Does ETC have to be installed on your own car?

[ParkerLee]

ETC can also be installed on vehicles that are not your own. According to the "Implementation Plan for Accelerating the Application of Electronic Non-stop Toll Collection on Expressways" issued by the Ministry of Transport, the following documents are required: the original valid ID card of the vehicle owner, the original and a copy of the vehicle registration certificate (the page with the latest annual inspection stamp must be provided). If you are applying on behalf of someone else, you also need to provide the original valid ID card of the agent. If applying for ETC through major bank branches, you will need to prepare a debit card or credit card from the corresponding bank. Some banks only support binding ETC with a credit card, while others may require freezing a portion of the amount as a deposit when binding ETC with a debit card. ETC Deduction Principles: There will be one or more ETC lanes on the expressway. Through dedicated short-range microwave communication between the on-board electronic tag installed on the vehicle's windshield and the microwave antenna in the ETC lane at the toll station, computer networking technology is used to conduct background settlement with the bank. This achieves the purpose of vehicles not needing to stop at toll stations to pay tolls, all based on the principle of "pass first, deduct later." Benefits of Installing ETC: Time-saving: Eliminates the hassle of waiting in line; Green and eco-friendly: Low-carbon, as vehicles pass through toll stations without stopping, reducing noise and exhaust emissions and minimizing pollution; Reduced wear and tear: Saves costs by reducing the frequency of vehicle starts and brakes, thereby lowering wear and fuel consumption; Improved efficiency: Theoretically, ETC lanes can improve vehicle passing efficiency by 2-3 times, making traditional ETC more updated, faster, and higher-tech. Compared to license plate payment, ETC technology is more mature and advantageous. More policy support: The State Council clearly stated in the "Development Plan for a Modern Comprehensive Transportation System During the 13th Five-Year Plan" that "by 2020, the interoperability of transportation cards in key city clusters will be basically achieved, and the proportion of vehicles equipped with ETC will be significantly increased." It also set a specific target in the main indicators of comprehensive transportation development during the "13th Five-Year Plan": "By 2020, the ETC usage rate for road passenger vehicles should reach 50%." More future possibilities: In addition to continuously improving the convenience of ETC installation and usage and increasing the ETC usage rate for passenger vehicles, efforts will be made to promote ETC usage for trucks in the future. There will also be exploration into deeper integration between the ETC system and smart transportation development directions such as vehicle-to-vehicle communication and vehicle-road coordination, providing comprehensive travel services for vehicle owners. This means more application scenarios will support ETC applications. ETC Usage Notes: The ETC transaction sensing range is 8 meters. When the vehicle in front stops, to prevent the ETC device of the front vehicle from malfunctioning or not having an ETC device at all, maintain a distance of more than 10 meters to avoid automatic sensing and paying for the front vehicle. The recognized speed for ETC lane passage is 20 km/h. If the speed is too fast, the vehicle device information cannot be read, leading to failed deductions. Unauthorized disassembly or movement of the OBU device, or detachment or loosening of the ETC electronic tag, will cause the electronic tag to fail. It can be sent to the bank where the ETC card was issued or the highway service office for testing. If the loosening or detachment is not due to human factors, it only needs to be reactivated. When using a debit card bound to ETC, insufficient balance will also lead to failed deductions. Follow the guidance of on-site staff to use the manual MTC lane and pass by paying with cash or swiping a card. Poor sensing due to overly thick car windshields. This is especially important for vehicles that have had their windshields replaced after accidents or for those who have modified their front windshields.

[StJocelyn]

Last time I helped my neighbor with an ETC issue, and his personal experience was quite interesting. The ETC device does need to be registered under the vehicle owner's driver's license and bank card, but in practice, you don't necessarily have to use it in your own car. Once, he borrowed a friend's car to return to his hometown and successfully paid the toll using his own ETC card at the highway checkpoint. However, I must remind you: although this is technically possible, it is actually prohibited by regulations. If the toll station captures a license plate that doesn't match the ETC information, the account may be blacklisted. The safest approach is to match the ETC device to the vehicle it's registered under, as tampering with the device can trigger the anti-tamper switch, requiring reactivation. If you're temporarily borrowing a car, it's more convenient to simply use the manual toll lane.

[StSteven]

A few days ago, I accompanied a friend to apply for an ETC, and the staff emphasized that 'the vehicle and card must correspond.' However, there are always special circumstances in life, such as renting a car for a road trip, where someone might insert their card into the rented vehicle. While this is physically possible, there are three risks to note: First, if the system detects a mismatch between the license plate and the registered ETC vehicle, it may impose a penalty of three times the toll fee. Second, in case of liability for a rental car accident, ETC records could serve as evidence to shift responsibility. Third, after removing and reinstalling the device, it usually requires reactivation at a service point. If you frequently need to use different vehicles, you can actually apply for a prepaid ETC card, which has fewer restrictions as it is not bound to a specific license plate.

[VonGia]

I've seen many experienced drivers using ETC cards as regular toll cards. In practice, inserting an ETC card into someone else's onboard unit can work, but this exploits a system loophole. A banker friend told me the core issue lies in device binding—each unit is programmed with license plate and VIN information, and toll station millimeter-wave radars scan to match the plate with the onboard unit data. After last year's policy upgrade, interprovincial inspections became particularly strict, with immediate ETC account blacklisting for detected misuse. For genuine convenience, some provinces now offer ETC contactless payment where license plates linked to Alipay can automatically deduct fees without physical devices.

[HazelDella]

This month, I just helped the company handle the issue of official vehicle ETC. For company vehicles, the ETC can be linked to the corporate account, and drivers can use it without it being tied to an individual. However, there are indeed restrictions for regular private cars, mainly to prevent fraudulent transactions and system audits. Once, when I was driving my brother's car, I suddenly thought of trying to swap ETC devices: my device failed to recognize when installed on his car because the pre-stored VIN in the device didn't match. To resolve this, it's recommended to register two license plates when applying for ETC, as some banks support primary and secondary card modes. The newly launched card-type ETC devices are more convenient, allowing direct handheld swiping for use.