218 km · 5 toll plazas · about 4 h 10 min on the road. Change the vehicle, fuel or mileage below and every number updates.
The road distance from Pondicherry to Salem is 218 km via NH79 — doable in a single day with a couple of breaks.
You cross 5 toll plazas across Puducherry, Tamil Nadu. For a car the published fees add up to ₹320 one way, about ₹1.47 per km, which is on the expensive side for Indian highways.
States on the way: PuducherryTamil Nadu
Fees for a single journey with FASTag. Return fees apply when you come back through the same plaza within 24 hours; a monthly pass covers 50 single journeys in a month.
| # | Toll plaza | At km | State | Car single | Car return | Car monthly | LCV | Bus/Truck | Multi-axle |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gangarampalayam | 26 | Tamil Nadu | ₹60 | ₹95 | ₹2,055 | ₹100 | ₹210 | ₹330 |
| 2 | Sengurichi | 73 | Tamil Nadu | ₹65 | ₹100 | ₹1,995 | ₹115 | ₹235 | ₹375 |
| 3 | Veeracholapuram (West) | 112 | Tamil Nadu | ₹65 | ₹95 | ₹1,930 | ₹115 | ₹225 | ₹360 |
| 4 | Nathakkarai | 143 | Tamil Nadu | ₹65 | ₹95 | ₹1,930 | ₹115 | ₹225 | ₹360 |
| 5 | Mettupatti | 195 | Tamil Nadu | ₹65 | ₹95 | ₹1,930 | ₹115 | ₹225 | ₹360 |
| Total (published fees) | 218 | ₹320 | ₹480 | ₹560 | ₹1,120 | ₹1,785 |
Totals for all 5 plazas. “No FASTag” is the 1.25x UPI rate.
| Vehicle class | One way (FASTag) | Return in 24 h | No FASTag (UPI) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Car / Jeep / Van | ₹320 | ₹480 | ₹399 |
| LCV / Mini bus | ₹560 | ₹835 | ₹701 |
| Bus / Truck (2 axle) | ₹1,120 | ₹1,685 | ₹1,400 |
| 3-axle commercial | ₹1,685 | ₹2,535 | ₹2,107 |
| 4–6 axle (MAV) | ₹1,785 | ₹2,685 | ₹2,232 |
| 7+ axle (oversized) | ₹1,855 | ₹2,795 | ₹2,319 |
One way, 218 km, at Puducherry prices (petrol ₹103.45/L, diesel ₹93.79/L). Typical highway mileage; change it in the calculator for your car.
| Car type | Petrol | Diesel | CNG | Electric |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hatchback | ₹1,252 | ₹929 | ₹666 | ₹545 |
| Sedan | ₹1,503 | ₹1,076 | ₹787 | ₹623 |
| SUV / MUV | ₹2,049 | ₹1,460 | ₹1,019 | ₹792 |
Petrol is cheapest in Puducherry (₹103.45/L) and dearest in Tamil Nadu (₹108.78/L). Filling the ~15 litres you need in Puducherry saves about ₹77 versus buying it all in Tamil Nadu.
For the same sedan, fuel for one way costs ₹1,503 on petrol, ₹1,076 on diesel and about ₹623 on electric (public fast charging at ₹20/kWh; home charging is far cheaper).
The pass costs ₹3,075 for 200 crossings (₹15.38 per crossing) on NHAI plazas. This trip uses 5 crossings one way — worth about ₹77 of pass value against ₹320 in regular fees. If you drive highways often, the pass pays off on this route.
Return within 24 hours and the car toll for the round trip is ₹480 instead of ₹640 — a 25% discount that FASTag applies automatically.
About ₹320 one way with FASTag across 5 plazas. A return within 24 hours costs ₹480. Without FASTag you pay 1.25x by UPI: ₹399.
5 on the fastest route: Gangarampalayam, Sengurichi, Veeracholapuram (West), Nathakkarai, Mettupatti.
About 15 litres for a car doing 15 km/l (₹1,503 at Pondicherry prices). A hatchback at 18 km/l needs ~12 L; an SUV at 11 km/l needs ~20 L.
Around ₹1,823 one way for a petrol sedan (fuel ₹1,503 + toll ₹320), or ₹3,485 for a same-day return. Split between four people that is ₹456 each, one way.
Plan on about 4 h 10 min including short breaks. Free-flowing traffic can do it in 3 h, but towns, trucks and plaza queues usually add time.
One way with FASTag: bus/2-axle truck ₹1,120, 3-axle ₹1,685, 4–6 axle ₹1,785, 7+ axle ₹1,855.
Yes, plazas charge the same fee in both directions, so the Salem to Pondicherry toll is the same ~₹320 for a car. Fuel cost differs only if you fill up at Salem's state price.
Fees are revised every 1 April and some plazas change mid-year, so treat results as a close estimate. Spotted a wrong fee or a missing plaza? Tell us — we fix reported errors within 72 hours and log them on our corrections page.
Built and maintained by Nikhil Shrivastava. Full method: how the calculator works.
Last updated: 24 October 2026