Is it possible not to install ETC?

[Harper]

It is possible not to install ETC. According to Article 19 of the "Notice on Vigorously Promoting the Development and Application of ETC on Highways" issued by the State Council, starting from 2020, vehicles without ETC will not enjoy toll discounts. In the future, only one manual lane will be retained at highway toll stations, and tolls can only be paid through manual channels. Additionally, newly installed ETC devices cannot be used on highways immediately; they need to be activated before normal use. During free holiday periods, vehicles with ETC can still use the highways, and for users who have already installed ETC, passing through ETC lanes will not incur charges. ETC Deduction Principles: There will be one or more ETC lanes on highways. Through dedicated short-range microwave communication between the onboard electronic tag installed on the vehicle's windshield and the microwave antenna in the ETC lane at the toll station, and using computer networking technology for backend settlement with banks, the system achieves the purpose of vehicles not needing to stop at toll stations to pay fees. All of this is based on the principle of passing first and deducting fees 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 decreasing the frequency of vehicle starts and brakes, reducing wear and fuel consumption; Improved efficiency: Theoretically, ETC lanes can increase vehicle throughput efficiency by 2-3 times, making traditional ETC updates faster and more high-tech. Compared to license plate payment, ETC technology is more mature and advantageous. More policy support: The State Council clearly stated in the "13th Five-Year Plan for the Development of a Modern Comprehensive Transportation System" that "by 2020, the interoperability of transportation smart cards in key city clusters will be basically achieved, and the proportion of vehicles equipped with ETC will significantly increase." It also explicitly set the goal in the "13th Five-Year" comprehensive transportation development indicators that "by 2020, the ETC usage rate for road passenger vehicles will 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. The integration of ETC systems with vehicle-to-vehicle communication, vehicle-to-infrastructure coordination, and other smart transportation development directions will be explored to provide comprehensive travel services for vehicle owners. This means more application scenarios will support ETC applications.

[SpencerFitz]

A friend of mine has been driving for ten years without installing an ETC, and now he complains to me every day. The other day, he waited in line at the toll station for half an hour, watching cars zip through the ETC lanes. Nowadays, many highway exits only keep one or two manual lanes, and even truck ETCs have become common. People like him who still take toll cards have become the minority. Although the law doesn’t mandate installing ETC, not having one really affects efficiency. Since last year, some toll stations have even started pilot programs to remove manual booths, and the future trend is clearly toward seamless, contactless passage. Actually, there’s no need to worry about financial security—ETC is linked to a dedicated account, not directly connected to your bank card. Once, I passed by a newly opened smart parking lot, and cars without ETC spent ten minutes just looking for a QR code scanner. Reality will eventually force you to compromise.

[DelStella]

As a budget-conscious car owner, skipping ETC may save you the device cost in the short term, but it's a huge long-term loss. The 5% toll discount adds up significantly over time – my SUV saves over 600 yuan annually. With toll stations gradually eliminating provincial boundaries, non-ETC vehicles stuck in mixed lanes always queue for route verification, wasting an extra half-liter of fuel during traffic jams. Once I crossed a provincial border at midnight with only one manual lane open, sandwiched between trucks for forty agonizing minutes. Not to mention during holiday free-pass periods – ETC lanes raise the bar instantly while manual lanes stretch two kilometers. You could stubbornly refuse ETC, but that means voluntarily sacrificing convenience and savings.

[VonMakayla]

Not having an ETC for frequent highway travelers is simply asking for trouble. Last week on my trip from Guangzhou to Shaoguan, three out of five toll stations had removed manual lanes, and staff waved me to reverse into the ETC/manual hybrid lane. The biggest headache was when exiting the highway—the system couldn't retrieve my entry info, forcing me to dig out my phone and check the dashcam footage to prove my route. Nowadays, even gas stations in service areas offer ETC-exclusive discounts; missing out feels like losing benefits. Once, after a rear-end collision at a quick settlement point, the staff shook their heads upon seeing I didn't have ETC, mentioning that with ETC, accident liability determination could be supported by retrieving travel records.

[DeAngelina]

Currently, policies don't mandate ETC installation, but you should consider the consequences. Each time you take or return a toll card risks germ exposure – I was particularly resistant during the pandemic. Once, following too closely, I accidentally entered an ETC lane and the barrier slammed onto my hood, costing 800 yuan in repairs. However, from another perspective, some elderly drivers genuinely struggle with electronic devices. My neighbor Uncle Wang kept forgetting to recharge and constantly visited service points, eventually removing his ETC for manual lanes. But with highways moving towards free-flow tolling, not having ETC might soon be like lacking a health code – making travel difficult. We've got a few transitional years left to adapt.