Toll Charges on National Highways Rise Up to 5% After Court Order Restores Index Linking

Toll charges on National Highways (NHs) and expressways have seen a marginal increase across several toll plazas nationwide, particularly for commercial and heavy vehicles. The hike follows a Delhi High Court order that restored the use of a linking factor to convert the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) series for revising user fees.

Toll operators have reported that the increase ranges between 2% and 5%, depending on the vehicle category. In most cases, private cars have not seen any rise, especially for those using FASTag Annual Pass. “This doesn’t impact cars that have FASTag Annual Pass. Even for those which don’t have the pass, there is hardly any increase. The government has only reinstated the linking factor for toll revision,” said an official.

The government revises toll charges every April. However, following an observation by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) on the government’s linking factor—due to a change in the base year of WPI from 2004-05 to 2011-12 for toll fee revision—the road transport ministry had, in September 2024, used the linking factor at the older rate (2004-05). This resulted in a reduction of toll charges, and even the revision in fees in April 2025 was done at the older rate.

Highway operators challenged the ministry's order in the Delhi High Court, and the court ruled in their favour. Complying with the court order, the ministry on June 29 decided to use the 2011-12 linking factor. “So, the hike of April 2025 has been reinstated, and the rates have also been revised from this April,” said a toll operator.