There’s good news for people who frequently travel long distances on national highways.
The central government has announced major changes to toll tax rules, reducing toll rates by up to 50% on highway sections that include structures like bridges, tunnels, flyovers, or elevated roads.
This update was officially notified on July 2, 2025, with changes made to the National Highway Fee Rules, 2008. A new method for toll calculation has also been introduced.
What’s the new toll calculation formula?
Under the new rule, if a highway section has large structures (like tunnels, bridges, or flyovers), the toll will be calculated using one of two methods:
10 times the length of the structure, or
5 times the total length of the highway section
Whichever is less will be used to determine the toll.
Example of how toll will be calculated now:
Suppose a highway section is 40 km long and the entire stretch has such structures. Earlier, toll was charged for 400 km (10 × 40).
Now, it will be charged for only 200 km (5 × 40). This means travellers will save 50% on toll charges.
What were the rules before?
Earlier, travellers had to pay up to 10 times the regular toll rate for every kilometre of such structures.
A senior NHAI official explained that this was because the cost of building structures like tunnels or bridges is much higher than standard roads.
However, with the rule change, regular commuters will now get much-needed relief.
Who will benefit from this?
The new rule will benefit people who travel long distances regularly or work in cargo and logistics using commercial vehicles.
Their travel costs will go down, making highway travel more affordable and convenient.
This move is part of the government’s broader policy to improve infrastructure while also making travel easier for the public.
It will also help bring more transparency to toll collection and allow travellers to access toll information digitally.
