Shuto and Hanshin Expressway tolls: how Tokyo and Osaka urban expressways charge (2026)

Separate companies, separate tolls

The Shuto Expressway (首都高) around Tokyo and the Hanshin Expressway (阪神高速) around Osaka and Kobe are operated by Shuto Expressway Company and Hanshin Expressway Company. They are not part of the NEXCO East, Central, or West networks, and their tolls are calculated independently. Shuto's English FAQ says it plainly: when you drive from the Shuto onto another expressway, it "will be considered a new starting fare, so please pay another toll".

That is why a NEXCO interchange-to-interchange figure such as the Tokyo to Osaka estimate on this site starts at a NEXCO interchange and ends at one. If you enter the Shuto in central Tokyo to reach the Tomei, or leave the Meishin onto the Hanshin to reach downtown Osaka, add the urban expressway toll on top. NEXCO's own holiday discount page lists Shuto sections among the metropolitan sections it excludes.

Shuto Expressway: distance-based ETC tolls

For ETC vehicles the Shuto toll is (toll distance × per-kilometre rate for the vehicle class + ¥150) × consumption tax, rounded to ¥10. The per-kilometre rate for an ordinary car (普通車) is ¥29.52 under the tariff in force since 1 April 2022, and the result is capped: the distance used for the calculation stops growing at 55.0 km, which is where the maximum toll applies.

The band for each class is published by the operator. Ordinary cars pay between ¥300 and ¥1,950 with ETC until 30 September 2026. The table shows the current bands and what the maximum becomes on 1 October 2026.

Paying cash on the Shuto

Cash vehicles do not get the distance calculation. The operator's rule is that "the basic toll for cash vehicles is the ETC upper-limit toll, except in some sections": an ordinary car paying cash at a staffed booth hands over ¥1,950 at the entrance regardless of where it exits, and ¥2,130 from 1 October 2026. Paying with a credit card at a manned lane counts as cash. A few gates charge an additional amount depending on destination; the operator's cash page lists them.

A growing number of entrances take no cash at all. ETC-only operation began on 14 July 2026 at Haneda inbound (Route 1) and Kishiya and Namamugi (Route 7), continued on 27 August 2026 at Honcho (Route 1), Higashi-Ikebukuro (Route 5), and Sugita on the Bayshore Route, and is scheduled from 01:00 on 2 October 2026 at Hirai-Ohashi, Hakozaki, Daishi (both directions), and Bandobashi. At those gates "cash and credit cards are not accepted". Handing an ETC card to a booth attendant without an on-board unit is treated as cash: none of the ETC discounts apply.

The 1 October 2026 revision

Shuto Expressway Company announced on 31 July 2026 that tolls rise at 00:00 on Thursday 1 October 2026, an average increase of 8.1 percent across all classes, citing sharply higher labour and material costs for maintenance. For ordinary cars the per-kilometre rate goes from ¥29.52 to ¥32.472 and the maximum from ¥1,950 to ¥2,130; the cash toll follows the new maximum. The ¥300 minimum is unchanged. Kei cars and motorcycles move from a ¥1,590 to a ¥1,740 maximum.

Medium, large, and extra-large vehicles keep the pre-revision tolls until 30 June 2027 as a transitional measure. The volume, frequent-user, and city-centre inflow discounts continue until the end of March 2031. The current toll search at search.shutoko.jp answers for trips up to 30 September 2026; a second tool at future-search.shutoko.jp gives post-revision tolls.

Shuto discounts

The only time-based discount for ordinary drivers is the late-night discount: 20 percent for vehicles that pass a Shuto entrance between 00:00 and 04:00, judged by the first ETC antenna contact. There is no holiday discount and no weekday commuter discount on the Shuto; the other programmes are for high-volume accounts, environmental road pricing for large vehicles, the Gaikan detour discount, and drivers with disabilities.

Hanshin Expressway (Osaka and Kobe)

The Hanshin Expressway switched to a distance-based tariff at 00:00 on 1 June 2024. The toll is charged in ¥10 steps for every 0.1 km of route distance, and for ordinary cars it is held inside a ¥300 to ¥1,950 band as a transitional measure. The band applies up to 51.7 km; beyond that the maximum applies. The class bands are the same as the Shuto's current ones: ¥280–¥1,590 for kei and motorcycles, ¥330–¥2,310 medium, ¥400–¥3,110 large, ¥550–¥5,080 extra-large.

Distance pricing needs a working ETC card in an on-board unit with successful radio contact at both the entrance and the exit; ordinary credit cards that are not ETC cards are not accepted for it. Cash drivers pay the toll to the farthest exit reachable from that entrance, again with a few terminal sections excepted. The late-night discount is 20 percent for entries between 00:00 and 04:00, and a short-distance discount charges the minimum for a single section of 4.3 km or less until 31 March 2032. There is no holiday discount. The operator's own tool, Hanshin Expressway Hashire Go at 8405.jp, quotes ETC tolls by entrance, exit, day, and time.

Vehicle classes on the urban expressways

Both operators use the same five classes. Kei and motorcycle covers kei cars, small special vehicles, and motorcycles including sidecars. Ordinary car covers small cars other than motorcycles and ordinary passenger cars, which is where almost every rental sits. Medium covers goods vehicles under 8 tonnes gross and under 5 tonnes payload with up to three axles, and microbuses of 11 to 29 seats under 8 tonnes. Large covers vehicles of 8 tonnes gross or 5 tonnes payload and above with up to three axles, and buses of 30 seats or more. Extra-large covers four-axle trucks not classed as large and large special vehicles.

Practical notes for a rental car

If your rental has an ETC unit and card, the urban expressway charges by distance and the discounts above apply automatically. Without ETC, budget the flat cash toll and check that your planned entrance still takes cash. To price a full Tokyo-to-Osaka drive, take the NEXCO figure from the route page, then add one Shuto toll for the Tokyo end and one Hanshin toll for the Osaka end, each looked up in the operator's tool for your exact entrance and exit.