Is There a Discount for ETC Highway Toll?

[OJoshua]

According to the relevant regulations of the State Council, a unified 5% discount is applied for ETC, but banks handling the process offer greater incentives to encourage ETC adoption. Starting from 2020, vehicles without ETC or not using ETC will not enjoy toll discounts. In the future, only one manual lane will remain at highway toll stations, requiring manual toll payment, which is less efficient compared to ETC lanes. ETC Deduction Principles: Highways have one or more ETC lanes. Through dedicated short-range microwave communication between the vehicle's electronic tag installed on the windshield and the microwave antenna in the ETC lane, and using computer networking technology for backend settlement with banks, vehicles can pass toll stations without stopping to pay. 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 queues; Green and eco-friendly: Low-carbon, as vehicles pass toll stations without stopping, reducing noise and emissions, thus minimizing pollution; Reduced wear and tear: Saves costs by decreasing the frequency of vehicle starts and brakes, lowering wear and fuel consumption, while users also enjoy a 5% toll discount; Improved efficiency: ETC lanes can theoretically increase passing efficiency by 2-3 times, making traditional ETC faster, more advanced, and 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, key city clusters will achieve interoperability of transportation smart cards, and the proportion of vehicles equipped with ETC will significantly increase," and set a target in the "13th Five-Year" comprehensive transportation development indicators to "achieve a 50% ETC usage rate for road passenger vehicles by 2020." More future possibilities: Besides continuously improving the convenience of ETC installation and usage rates for passenger vehicles, future efforts will include promoting ETC use for trucks and exploring deeper integration of ETC systems with smart transportation developments like vehicle-to-vehicle communication and vehicle-road coordination, providing comprehensive travel services for car owners. This means more application scenarios will support ETC. ETC Usage Notes: The ETC transaction sensing range is 8 meters. If the vehicle ahead stops, maintain a distance of over 10 meters to prevent automatic fee deduction for the wrong vehicle due to ETC device failure or absence. The ETC lane recognition speed is 20 km/h. Excessive speed may prevent reading vehicle device information, leading to failed deductions. Unauthorized removal or movement of the OBU device, or if the ETC electronic tag falls off or loosens, will render the tag invalid. It can be taken to the bank where the ETC card was issued or a highway service center for inspection. Non-deliberate loosening or detachment only requires reactivation. When using a debit card linked to ETC, insufficient balance may cause deduction failure. Follow on-site staff guidance to use the manual MTC lane for cash or card payment. Thick windshields may cause poor sensing, especially for vehicles that have had windshield replacements after accidents or modifications.

[Jean]

I drive on highways quite often. I used to take the manual toll lanes and pay in cash, but later I installed an ETC card and found that it indeed offers discounts, usually around 5% off, saving me quite a bit of money. Every time I finish a short highway trip, the savings can add up to almost half a tank of gas, and over a year, it accumulates to around a thousand yuan. Installing ETC isn’t difficult either—just apply for a card at the bank, link it to your bank account for automatic deductions, and pass through toll stations without stopping, which is very smooth. I remember the discounts were even bigger when it was first promoted, but now it’s mostly standardized nationwide, with some regions offering additional discounts during holidays. It’s also safer since handling less cash means fewer distractions.