Long weekends usually start with the same question in our house, what is this trip going to cost in tolls. So we built a calculator that answers it.
You pick a route, say Joburg to Durban or Pretoria to Mbombela, and it adds up every toll gate along the way, shows you what each plaza charges for a normal car, and gives you the total there and back. You can switch on fuel too, so you see the full cost of the drive in one number.
The part I like most is that where there is a real toll free alternative, like the Du Toitskloof Pass instead of the Huguenot Tunnel, it tells you honestly whether the detour actually saves you money once you count the extra petrol and the extra time. On most routes the honest answer is that the toll is unavoidable, and it says so rather than pretending otherwise.
Rates are the official SANRAL and TRAC fees for 2026. Have a look and tell me if your usual route is missing, happy to add more.
Quick update for anyone who used this when I first posted it. We have added a few things.
The big one is vehicle classes. It is no longer just for a normal car. You can now pick Class 1 through Class 4, so if you are towing something heavy, driving a bus or running a truck, the totals match what you actually pay at the boom.
There are also two new ways to work out a trip. “Part of a route” lets you say where you get on and where you get off, so you do not need a full city to city route, it only counts the gates between your two points. And “One toll gate” gives you the price of a single plaza if that is all you need.
It also works much better on a phone now. The price column used to get cut off on smaller screens and that is sorted.
Rates are still the official SANRAL and TRAC 2026 fees. Same tool, same link: SA Toll Fees Calculator. As always, if your usual route or a plaza is missing, shout and I will add it.
This is the kind of thing we actually need bra. Me and the guys drive Joburg to Durban for soccer tournaments and every long weekend somebody underestimates the tolls, then we are scratching for coins at Mariannhill while the boom stays down. Having the real number before you leave is lekker, no surprises.
The vehicle classes part is clever, because the okes in the taxi industry and anyone towing a trailer always pay way more than they budget for. If you can show Class 2 to 4 properly, that helps a lot of small operators plan their margins.
I might even put the link on my shop WhatsApp status, plenty of my customers do that Mbombela run.
Quick question, does it work out cost per person if you split between four guys in the car, or must we still do that maths ourselves?
Lekker feedback Sipho, appreciate it. The Mariannhill boom catches almost everyone out on that run, it is easy to underestimate.
The split is already in there. Enable the fuel cost toggle and a “passengers” field appears, so it divides the full trip cost, tolls and fuel together, per person. Four guys in the car and it gives you each person’s share in one number.
Sharing the link on your shop WhatsApp status is a great idea. A lot of people plan those long-weekend trips on the fly and having the real number before they leave saves the usual back and forth in the group chat.
Ja this is useful. I drive Joburg to the plaas and back more times than I care to count, and the tolls add up nogal quick when youre in bakkie towing a trailer. Would be lekker if it covers the N1 properly with the trailer class rates, not just passenger cars. Most calculators I seen sommer ignore that. Also check the 4x4 thread, those okes will give you good feedback on the routes through the veld. Practical tool, government should take note, this is what people actually need.
Another update for the toll calculator. We have added the N17, the road out of Joburg through Springs to Ermelo and on to the eSwatini border at Oshoek.
It picks up all five gates on that run, Gosforth, Dalpark, Leandra, Trichardt and Ermelo, with the rates for everything from a normal car up to a bus or a truck. If you only drive part of it, the “part of a route” mode counts just the gates between where you get on and where you get off, so a Springs to Bethal hop only charges you for Leandra and Trichardt.
One honest note, Ermelo is the last toll plaza on the N17, so if you carry on to the eSwatini border there are no more booms after that, just the distance.
If you drive that road often, give it a go and tell me if the totals match what you actually pay at the boom.