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An exclusive Drive investigation has found some ute-owners could save thousands of dollars a year in toll fees due to a classification loophole.
Utes are usually classified as light commercial vehicles (LCVs) and attract higher toll fees than cars and SUVs.
However, in Victoria, utes built on a unibody or monocoque chassis – such as the MG U9, KGM Musso EV and the LDV Terron 9 – will be tolled as passenger cars due to how LCVs are technically classified under contractual agreements between toll operators and the state government.
According to Linkt/Transurban website, an LCV is “any two-axle ridged vehicles with a cab chassis construction, with a gross vehicle mass that is greater than 1.5 tonnes but less than 4.5 tonnes”.
Drive understands it's this technicality which leads these three dual cab utes – or other future utes with unibody construction – to be tolled as a passenger vehicle instead of an LCV in Victoria.
According to Linkt, a daily pass for an LCV along Victoria’s tolled arterials can range from $13.53 to $70.03 depending on the road. An LCV driver could pay between an estimated $67.65 to $350 in a five-day work week on toll fees.
For comparison, passenger car rates along the same major tolled arterials start from $8.45 and extend to $38.52, equating to approximately $42.25 to $192.60 a week.
Based on Linkt’s current toll pricing for day passes – and the contractual agreements between Victorian toll operators and the state government – MG U9, KGM Musso EV and LDV Terron 9 owners could save between $1320 to $8184 per year in Victoria.
Of course most who use toll roads regularly are likely to have an account, which does bring toll fees down substantially.
However, an analysis of Linkt's toll calculator found that car owners travelling on the CityLink and West Gate freeways twice a day, five days a week would pay approximately $107.30 a week in tolls with an Etag account, while LCV owners making the same trips would pay about $171.70.
It means, even with an Etag, owners of vehicles classified as LCVs are paying up to $3348.80 more per year that their car classified counterparts – $8928.40 compared with $5579.60.
In response to a question about the toll classification clause, a Department of Transport Planning Victoria spokesperson told Drive:
"A review into how private utility vehicles are classified on Victorian toll roads is expected to be completed in mid 2026."
Other Australian states – including NSW and Queensland – do not mention chassis in their toll vehicle classifications. A Transport for NSW spokesperson told Drive vehicle classes for tolls are defined by their physical measurements.
“In NSW, toll prices are determined based on vehicle length rather than build or chassis design. Variations in ute models or vehicle builds do not affect existing classifications,” they said.
The state categorises cars as either a ‘passenger’ vehicle – any vehicle that is 2.8 meters or less in height and 12.5 meters or less in length – or a ‘heavy’ vehicle, which is any model that exceeds the limit.
Ethan Cardinal graduated with a Journalism degree in 2020 from La Trobe University and has been working in the fashion industry as a freelance writer prior to joining Drive in 2023. Ethan greatly enjoys investigating and reporting on the cross sections between automotive, lifestyle and culture. Ethan relishes the opportunity to explore how deep cars are intertwined within different industries and how they could affect both casual readers and car enthusiasts.
