Dubai Marina	about 31 to 35 km	Jebel Ali
DWC to Palm Jumeirah	about 37 to 42 km	Jebel Ali
DWC to Downtown Dubai	about 50 to 54 km	Al Safa only by the inland roads, or Jebel Ali, Al Barsha and Al Safa on Sheikh Zayed Road
DWC to Abu Dhabi city	about 113 to 120 km	None, by the E311 and E16

“Al Safa” counts once in each direction. Salik charges a single toll for passing Al Safa and Al Safa South in the same direction within one hour.

A late arrival changes the sums. Between 1 am and 6 am every gate is free, so a 2 am pickup at Terminal 3 reaches the Marina without a toll. Our airport transfers run at all hours, and the chauffeur follows your real landing time.

Is VAT charged on Salik?

Yes, since 1 June 2026. Salik adds 5% VAT to every toll charge and to the tag activation fee, and passes it to the Federal Tax Authority. The rates in the peak and off-peak table above did not change; the VAT sits on top of them. Topping up a Salik account carries no VAT, because the tax is charged only when a toll is used.

How to read a quote that says tolls included or tolls extra

A quote can treat Salik in two ways. Ask which one yours uses before you confirm.

• Tolls included. The price covers the gates on the planned route. Ask whether that still holds if you add a stop or change the drop-off.
• Tolls extra, or at cost. You pay each crossing at the rate for its hour. Ask how many gates the planned route passes.

Here is how “at cost” adds up. A return trip on a Tuesday from DXB Terminal 1 to Dubai Marina passes 3 charges each way. Leave at 8 am and come back at 6 pm, and that is 6 peak crossings: AED 36 before VAT. Leave at 11 am and return at 9 pm, and it is 6 off-peak crossings: AED 24 before VAT.

Tolls are one line among several in a chauffeur price in Dubai, next to the car class, the hours and the waiting time. Every chauffeur service quote from Assure comes back on WhatsApp, answered 24/7.

Salik, parking and the DXB car parks

Salik now does more than tolls. Its account pays for barrier-free parking at Dubai Mall, which began on 1 July 2024.

From 22 January 2026, the same Salik e-wallet pays for parking at DXB, across about 7,400 spaces under a 10-year deal with Dubai Airports. Our Dubai parking guide covers the zones and the hours.

Salik and Darb on the way to Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi’s tolls are Darb gates, with their own account and rules. A drive from Dubai can pay both systems on one trip.

• Ghantoot gate. On Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Street, the coast road into Abu Dhabi. Since 4 May 2026 it charges AED 4 per crossing at any hour, every day.
• Other Darb gates. AED 4 per crossing from 7 am to 9 am and 3 pm to 7 pm, Monday to Saturday. They are free on Sundays and public holidays, and since 1 September 2025 there is no daily cap for private cars.

A Dubai Marina start to Abu Dhabi passes Salik’s Jebel Ali gate before the border of the emirate. The Darb guide lists the Abu Dhabi gates, and our Dubai to Abu Dhabi taxi fare guide puts both tolls into a full fare. For a private car between the cities, see our intercity transfers.