Toll rates in Pakistan change often enough that any article quoting them needs a date on it. The figures below are the National Highway Authority’s revised car rates as they applied from 10 July 2026. Check them before you travel, because the last three years have seen several revisions.
If you are travelling with us, this page is orientation rather than budgeting. Tolls are already inside our chauffeur fares, along with fuel and parking. It is worth knowing what the road costs and how long it takes; it is not a number you add to the quote.
What each motorway connects
M-1, Peshawar to Islamabad. 155 km, six lanes throughout, with 14 interchanges including the Peshawar Ring Road, Charsadda, the Hazara Expressway and Burhan. Inaugurated on 30 October 2007 (M-1)). The Burhan interchange is where you leave it for Hazara and the north.
M-2, Islamabad to Lahore. 375 km, six lanes for its whole length, opened on 26 November 1997 — the country’s first motorway (M-2)). Two of its interchanges matter more than the rest: Kallar Kahar, on the Salt Range, and Pindi Bhattian, where the M-4 branches off towards Faisalabad.
M-4, Pindi Bhattian to Multan. 309 km via Faisalabad, Gojra, Shorkot, Abdul Hakeem and Khanewal. It was built in pieces: the Pindi Bhattian to Faisalabad section opened in 2003, the last section by the end of 2019 (M-4)). For anyone in the capital, the M-4 is how you reach Faisalabad without going through Lahore.
M-3, Lahore to Abdul Hakeem. 230 km, six lanes, opened to traffic on 1 April 2019, merging with the M-4 at Abdul Hakeem (M-3)).
M-5, Multan to Sukkur. 392 km, six lanes, inaugurated on 5 November 2019, with a maximum speed of 120 km/h (M-5)). This is the section that made a same-day Punjab-to-Sindh drive realistic.
M-11, Lahore to Sialkot. 103 km, four lanes, opened on 18 March 2020. It cut the journey to about 50 minutes against more than two hours on the old N-5 (M-11)).
Car toll rates, as revised from 10 July 2026
| Motorway | Route | Previous car toll | Car toll from 10 July 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| M-1 | Islamabad – Peshawar | Rs 550 | Rs 700 |
| M-2 | Islamabad – Lahore | Rs 1,330 | Rs 1,430 |
| M-3 | Lahore – Abdul Hakeem | Rs 800 | Rs 1,000 |
| M-4 | Pindi Bhattian – Faisalabad – Multan | Rs 1,050 | Rs 1,350 |
| M-5 | Multan – Sukkur | Rs 1,200 | Rs 1,500 |
| M-14 | Hakla – D.I. Khan | Rs 650 | Rs 800 |
Sources: PakWheels and Auto Power, both reporting the NHA revision effective 10 July 2026.
Two things to note about the M-2 figure. It is a 7 per cent increase, made under the NHA’s concession agreement with Motorway Operations and Rehabilitation Engineering, and Dawn reports it as holding until 23 April 2027. Rates on that motorway are charged per kilometre, so Rs 1,430 is the end-to-end price, not a flat fee for joining (Dawn). The same article gives the heavier categories for context: wagons Rs 2,390, coasters Rs 3,350, buses Rs 4,770, two- and three-axle trucks Rs 6,210 and articulated trucks Rs 7,980.
These are dated figures on a moving target. Treat them as the shape of the cost, and check the current rate at the plaza or on your M-Tag statement.
Islamabad to Faisalabad specifically
The road route is the M-2 south from Islamabad to the Pindi Bhattian interchange, then the M-4 west into Faisalabad. Total distance is around 330 km and a realistic car journey is about four to five hours depending on traffic (distance.pk).
On the toll, we are going to be straight with you rather than confident. We have not found an official NHA-published section rate for Islamabad to Faisalabad, and the third-party toll calculators that quote one disagree with each other and with the current rates. What can be said reliably is this: the journey uses part of the M-2 and part of the M-4, and because M-2 tolls are charged per kilometre, the figure is below the sum of the two end-to-end rates. Rs 1,430 plus Rs 1,350 is a ceiling for running both motorways end to end, not the price of this particular trip.
If you need the exact number, the two sources worth trusting are the toll plaza itself and your M-Tag transaction history. Anything else you read, including this page, is orientation.
Drive times, honestly
The temptation with motorway journeys is to divide distance by speed limit. It does not work, and 2026 was a good illustration of why the limit itself is not a fixed input.
On 26 March 2026 the National Highways and Motorway Police cut the car limit on motorways from 120 km/h to 100 km/h, and on national highways from 100 to 80, as a fuel-conservation measure (The Nation). On 22 June 2026 the government withdrew the reduction and restored the previous limits — 120 km/h for cars and light transport on motorways, 110 for public service and heavy vehicles (Dawn). For three months, every drive-time estimate published in Pakistan was wrong by about a sixth.
Even at 120, the limit is a ceiling and not an average. Real journeys include a toll plaza at each end, at least one service-area stop on anything over three hours, weather, and the fact that nobody drives at the limit continuously. Our working rule for planning an intercity job is to take the motorway distance, assume a sustained average well below the posted limit, and then add the time it takes to get in and out of the cities at either end — which on the Lahore and Islamabad ends is often the larger variable.
There is one section where the driving itself changes. The M-2’s Salt Range descent near Kallar Kahar runs roughly 10 km at about a 7 per cent downward gradient, and brake failure is implicated in the large majority of the accidents recorded there. The signage tells drivers to test their brakes before starting down and to use lower gears rather than riding the pedal (PakWheels). A driver who does that will lose two or three minutes and is doing the job properly. One who does not is the reason the section has a reputation.
M-Tag is now mandatory
Since 15 June 2026, an M-Tag has been required for travel on all motorways. Cash recharging ended on 30 June 2026, tags more than five years old have to be replaced, and old tags were blocked from 1 July 2026 (PakWheels).
For a self-drive hire this is your problem to check before you set off. On a chauffeur booking it is ours: the vehicle carries a valid tag with balance on it, and the toll comes out of our fare, not your pocket.
Why this is orientation and not a cost line
Everything above is useful to know and none of it is something you add to our price.
On a chauffeur job, fuel, tolls and parking are inside the fare, together with the driver and his pay. Charged separately are waiting beyond the agreed allowance, a night surcharge for travel between 22:00 and 06:00, changes to the route or timing after the quote, and — on bookings running over 24 hours — the driver’s accommodation and meals for each night away from base, given as an estimate, confirmed in writing, and waived if you house him yourself. A hire day is 24 hours from pick-up.
So when you compare an intercity taxi in Pakistan fare with the cost of driving yourself, compare properly. The self-drive version of the same journey is the hire, plus fuel, plus every toll in the table above, plus the parking at the far end, plus the day you spend at the wheel.
On self-drive with us the split is different and equally clear: unlimited mileage, the car comes back at the fuel level it left with, and tolls, parking and any fines are the hirer’s.
Common questions
What is the motorway toll from Islamabad to Faisalabad?
There is no official published section rate we can point you to, and the online calculators disagree. The route uses part of the M-2 and part of the M-4, and since M-2 tolls are charged per kilometre the cost is less than the two end-to-end rates added together. Check the plaza or your M-Tag statement for the exact figure.
How much is the toll on the M-2 for a car?
Rs 1,430 end to end for Islamabad to Lahore under the NHA’s revision effective 10 July 2026, a 7 per cent increase reported as holding until 23 April 2027. Rates change, so confirm before you travel.
How long does Islamabad to Faisalabad take by road?
Around 330 km, and about four to five hours depending on traffic. Add time for getting out of Islamabad and into Faisalabad at either end, which is usually the least predictable part.
What is the speed limit on Pakistan's motorways?
For cars and light transport it is 120 km/h, restored on 22 June 2026 after a temporary cut to 100 km/h that ran from 26 March 2026 as a fuel-conservation measure. Public service and heavy transport vehicles are limited to 110 km/h.
Do I need an M-Tag?
Yes, for motorway travel. It has been mandatory on all motorways since 15 June 2026, cash recharging ended that month, and tags over five years old had to be replaced. On a chauffeur booking with us the vehicle’s tag is our responsibility.
Are tolls included in your fares?
On chauffeur bookings, yes — fuel, tolls and parking are all in the quoted price along with the driver and his pay. On self-drive, tolls, parking and fines are the hirer’s, and the car is returned at the fuel level it left with.
