Are 8-seater vehicles exempt from highway tolls during holidays?
2 Answers
8-seater vehicles are not exempt from highway tolls during holidays. During the four statutory holidays—Spring Festival, Qingming Festival, Labor Day, and National Day—only small passenger vehicles with seven seats or fewer (including seven seats) are eligible for free highway passage. Vehicles with eight or more seats, as well as all trucks and special-purpose vehicles, are still required to pay tolls when using highways. Highways are toll-free during statutory holidays, but this exemption does not apply to all vehicle types. Highways are multi-lane roads exclusively designed for directional and lane-based vehicle traffic, with fully controlled access. The average annual daily traffic volume on highways is typically designed for over 15,000 small passenger vehicles, with a design speed ranging from 80 to 120 kilometers per hour.
I've noticed many people are concerned about the toll-free highway policy for 8-seater vehicles during holidays. According to 2024 regulations, national holiday toll exemptions only apply to small passenger vehicles with 7 seats or fewer. 8-seaters fall under the Class II passenger vehicle category, with toll standards similar to commercial vehicles. I remember during last year's Mid-Autumn Festival when I drove my GL8 for a family trip - while 7-seat SUVs passed through ETC lanes freely, we got stopped for toll payment. Nowadays, choosing a family vehicle really requires calculating these costs in advance - just one extra seat can add over a thousand yuan in annual highway tolls. For larger families, I'd suggest considering either purchasing two 5-seaters or directly opting for a 7-seat MPV as more cost-effective options.
