Extra Motorway Toll Without M-Tag in Pakistan: The 50 Percent Charge Is Suspended

The charge applied to two kinds of drivers on the motorway: those with no M-Tag at all, and those whose M-Tag account did not have enough balance at the barrier. If you are one of them, the extra amount should not be appearing on your deductions.

This is an interim order, not a final judgment, so the charge is paused rather than cancelled.

The extra charge started at 25 percent and doubled

The NHA moved the motorway network to what it called a 100 percent M-Tag regime. Reported from a notification dated 31 January 2025, tags became mandatory on all motorways from 1 February 2025, and a vehicle arriving without one, or with too little balance, paid an extra 25 percent on top of the normal toll, with a minimum of Rs 50.

That rate did not last long. A further NHA directive, reported as dated 30 May 2025 and effective from 15 June 2025, raised the addition to 50 percent. On a Lahore to Islamabad car trip, where the notified toll sits in the Rs 1,300 to Rs 1,400 range, a 50 percent addition is roughly Rs 650 to Rs 700 on a single journey.

The base toll itself is a separate matter and did not change with any of this. We set out what each trip costs in our guide to motorway toll rates, and those figures come from the NHA rate notification currently in force, effective 10 July 2026.

The court suspended the notification, then extended the order

As reported, Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir of the Islamabad High Court suspended the NHA notification on 3 July 2026 while hearing a petition against it. The order stopped the authority from collecting the additional toll from vehicles without an M-Tag and from vehicles with insufficient balance.

At the next hearing in early August 2026 the order was extended until further orders. Reporting of that hearing says the NHA filed a written reply and that its counsel told the court implementation had begun, meaning the additional toll and penalties were no longer being collected.

The argument the court is examining is a narrow legal one. According to reports of the petition, it says the NHA Act lets the authority charge a toll but does not give it the power to add a penalty or surcharge on top, and that travelling without a tag or with a low balance is not treated as an offence carrying a fine anywhere in the Act or its rules. That question has not been decided.

Check what you were actually charged

The practical question is whether your own deductions match the order. Your M-Tag account keeps a record of each crossing, so this takes a few minutes.

1. Open your M-Tag account and pull up the transaction history for your recent motorway trips.
2. Find the toll for the section you actually travelled and compare it with the notified rate for your vehicle class.
3. Look for a deduction of about half the toll again, or a separate line described as a penalty or additional charge.
4. Note the date, the plaza and the amount for anything dated after 3 July 2026.
5. Keep the receipt or a screenshot before you raise it with anyone.

If you are not sure which account is attached to your vehicle, our guide on checking your M-Tag number and balance covers the lookup by registration number and by CNIC.

Raise it on 1313 if the charge is still appearing

A deduction dated after the court order does not match what the NHA reportedly told the court, so it is worth reporting rather than absorbing. The M-Tag helpline is 1313, and NHA complaints go to 130. What to have ready is set out in our guide to the M-Tag helpline.

Have your vehicle registration number, your CNIC, the date and plaza of the crossing, and the amount. Ask for a complaint reference number before the call ends, because a follow up without one starts from the beginning.

No refund process has been announced for amounts already collected before the court order. Some reporting has raised the possibility of refunds as an outcome of the case. Treat that as an open question rather than something you can claim today.

Keeping a balance is still the sensible choice

The suspension removes a penalty. It does not make a tag unnecessary. Tag lanes are what the barriers are built around, and a low balance can still stop you at the plaza and hold up the vehicles behind you.

Topping up takes a minute through a banking app or a wallet, and we walk through each route in our guide to recharging an M-Tag online. If you do not have a tag at all, getting one is free at the plaza and takes about as long as buying fuel.

The charge is paused, not abolished

This is the part most easily misread. An interim order holds a measure still while a case is heard. It does not decide the case. The court could confirm the suspension, or it could allow the charge to resume, and either way the decision has not yet been made.

So do not plan around the extra charge being gone permanently. What you can rely on is the position while the order stands: the normal notified toll applies, and nothing should be added for the absence of a tag or a low balance.

The tag rule also matters for operators. A commercial vehicle on the motorway needs a valid fitness certificate as well as a tag, as our guide to the vehicle fitness certificate in Punjab explains. In winter, motorway sections close for fog, and tolls do not pause for that: see our guide to fog and motorway closures in Pakistan.

Common questions about the extra motorway toll

Is the extra 50 percent toll being charged right now?

It should not be. The Islamabad High Court was reported to have suspended it on 3 July 2026 and extended the order in early August 2026, and the NHA reportedly told the court it had stopped collecting it.

Do I still need an M-Tag on the motorway?

Yes. The tag requirement is not what the court suspended. Only the extra charge for not having one, or for a low balance, is on hold.

Can I get back money that was already deducted?

There is no published refund route that we could find. The court has not ordered refunds, and the NHA has not announced a process. Keep your records in case that changes.

Does this change the normal toll rate?

No. The notified toll for your vehicle class is unaffected. The rates in force took effect on 10 July 2026.

What if the plaza staff still ask for the extra amount?

Pay if you must to clear the barrier, keep the receipt, then call 1313 with the date, plaza and amount and ask for a complaint reference.

How we verified this

What we checked and where we read it.

Last checked 8 November 2026. The toll rates in force were read on the National Highway Authority website on 26 August 2026, which showed rates effective 10 July 2026.