Can an ETC card be used in another car?
3 Answers
An ETC card cannot be used in another car because the ETC card and OBU device must be bound to the vehicle. The ETC electronic tag is uniquely associated with the registered vehicle, meaning one card, one car, and one tag are exclusively paired. Using an ETC card bound to another vehicle is invalid. If the owner wants to install it in another car, they must first cancel the old ETC card and then rebind the ETC device to the new vehicle. This requires bringing the ETC device and card to a service center to complete the change procedure. If the ETC is not canceled after changing cars, and the old car is sold to someone else, passing through an ETC lane will still deduct the balance from the owner's bound ETC bank card.
Last time I took the ETC card from my own SUV and tried installing it in a friend's sedan, but it couldn't be recognized at all. Later, I called the bank's customer service and learned that there's an anti-tamper switch on the back of the OBU device—once it's peeled off, it automatically locks. Each ETC system is bound to a specific license plate and owner's information. A bank friend mentioned that the system cross-checks with license plate photos; if the information doesn't match, the toll deduction fails immediately, and in severe cases, it can even land you on the expressway blacklist. If you really want to use it on another vehicle, you must first go to a service outlet to cancel and reapply. Nowadays, many toll stations have ETC service points, and with all the necessary documents, it can be done in just half an hour.
Veteran long-haul truck driver Lao Zhang learned this lesson the hard way. He tried to save on toll fees by transferring the company-issued ETC device to his personal vehicle, only to be stopped at the toll station and fined three times the amount owed. Highway officials informed him that this constituted toll evasion—the OBU device records axle spacing and weight data, and switching vehicle types would reveal discrepancies when weighed at the toll platform. Now he keeps two ETC devices in his truck and often reminds us: "Don't cut corners by moving devices around, or you might end up on the credit blacklist and even lose the privilege to ride high-speed trains."
