Toll Vehicle Classes in the Philippines: Which Class Is Your Car, Van or Truck?

The short answer: Class 1 is cars, SUVs, pickups, vans, jeepneys and motorcycles of 400cc and above. Class 2 is buses and light trucks: two axles, but taller than the 7 ft 6 in marker at the plaza. Class 3 is heavy trucks and trailers with more than two axles. The fare gap is set road by road. A Class 2 vehicle pays 2.5 times the Class 1 fare on NLEX and TPLEX and 2 times on every other expressway. Class 3 pays 3 times on every road except the NLEX-SLEX Connector, where it is 3.5 times.

The three classes

Every toll matrix approved by the Toll Regulatory Board prices three vehicle classes. The classes are the same on every road; only the fares change. The descriptions below are the ones NLEX staff confirmed to Top Gear Philippines in 2018, and they match how every operator's matrix is laid out. We could not find a single TRB document that defines the classes in one place, so if you have one, we would like to see it.

The height marker is the thing to look for. Every lane has a bar or sign at 7 ft 6 in. A vehicle on two axles that clears it is Class 1; one that does not is Class 2. Axles decide Class 3.

How much more Class 2 and Class 3 pay, road by road

Most guides say Class 2 pays "about double" and Class 3 "about triple". The matrices are more exact than that, and they are not uniform. We divided the Class 2 and Class 3 fares by the Class 1 fare for every exit pair on the site and the pattern is clean: three roads use a 2.5x multiplier for Class 2 and the rest use 2x. Class 3 is 3x on every road except the Connector, which charges 3.5x.

Multipliers are rounded. Fares are set in whole pesos with VAT included, so a 2x road sometimes shows ₱29 against ₱14 rather than ₱28. The examples are the fares held on this site on 30 October 2026; use the calculator for the current figure on your route. MCX is not in the table because the site currently lists only its Class 1 fare; its Class 2 and 3 fares are in the operator's matrix.

Two things follow from the table. First, the multiplier belongs to the road, not the operator. NLEX and SCTEX are both Metro Pacific roads read by the same Easytrip tag, yet a six-wheel truck pays 2.5x on NLEX and 2x on SCTEX. Second, on a long trip the blend matters. Manila to Baguio costs a car ₱981 in tolls across NLEX, SCTEX and TPLEX. A Class 2 truck pays ₱2,337 for the same run, which is 2.4 times the car fare, because two of the three roads charge 2.5x and one charges 2x. A Class 3 pays ₱2,941, three times the car.

One wrinkle shows in the integrated NLEX and SCTEX matrix. Trips that start at Tipo, the Subic end of SCTEX, come out at roughly 2.1 to 2.2 times Class 1 for Class 2. Our reading is that the Subic to Tipo stretch is priced on the NLEX scale and the rest on the SCTEX scale, but the matrix does not label it, so treat that as our interpretation.

The cases people argue about at the plaza

The rulings below were given to Top Gear Philippines by NLEX staff in June 2018 and have been the working practice since. They are the clearest public statement we found, but they are eight years old and come from one operator. If you are charged differently, see the next section.

• Roof rack with bikes, bags or a roof box. Stays Class 1, even if the load reaches the height marker. This used to be disputed and the policy was changed in the motorist's favour.
• Roof cargo that is plainly for business. Brooms, vegetables, furniture, foam mattresses and the like move a Class 1 vehicle to Class 2.
• Towing a trailer. A Class 1 vehicle pulling a trailer is charged as Class 2.
• Lifted or modified pickups and SUVs. If the modification takes the vehicle over the height marker, it is Class 2. A pickup or SUV converted to six wheels is Class 3 only if it also exceeds the marker; under it, Class 2.
• A motorcycle on a pickup bed. Still Class 1.
• Factory high-roof vans. A standard Hiace or similar sits under the marker and is charged Class 1. A van with a roof box or a raised aftermarket roof may not clear it. The marker decides.
• Jeepneys. Class 1, alongside taxis and vans.
• Motorcycles. 400cc and above are Class 1. Smaller bikes are not allowed on Luzon expressways at all; see our motorcycle guide.

How your class gets applied, and what to do if it is wrong

Your RFID account carries a vehicle class from the day the sticker is installed. Autosweep, for example, asks Class 1 vehicles for a ₱200 initial load and Class 2 and 3 vehicles for ₱1,000, which only works if the class is set at sign-up. At the plaza the lane reads the tag and charges the fare for that class on that road. The 7 ft 6 in marker and the lane staff are the check on it: a vehicle that plainly does not match its registered class can be reassessed on the spot.

The public sources we read describe the mechanics differently, one citing height and another axles counted by the lane equipment, and we have not been able to confirm either from an operator. What is consistent is that the class on your account is what you are billed, and the operator can correct it.

If you believe you were charged the wrong class:

1. Check the transaction in your operator's app or statement of account. It shows the plaza, the time and the class billed.
2. Compare it with the fare for your route and class in the toll matrix. If the amount matches a higher class than yours, you have a case.
3. Contact the operator that issued your tag with the transaction details and your OR/CR. Easytrip's hotline is 1-35000 and Autosweep's is (02) 5318-8655. Ask for a reclassification of the account if the class on file is wrong, or an adjustment if the lane misread the vehicle.

Adjustments that have been reported, such as SMC's refunds after the 2022 Autosweep outage, were credited to the RFID wallet rather than paid in cash. Neither operator publishes a deadline for raising a dispute, so raise it as soon as you see it.

Why the class matters before you pick an RFID

Class is fixed per account, so a household with a car and a light truck needs two accounts or a business account, not one tag shared across both. Easytrip offers a group account for fleets that covers all classes under one wallet. If you drive a Class 2 or 3 vehicle regularly, the initial load and the reload minimums are higher, and the choice of operator is covered in Easytrip vs Autosweep. Getting the sticker is covered in our RFID sticker guide.

Frequently asked questions

Is a pickup Class 1 or Class 2?

Class 1, as long as it has two axles and sits under the 7 ft 6 in marker. A pickup lifted or fitted with a canopy that takes it over the marker becomes Class 2.

Does Class 2 pay exactly double?

On SLEX, Skyway, STAR, SCTEX, CAVITEX, CALAX and NAIAX, yes, give or take a peso of rounding. On NLEX, TPLEX and the NLEX-SLEX Connector, Class 2 pays 2.5 times the Class 1 fare, and the Connector is also the one road where Class 3 pays 3.5 times rather than 3.

Why does my truck pay more on NLEX than on SCTEX for a similar distance?

Because the two roads have different approved matrices. NLEX charges Class 2 at 2.5 times the car fare, SCTEX at 2 times. The per-kilometre Class 1 rate also differs between them.

My SUV has a roof box. Will I be charged Class 2?

No. Roof racks, roof boxes, bikes and luggage do not change a Class 1 vehicle's class under the practice NLEX described in 2018. Goods carried for sale on the roof do.

What class is a jeepney?

Class 1.

Can I change the class on my RFID account?

Yes, through the operator that issued the tag. Bring the OR/CR. If the vehicle itself has changed, for example a lift kit or a trailer hitch you use regularly, tell them.

Where these details came from

The multipliers were computed from the Class 1, 2 and 3 fares published on this site for every exit pair on each expressway, which are transcribed from the operators' matrices as approved by the Toll Regulatory Board; the matrix dates are shown on each expressway's page. Example fares are those held on 30 October 2026. The class descriptions and the roof-rack, towing, cargo and modification rulings are from Top Gear Philippines, "Your tollway vehicle-classification questions answered", 5 June 2018, which the magazine verified with NLEX customer service and plaza staff. Autosweep's initial-load figures by class are from MoneyMax's Autosweep guide, updated January 2025. The hotline numbers are the operators' published numbers as of October 2026. We are an independent reference site and are not affiliated with any operator or the TRB. If an operator has published a consolidated class definition we missed, tell us through the contact page and we will cite it.