· Tolls · Expressways · Goods vehicles
Two Toll Changes Most Drivers Missed: Partly Open Expressways and the New Overload Fee
Written and checked byManju Shekhar· Motor Law & Compliance
Key points
- National expressways are normally tolled at 125% of the base rate. Since 15 February 2026, one that is open for only part of its length is charged the ordinary national-highway rate.
- That relief lasts one year from 15 February 2026, or until the expressway is fully operational, whichever is earlier, unless it is extended in writing.
- Since 15 April 2026: no overload fee up to 10% over the permissible gross vehicle weight; 2× the toll for more than 10% and up to 40%; 4× above 40%.
- A plaza without a notified weighing device cannot charge an overload fee at all.
- Overload details go to VAHAN. The fee is collected only by FASTag, UPI or another notified electronic method.
- The overload toll is separate from the Motor Vehicles Act penalty for overloading.
Four toll-rule changes in 2026
The National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008 set how tolls are charged on national highways. They were amended four times between February and April 2026. Our earlier post covers the second and third, which deal with e-notices and FASTag. This one covers the first and fourth.
| Amendment | Notification | In force | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| First | G.S.R. 107(E), 4 Feb 2026 | 15 Feb 2026 | Partly open national expressway tolled at the national-highway rate |
| Second | G.S.R. 191(E), 17 Mar 2026 | 17 Mar 2026 | E-notice for unpaid tolls under rule 14 |
| Third | G.S.R. 251(E), 2 Apr 2026 | 10 Apr 2026 | No valid FASTag: 1.25× the toll by UPI |
| Fourth | G.S.R. 279(E), 13 Apr 2026 | 15 Apr 2026 | New graded fee for overloaded vehicles (rule 10) |
Partly open expressways: the 25% premium is suspended
Toll notifications for national expressways charge 125% of the base rate. The 2025 notification for the Bengaluru–Chennai Expressway (NE-7), S.O. 2712(E), is one example. That premium applied even when only part of an expressway was open.
The first amendment adds a proviso to rule 4. Where a national expressway is in operation for only part of its notified length, the fee is levied at the rate in rule 4(2), the ordinary national-highway rate. This lasts for one year from 15 February 2026, or until the expressway becomes fully operational, whichever is earlier, unless it is extended for reasons recorded in writing. When it announced the change, the ministry said the aim was to encourage people to use the opened stretches.
You can see this in a later toll notification. S.O. 2326(E), dated 7 May 2026, levies fees on 262.794 km of NE-7 and still states the rate as 125% of base. A footnote, however, requires NHAI to collect the fee in line with rule 4, “including the proviso inserted by G.S.R. 107(E)”. A rate in a toll notification can therefore be overridden by this proviso while the expressway is only partly open.
Overloaded vehicles: the new graded fee
The fourth amendment replaced rule 10 entirely. If a vehicle using a national highway is loaded beyond its permissible maximum gross vehicle weight, the fee is the normal toll for its category under rule 4(2), multiplied by a factor that depends on how far over the limit it is:
- The rule’s own example is a three-axle rigid truck with a permissible gross vehicle weight of 28.5 tonnes. It pays no overload fee up to 31.35 tonnes, twice the toll above 31.35 and up to 39.90 tonnes, and four times the toll above 39.90 tonnes.
- Weight is measured by a weighing device notified by the Central Government and installed at the plaza. If no such device is installed, no overload fee can be levied, and the vehicle pays only its normal toll.
- Overload fees are paid digitally, through FASTag, UPI or another notified electronic method. If the vehicle has no valid, working FASTag, the rule 6(3) charge for that also applies to the calculation.
- The details of the vehicle and its excess load are reported to VAHAN, the national vehicle register.
- The rule does not apply to private investment projects executed before 15 April 2026, unless the concessionaire agrees to it without demanding compensation.
| Excess over permissible gross vehicle weight | Multiplying factor |
|---|---|
| Up to 10% | No overload fee |
| More than 10%, up to 40% | 2 |
| More than 40% | 4 |
What the old rule did differently
Toll notifications issued before the change, such as S.O. 1599(E) of 25 March 2026 for NH-91A (new NH-234) in Uttar Pradesh, charged an overloaded vehicle the fee under rule 10. They also said the vehicle could not use the highway section until the excess load was removed. The new rule 10 does not contain that condition. It sets a fee and reports the vehicle to VAHAN.
What to do
If you drive a car on an expressway that is still being built, check the toll you are charged. It should be at the national-highway rate until 14 February 2027 or until the expressway is complete. If you run goods vehicles, keep each truck’s FASTag valid and linked to the right registration. Since overload records now reach VAHAN, a pattern of overloading builds up a record against the vehicle, even at plazas where no overload fee was charged.