Expressway tolls in Korea: how they are calculated, Hi-pass and sample tolls from Seoul
Numbers checked against the official source on 2026-10-19
On the Korea Expressway Corporation's own toll lookup, a regular car (class 1) pays ₩18,600 from Seoul to Busan, ₩8,200 from Seoul to Daejeon and ₩10,700 from Seoul to Gangneung. Tolls on its closed-system expressways follow one formula: a ₩900 base fee plus the driving distance times ₩44.3 per km for class 1. A few discounts and one surcharge change the result: 5% extra on weekend and holiday daytime for class 1, 50% off for light cars, and 30% off in 2026 for electric and hydrogen cars that use a dedicated terminal.
How the toll is calculated
| Closed system (ticketed) | Open system (flat gate) | |
|---|---|---|
| Base fee | ₩900 | ₩720 |
| Formula | Base fee + (driving distance × per-km rate for the vehicle class) | Base fee + (shortest distance for that toll gate × per-km rate for the vehicle class) |
| Class 1 | Class 2 | Class 3 | Class 4 | Class 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 44.3 | 45.2 | 47.0 | 62.9 | 74.4 |
- Sections with only two lanes get 50% off the base fee, and the per-km rate is 50% off on two-lane sections and 20% higher on sections with six or more lanes.
- Closed system: sections where entry and exit are controlled; the toll is based on the distance you actually drive. Open system: used where it is hard to put a tollgate at every interchange; a toll is collected at set points, based on the shortest use distance for each tollgate.
- Open-system toll gates named on the official page include Gimpo, Incheon, Seongnam, Pangyo, Hanam and Gurinamyangju. Their class 1 fixed tolls run from ₩800 to ₩1,100 (Gimpo ₩900, Seongnam ₩1,000, Pangyo ₩1,000, Hanam ₩800, Gumto ₩1,100).
Vehicle classes
| Class | Criterion | Example vehicles |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 (small) | 2 axles, wheel width 279.4 mm or less | Passenger car, small van, small truck |
| Class 2 (medium) | 2 axles, wheel width over 279.4 mm, wheel track 1,800 mm or less | Medium van, medium truck |
| Class 3 (large) | 2 axles, wheel width over 279.4 mm, wheel track over 1,800 mm | Large van, 2-axle large truck |
| Class 4 (large truck) | 3-axle large truck | |
| Class 5 (special truck) | Special truck with 4 or more axles | |
| Class 1 (light vehicle) | Engine under 1,000 cc, length 3.6 m, width 1.6 m, height 2.0 m or less |
The page says the class is set by axles and wheel width and track, so the example vehicles can vary with each vehicle's specifications.
Sample tolls from the official lookup
These are the results the toll lookup on hipass.co.kr returned on 2026-10-19 for the Korea Expressway Corporation sections, with no commuter discount and no weekend surcharge, using the closed-system lookup. The lookup chooses the route; the routes it listed were Seoul to Busan via Chungju, Sangju and Changwon, Seoul to Daejeon via Cheonan and Cheongju, Seoul to Gangneung via Wonju and Pyeongchang, and Seoul to Gwangju via Daejeon and Jeonju.
| From Seoul to | Class 1 | Class 2 | Class 3 | Class 4 | Class 5 | 6 (light car column) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Busan | 18,600 | 19,000 | 19,700 | 26,100 | 30,700 | 9,300 |
| Daejeon | 8,200 | 8,400 | 8,700 | 11,300 | 13,200 | 4,100 |
| Dongdaegu* | 14,100 | 14,400 | 14,900 | 19,600 | 23,100 | 7,050 |
| Gangneung | 10,700 | 10,900 | 11,300 | 14,900 | 17,400 | 5,350 |
| Gwangju | 15,200 | 15,500 | 16,100 | 21,200 | 24,900 | 7,600 |
| Ulsan** | 19,000 | 19,400 | 20,200 | 26,700 | 31,400 | 9,500 |
| Mokpo | 17,200 | 17,600 | 18,200 | 24,100 | 28,400 | 8,600 |
- * The Dongdaegu result lists a second operator, the Shin Daegu-Busan Expressway, at ₩300 for class 1 (₩300, ₩400, ₩500 and ₩600 for classes 2 to 5; ₩150 in the light-car column) on top of the figures above, which makes ₩14,400 for class 1 (derived arithmetic: 14,100 + 300).
- ** The Ulsan result lists the Busan-Ulsan Expressway at ₩0 for every class.
- The lookup's sixth column is not defined on the page. It is exactly half of class 1 in every row (for example 9,300 against 18,600), the same as the 50% light-vehicle discount, so we call it the light-car column; check this with the Expressway Corporation call centre (1588-2504) before relying on it.
- Seoul to Busan implies about 400 km on the formula: (18,600 − 900) ÷ 44.3 = 399.5 (derived arithmetic, not a distance stated by the lookup).
- When a route uses a private expressway the lookup adds a separate row for its operator (as for Dongdaegu and Ulsan above). The lookup page lists each private operator with its phone number.
Discounts and surcharges
| Rule | What the page says |
|---|---|
| Weekend and holiday surcharge | Class 1 (passenger car including light cars, vans of up to 16 seats, trucks under 2.5 t): Saturday, Sunday and public holidays from 07:00 to 21:00, the toll is raised by 5% and collected in units of ₩100 (₩50 or less rounded down, over ₩50 rounded up). Not applied over the Seollal and Chuseok holiday periods; based on the time you pass the exit gate. |
| Light vehicles | 50% off the expressway toll; the page also says light cars get 50% off the class 1 toll. |
| Electric and hydrogen cars | 2025: 40%, 2026: 30%, 2027: 20% off, by the date of entry; only for vehicles using a dedicated terminal; all expressway sections including private ones; applies 2017-09-18 to 2027-12-31. |
| Seollal and Chuseok | 100% exemption for vehicles on the expressway the day before, the day of and the day after Seollal and Chuseok; use is the same as usual. |
| Commuter discount | Hi-pass or other electronic payment on sections under 20 km between entry and exit gates, for passenger cars, vans and trucks with fewer than 3 axles: 50% from 05:00 to 07:00 and 20:00 to 22:00, 20% from 07:00 to 09:00 and 18:00 to 20:00; not on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. |
| Multi-child families | 20% for three or more children and 10% for two, on public expressways, on weekends and public holidays only, for a car owned by the parent; the parent must be aboard and pay by Hi-pass, checked by mobile phone location. |
| Others on the page | Night-time discount for commercial trucks, discounts for national merit holders and disabled people with a welfare card. |
The lookup page says its figures are for tollgates managed by the Expressway Corporation and to read the discount page when a discount or surcharge applies. A discount sheet (xlsx) is attached to the page; we did not download it.
Hi-pass
- Hi-pass is the electronic toll system: a terminal (OBU) with a Hi-pass card inserted is fitted in the car, and the toll is paid by radio as you drive through a Hi-pass lane. Cards can be prepaid or a credit-card postpaid card.
- On a closed-system road, if you enter through a Hi-pass lane you can exit through a Hi-pass lane. If you enter through a staffed lane (the ticket lane, TCS), you cannot exit through a Hi-pass lane even with a terminal fitted; you must use the ticket lane to exit. If you enter by Hi-pass and exit by a staffed lane, you show the Hi-pass card to the attendant.
- The Expressway Corporation's table gives a Hi-pass usage rate of 93.1% for 2025.
- For vehicles without Hi-pass, the One Tolling system means no stop at intermediate tollgates; the toll is settled once at the final exit tollgate, and cameras read the licence plate.
The official pages do not describe how a visitor in a rental car pays. Ask your rental company whether the car has a Hi-pass terminal and how the tolls are charged.
Toll checker
The checker uses only the rules printed on the official pages: the ₩900 base fee and per-km rates, the 5% weekend surcharge with the ₩100 rounding rule, the 50% light-vehicle discount, the 2026 electric and hydrogen discount of 30% and the Seollal and Chuseok exemption. It does not combine two cases (the pages do not say how), does not round discounted tolls (no rule is printed), does not apply the two-lane and six-lane adjustments, and does not know the distance of your trip. The estimate will differ from the lookup; use the official lookup for the real figure.
Common questions
How much is the toll from Seoul to Busan?
₩18,600 for a regular car (class 1) on the official lookup read on 2026-10-19, Korea Expressway Corporation sections only; weekend daytime adds 5%, rounded to ₩100.
Is there a tourist discount?
The discount page lists no tourist or foreigner discount. Its discounts are for light vehicles, electric and hydrogen cars, commuters on short sections, multi-child families, national merit holders and disabled people, and a free-toll period around Seollal and Chuseok.
Related: KORAIL Pass prices for foreigners and express and intercity bus fares.
Official sources
- Korea Expressway Corporation — toll system overview — menu Toll information > Toll system > Overview: closed and open system base fee, formula and per-km rates by class (opened in the browser; no revision date printed, read on 2026-10-19) (checked 2026-10-19)
- Korea Expressway Corporation — discount and surcharge rules — menu Toll system > Discounts and surcharges: weekend surcharge, light vehicle, electric and hydrogen, holiday exemption, commuter and multi-child rules (browser-captured, read on 2026-10-19) (checked 2026-10-19)
- Korea Expressway Corporation — toll lookup page — vehicle class table, open-system gate tolls, private expressway operators and phone numbers (checked 2026-10-19)
- Expressway toll website (Hi-pass) — toll lookup, read-only — route and per-class tolls typed in as start and end tollgates (browser-captured, read on 2026-10-19); vehicle class table (checked 2026-10-19)
- Korea Expressway Corporation — Hi-pass concept and how to use — menu Hi-pass > Concept and How to use: terminal, cards, lane rules, usage rate (browser-captured, read on 2026-10-19) (checked 2026-10-19)
Prices change. If an official page shows a different number from this page, the official page wins — and please tell us so we can fix it.