Every UK carrier prices on a matrix of weight, dimensions, service speed and collection method. The cheapest carrier for a 500 g parcel dropped at a shop is rarely the cheapest for a 15 kg box collected from a warehouse. That is why comparison beats loyalty: a single account that quotes every network on every shipment consistently outperforms a fixed contract with one brand.
Typical 2026 next-day prices by weight
| Weight | Royal Mail | Evri | DPD | UPS | DHL | Drivri from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 1 kg | £4.29 | £3.29 | £5.49 | £7.20 | £7.60 | £2.99 |
| 1–2 kg | £5.19 | £3.99 | £6.10 | £8.10 | £8.40 | £3.45 |
| 2–5 kg | £7.45 | £5.49 | £7.20 | £9.60 | £9.90 | £4.85 |
| 5–10 kg | £10.95 | £8.49 | £9.40 | £12.80 | £13.20 | £7.60 |
| 10–20 kg | £16.40 | £12.99 | £13.10 | £18.40 | £19.10 | £11.40 |
| 20–25 kg | £21.50 | £16.49 | £16.80 | £23.00 | £24.10 | £14.90 |
Published figures move through the year and vary by account, surcharge zone and volume. The table is a planning guide, not a quote — the live comparison on the courier page always reflects the rate you will actually be charged today.
Same-day vs next-day
Next-day services are network products: your parcel joins a hub-and-spoke system overnight. Same-day is a dedicated vehicle, priced on distance and driver time, and generally starts around £45 for a short urban run and rises with mileage. As a rule, same-day only makes financial sense when the cost of the delay exceeds the premium — a production line stoppage, a legal deadline, a missed clinical appointment.
Surcharges that change the ranking
- Remote-area surcharges for the Highlands, islands and parts of Northern Ireland.
- Oversize and long-length fees when any dimension breaches the carrier's limit.
- Fuel surcharges recalculated monthly by most networks.
- Collection fees where a drop-off would have been free.
- Re-delivery and address-correction charges after a failed first attempt.
The 25 kg rule
Most UK parcel networks cap a single box at 25 kg for manual-handling reasons. Above that you are into pallet freight or a split consignment. Drivri splits heavier consignments automatically into up to five boxes and prints them as "1 of 3", "2 of 3" and so on, so nothing is refused at the depot.
How to cut courier spend
- Weigh and measure accurately — carrier re-weigh adjustments are the most common surprise on an invoice.
- Drop off rather than book a collection when the shop or locker is on your route.
- Right-size packaging so volumetric weight does not exceed actual weight.
- Compare on every shipment rather than defaulting to last week's carrier.
- Consolidate multi-parcel orders into one consignment where the carrier allows it.
What Drivri adds
One search returns live prices from the whole network with delivery windows, drop-off points and walking distance to the nearest one. Labels are generated with real, scannable carrier barcodes, tracking flows into the dashboard, and your first label is free with code LABEL50. Prices start from £2.99 and there is no subscription — you pay per shipment.