Starting in Starting in March toll fees will go up by 3.12%, which will affect road trip budgets as people get ready to travel for Easter. The South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) raised all toll fees by 3.12%. This is just below the headline Consumer Price Index (CPI) figure for 2026 that Statistics South Africa released in February. This was also less than the 4.85% rise in 2026. But South Africans will still have to pay a lot of money, with some major toll gates charging R100 or more after the 2026 increase. South Africans who are planning road trips over the Easter weekend should also plan for big increases in gas prices which could even go over R5 for diesel.
The most costly toll gates in South Africa
The N4 in Mpumalanga between eMahleni and Mbombela has the most expensive toll gate in South Africa. It costs R126 for Class 1 light vehicles. This is more than R122 in 2026. At this plaza, heavy trucks with five or more axles will have to pay R729 at this plaza.
The Swartruggens plaza on the N4 in North West is the second most expensive toll plaza for light vehicles in 2026, charging R103. There are two more plazas on the N3 route between Johannesburg and Durban. The Tugela Plaza near Ladysmith costs R100.00, and the Wilge Plaza in Villiers costs R94.
Costs of tolls from Johannesburg to Durban
Light vehicles will have to pay R347.50 to drive one way on the N3 highway between Johannesburg and Durban. This is R13.50 more than it used to be before the March rise drivers should plan on spending R695 for a round trip.
You will have to pay five tolls: De Hoek R67, Wilge (R94), Tugela (R100), Mooi (R70), and Marian hill R16.60 toll.
People driving heavy vehicles one way between the two cities will pay R632 for Class 2 vehicles with two axles, R912 for Class 3 vehicles with three to four axles, and R1,274 for Class 4 vehicles with five or more axles.
Costs of tolls from Johannesburg to Cape Town
Drivers going from Johannesburg to Cape Town on the N1 will have to pay four tolls: Huguenot R54.50 Vaal, Vaal (R91.50), Grasmere (R27.50), and Verkeerdevlei R78.50 toll.
In a light vehicle, a one-way trip will cost you R252 in a light vehicle. In a Class 2 truck, it will cost you R562. In a Class 3 truck, it will cost you R775. In a Class 4 heavy vehicle, it will cost you R1,115.
Cost of tolls from Johannesburg to Polokwane
The cost of a one-way trip from Johannesburg to Polokwane on the N1 North is R232.50 in a light car. The cost of a round trip is R465 round trip. You will have to pay tolls at four places: Pumulani R16.50 Carousel, Carousel (R75), Kranskop (R61.50), and Nyl R79.50 toll.
The cost of a one-way trip from Johannesburg to Beit Bridge is R357.50 one way.
Other well-liked paths
If you drive from Durban to Cape Town, you’ll pay R41 for a light vehicle at the Oribi plaza near Port Shepstone in KZN and R73 at the Tsitsikamma plaza near the Western Cape border.
You will pass through Diamond Hill R51, Middelburg (R84), Machadodorp (R126), and Nkomazi R95 toll on the N4 highway between Pretoria and the border with Mozambique. In a light vehicle, that’s R356 in total.
Interesting things about Sanral
The South African government agency Sanral is in charge of 26,799 km of the country’s national road network. Sanral directly manages and owns 13% of these toll roads.
The other 87% are roads that don’t have tolls, but Sanral still runs them and gets money for them from National Treasury grants.
The roads agency says that tolls provide a steady source of income, which makes sure that there will always be enough money to keep the roads in good shape.
Sanral was set up in 1998 to take care of South Africa’s roads.
The company has worked on some of the most impressive road engineering projects in the country, such as the Huguenot Tunnel on the N1 in the Western Cape.
Sometimes, its toll booths also work as weather stations that can keep an eye on temperature wind and rain. Sanral’s traffic and maintenance teams get data.
The company also has a special night crew that can fix important roads at night to keep traffic from getting too bad.
