2026 Price Guide
Tarmac Driveway Cost in 2026: UK Prices per m²
A new tarmac driveway costs £80 to £110 per m² with a full dig-out, or £50 to £70 per m² to resurface a sound base, so a 50m² double drive comes in at £4,000 to £5,500 new.
A new tarmac driveway costs £80 to £110 per m² with a full dig-out and new sub-base, or £50 to £70 per m² to resurface over a sound base, so a 50m² double drive costs £4,000 to £5,500 new. The base under your drive decides which band you pay, and small drives sit at the top of each band.
These are 2026 UK guide prices drawn from Checkatrade, MyBuilder, MyJobQuote and Drive Tech UK, not a price list of ours. Your real figure depends on the state of the base under your drive now, the edging and drainage you need and how easy the drive is to reach with a paving machine. Arkenstone surveys free of charge and gives you a fixed written quote within 48 hours, valid for 30 days, with the groundwork, edging and drainage set out so you can compare quotes line by line.
Tarmac driveway cost by size
| Driveway size | Resurface over a sound base | Full dig-out and new sub-base |
|---|---|---|
| Single drive, around 25m² (one car) | £1,250-£1,750 | £2,250-£3,000 |
| Double drive, around 50m² (two cars) | £2,500-£3,500 | £4,000-£5,500 |
| Large drive, around 100m² (four cars or more) | £4,500-£6,500 | £7,000-£10,000 |
Guide prices for black tarmac laid in two layers. The crew, roller and minimum hot-mix delivery cost the same on a 25m² drive as on a 100m² one, so single drives land at the top of each range and large drives below the per m² rate. Checkatrade's 2026 figures sit inside these bands: £2,200 for 20m², £4,500 for 50m² and £7,000 for 100m². Edging, drainage, colour and dropped kerbs are priced in the next table.
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Tarmac price per m² and the extras
| Item | Guide price |
|---|---|
| New tarmac drive, full dig-out and sub-base | £80-£110 per m² |
| Resurface over a sound tarmac or concrete base | £50-£70 per m² |
| Excavation and disposal on its own | £28-£50 per m² |
| New sub-base on its own | Around £23 per m² |
| Red or coloured tarmac instead of black | Add £10-£20 per m² |
| Block paved edging or kerbs | £20-£30 per linear metre |
| Channel drain across the drive | £20-£40 per metre |
| New soakaway | From around £1,000 |
| Two-person laying crew | £300-£400 per day |
Excavation and sub-base from Checkatrade and MyBuilder, edging and channel drains from Drive Tech UK, coloured tarmac, soakaways and crew rates from MyJobQuote. Our resin driveway cost guide uses the same split between an overlay and a full dig-out, so you can compare the two surfaces on the same basis.
Tarmac vs resin, block paving and concrete
| Driveway surface | Guide price per m², laid | Drainage and upkeep |
|---|---|---|
| Tarmac, resurface over a sound base | £50-£70 | Not permeable, needs falls or a drain |
| Tarmac, new with dig-out | £80-£110 | Not permeable, reseal every 3-5 years |
| Resin bound, overlay | £60-£85 | Water drains through, no joints |
| Resin bound, new sub-base | £85-£130 | Water drains through, no joints |
| Block paving | £70-£120 | Joints need weeding, blocks lift out for repairs |
| Plain concrete | £85-£130 | Solid, needs falls and drainage |
| Gravel | £40-£70 | Drains freely, needs raking and topping up |
Resin bound and block paving figures match our resin driveway cost and resin vs block paving guides; concrete and gravel from MyJobQuote and MyBuilder's 2026 guides. Arkenstone lays tarmac, resin bound, block paving and decorative concrete, so you can have them priced side by side on one survey.
Guide prices compiled from 2026 UK sources: Checkatrade tarmac driveway cost guide, MyBuilder, MyJobQuote, Drive Tech UK, Checkatrade dropped kerb cost guide, Peterborough City Council. Your fixed quote follows a free survey of your property.
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Tarmac drive resurfacing cost
Resurfacing lays a fresh wearing course of hot tarmac over the drive you already have, so you skip the dig-out and the new sub-base. MyJobQuote puts it at £50 to £70 per m², which makes a 50m² double drive £2,500 to £3,500 against £4,000 to £5,500 for a new one. MyBuilder puts the saving at 30 to 40% on a full dig-out.
It only lasts on a sound base. Cracks that run right through, sunken patches, potholes over soft ground and crumbling edges all come back through a new top layer within a few winters. Each overlay also adds around 30mm, and the finished surface has to stay 150mm below your damp-proof course, so a drive takes two resurfaces in its life before the old layers have to come out. Arkenstone checks the base and the levels on the free survey and tells you straight which job your drive needs.
Red and coloured tarmac cost
Red tarmac is hot-mix with a pigment added, and it costs £10 to £20 per m² more than black, according to MyJobQuote and Drive Tech UK. MyBuilder puts the uplift at £5 to £15. On a 50m² drive that adds £500 to £1,000, and smaller drives sit at the top of the range.
Colour works hardest as a contrast: a black drive with a red path, red parking bays marked out against black, or a red drive framed by a block paved border. Arkenstone lays red and coloured tarmac on drives, paths and parking areas, and finishes the edges against new or existing kerbs so the colour line stays sharp. Ask for black and red priced on the same quote and the difference is in writing before you choose.
Dropped kerb cost
You need a dropped kerb before you drive across a pavement or verge onto a new drive. Checkatrade puts the average for a new vehicle access at £1,800, and £1,100 to widen one you already have. The works are priced by the number of kerbs: around £900 for two, £1,200 for four and £1,900 for eight. Council application and inspection fees run from £50 to £400 depending on the authority.
In Peterborough, a house on an A, B or C road needs planning permission before the dropped kerb application goes in, and a highway inspector contacts you within 14 days of applying with the costs, requirements and contractor rules. Street furniture in the way adds to the bill: Checkatrade lists £113 to move a manhole cover and £1,200 for a lamp post. Arkenstone handles dropped kerbs and drainage alongside the drive, so the access and the surface are planned as one job.
Drainage, edging and the base under the tarmac
Tarmac is not permeable, so the water needs somewhere to go. The drive is laid to falls that run water away from the house onto a lawn or border, or into a channel drain at £20 to £40 per metre. Where there is nowhere for it to run, a soakaway starts at around £1,000. In England, a non-permeable front drive over five square metres needs planning permission unless the water runs off to a permeable area inside your boundary.
The edges hold the tarmac in place. Block paved borders and kerbs cost £20 to £30 per linear metre and stop the edge crumbling under tyres. Underneath, the trade spec MyJobQuote quotes for a home drive is a 150mm compacted sub-base, a 50mm base course and a 30mm wearing course. Arkenstone excavates properly, compacts the sub-base and lays the tarmac by machine where access allows, compacted in the correct layers.
How long tarmac lasts and what upkeep costs
A properly laid tarmac drive lasts 15 to 20 years, and Checkatrade puts it at up to 25 with regular servicing. You can walk on new tarmac within hours and drive on it after two to three days, longer in hot weather while the surface is still soft. Tarmac softens in extreme heat at any age, so avoid turning the wheels on the spot during a heatwave.
Upkeep is cheap. Sweep the drive, clear oil and fuel spills quickly because they soften the surface, and fill small cracks before frost opens them up. A professional clean and reseal costs £8 to £12 per m², so £400 to £600 on a 50m² drive, every three to five years. A single pothole repair is around £100, and once there are several, a resurface at £50 to £70 per m² is the better spend.
Is tarmac the right driveway for you?
New tarmac costs less than resin bound and sits level with block paving, and over a sound old base, resurfacing at £50 to £70 per m² beats every other hard surface on price. It goes down in days, stands up to heavy traffic and handles slopes, which is why it is the first choice for long drives, farm tracks, access roads and parking areas.
Resin bound costs £60 to £130 per m², drains through its surface and has no joints for weeds. Block paving at £70 to £120 per m² gives you patterns and borders, and single blocks lift out for repairs. Arkenstone lays tarmac, resin bound, block paving and decorative concrete, so you are not relying on one firm's opinion of the surface it does not sell. Our resin vs block paving guide sets those two side by side.
What’s included in an Arkenstone quote
- Free survey and a fixed written quote within 48 hours, valid for 30 days
- Proper excavation and a compacted sub-base, or an overlay where the existing surface is sound and levels allow
- Machine-laid tarmac where access allows, compacted in the correct layers
- Edges finished against new or existing kerbs, with block paved borders on request
- Black, red and coloured tarmac
- Dropped kerbs and drainage priced on the same survey
- Walk on within hours, drive on after two to three days
- 5-year written workmanship guarantee
What changes the price
- Base condition: a sound base can be resurfaced, a cracked or sunken one comes out
- Driveway size: fixed costs push the rate per m² up on small drives
- Levels: each overlay adds around 30mm and must stay 150mm below the damp-proof course
- Access: a drive the paving machine cannot reach is hand-laid and takes longer
- Edging: block paved borders and new kerbs are priced per linear metre
- Drainage: channel drains or a soakaway where water has nowhere to run
- Colour: red and coloured tarmac add £10 to £20 per m²
- Dropped kerb: council fees, kerb count and any street furniture to move
Tarmac driveways in Peterborough, Lincolnshire and Bath
Arkenstone lays tarmac driveways and re-surfacing across Peterborough and Cambridgeshire, Spalding and Lincolnshire, and Bath and the South West, with its own crews and owner Charles Stevens pricing the work himself. He calls you back the same day you enquire. The same crews lay paths, parking areas, access roads and commercial and agricultural surfacing, including parking areas for a King's Lynn golf course.
That standard comes from 25+ years and more than 1,000 projects, backed by 160+ verified reviews on Google, Trustatrader and Checkatrade. See our tarmac driveways page for finishes and the installation process, driveways for every surface we lay, or the area hubs for Peterborough, Spalding and Bath.
Tarmac driveway cost, your questions answered
How much does a tarmac driveway cost per m²?
A new tarmac driveway costs £80 to £110 per m² laid, including the dig-out, a compacted sub-base and two layers of tarmac. Resurfacing over a sound base costs £50 to £70 per m². Small drives sit at the top of each range because the crew, roller and hot-mix delivery cost the same whatever the size of the drive.
How much does it cost to tarmac a double driveway?
A double driveway of around 50m² costs £4,000 to £5,500 with a full dig-out and new sub-base, or £2,500 to £3,500 to resurface over a sound base. Block paved edging, drainage, red tarmac and a dropped kerb add to that. Arkenstone surveys free and gives you a fixed written quote within 48 hours.
How much does tarmac drive resurfacing cost?
Resurfacing a tarmac drive costs £50 to £70 per m², so £1,250 to £1,750 for a 25m² single drive. It only lasts on a base that is sound and level. Each overlay adds around 30mm and the surface has to stay 150mm below your damp-proof course, so after two resurfaces the old layers come out.
How much does a dropped kerb cost?
A dropped kerb for a new vehicle access averages £1,800, according to Checkatrade, or £1,100 to widen an existing one. The works run from around £900 for two kerbs to £1,900 for eight, plus a council application or inspection fee of £50 to £400. On an A, B or C road you need planning permission first.
Is tarmac cheaper than resin or block paving?
Tarmac is cheaper than resin bound and level with block paving. New tarmac costs £80 to £110 per m² with a dig-out, against £85 to £130 for resin bound and £70 to £120 for block paving. Where your old base is sound, resurfacing at £50 to £70 per m² beats every other surface on price.
How long does a tarmac driveway last?
A properly laid tarmac driveway lasts 15 to 20 years, and up to 25 with regular servicing. You can walk on it within hours and drive on it after two to three days, longer in hot weather. A reseal every three to five years at £8 to £12 per m² keeps water out. Arkenstone driveways carry a 5-year written workmanship guarantee.
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