Transportation · Ontario
How to decide when Ontario Highway 407 tolls are worth it vs time and fuel
Ontario’s Highway 407 ETR toll is worth paying when the time you save is worth more to you than the trip’s toll plus the $1 trip charge. Steer, writing for 407 ETR, cites 20–60 minutes saved on a typical rush-hour trip; for example, if your time is worth $30 an hour, 40 minutes is worth $20. Highway 407 ETR is all-electronic for 108 km from Burlington to Pickering. Light-vehicle rates from 1 January 2026 vary by zone, direction, and entry time, from about 50¢/km overnight to about $1.19/km in the busiest weekday afternoon zones. A $1 trip charge applies either way. Video billing adds $5.30 a trip plus a $5 monthly account fee. This is a decision framework: time, fuel, a budget cap — and GO when the train is the actual product.
Ownership context: car TCO and gas without a hybrid. Corridor trips: Via vs driving. Fare math: GO PRESTO.
Key takeaways
- 2026 light-vehicle schedule (1 Jan 2026): per-km rates vary by 12 zones and peak hours; some central afternoon sections rose by up to 34¢/km. Most personal transponder customers were told to expect about $5/month more.
- Always $1 per trip. Annual transponder lease $31.50 + tax (extra transponders $12.60 + tax). No transponder: $5.30 camera per trip + $5/month account fee. Three round trips a year is the firm’s payback line.
- Steer (for 407 ETR) cites 20–60 minutes saved on a typical rush-hour trip. Price your own time. Example: at $30/hour, 40 minutes is $20 — often less than a long peak bill.
- The provincially owned Highway 407 East (Brock Road in Pickering to Highway 35/115) has been toll-free since 1 June 2025. Only 407 ETR still bills.
- Set a monthly cap (example: $80 or $150). Use 407etr.com/tollcalculator before the on-ramp. Off-peak and short hops are a different product than 28 km at 5:15 p.m.
- GO, a shifted start time, or not owning the car at all can beat any toll strategy. Employer reimbursement may be taxable — ask payroll (high-level only).
How does 407 ETR billing work?
There are no toll booths: a transponder or a licence-plate camera records your entry and exit, and you get a bill. You do not stop.
Light vehicles (cars, SUVs, small pickups under 5,000 kg) do not legally require a transponder; heavy vehicles do. Your trip price is distance × the rate for your entry time and zone plus the $1 trip toll, plus video fees if you have no transponder. Unreadable plates can attract a much larger charge ($60 per trip on the published fee table). Use the official calculator — this page will not invent your ramps.
| Item | With transponder | Video / no transponder |
|---|---|---|
| Trip toll | $1 / trip | $1 / trip |
| Camera | — | $5.30 / trip |
| Account fee | — | $5 / month when billed |
| Lease | $5/month or $31.50/year + tax | — |
Highway 407 East, the provincially owned stretch from Brock Road in Pickering to Highway 35/115 in Clarington, has been toll-free since 1 June 2025 (Ontario Regulation 76/25). Only the privately run 407 ETR, Burlington to Pickering, still charges tolls.
How much does 407 ETR cost per kilometre in 2026?
For light vehicles, the 2026 per-km rate runs from about 50¢ (weekday nights from 9 p.m., weekend evenings) to $1.19 (weekday 3:30 p.m. rate in the busiest central zones, one direction). Your rate is set by the zone, the direction, and the time you enter, not the time you exit.
| Time you enter | Lowest zone rate | Highest zone rate |
|---|---|---|
| Weekday 7 a.m. | 62.30¢ | 112.79¢ |
| Weekday 3:30 p.m. | 62.29¢ | 119.21¢ |
| Weekday 10:30 a.m. | 56.48¢ | 82.78¢ |
| Weekday 9 p.m. | 49.93¢ | 50.66¢ |
| Weekend 10 a.m. | 49.95¢ | 87.27¢ |
Example with made-up inputs: a 30 km trip billed entirely at the weekday 9 p.m. rate of 50.56¢/km is about $15.17 plus the $1 trip toll, or $16.17. The same 30 km at the 3:30 p.m. peak rate of 119.21¢/km is about $35.76 plus $1, or $36.76, before any camera charge. Real trips cross zones, so check the 407 ETR toll calculator for your ramps.
Is the 407 worth it for your trip length?
It is worth it when the minutes you save are worth more to you than the toll. Example with made-up inputs for three trip types; replace each toll with the calculator result for your entry and exit.
- 8 km hop, off-peak: small distance charge + $1. Time saved might be five minutes. Skip unless you are already late for a ferry or a pickup.
- 25–40 km peak commute: this is where bills live. If the calculator says $22 and you save 35 minutes, your implied time value is about $38/hour. If you would not pay yourself $38/hour to sit on the 401, do not pay 407 that either — unless missing daycare is the actual cost.
- Weekend through-trip: often cheaper rates; still add $1 and any video fees.
407 ETR’s 21 Nov 2025 release cited a Steer report of 20–60 minutes for a typical rush-hour trip and INRIX’s 61 hours of Toronto congestion in 2024. Those are marketing-adjacent facts. Your Tuesday is the experiment: run 401 once with a timestamp, 407 once, and compare bill to minutes.
Does skipping 401 stop-and-go save enough fuel to pay the toll?
Rarely on its own. Idling and 20 km/h averages burn more litres than a steady 407 run, but the saving is usually a few dollars. Use your trip computer, not a slogan.
Example with made-up inputs: a 2 L extra on a $1.60/L day is $3.20 — real, and rarely the whole toll. Wear (brakes, clutch, time-on-engine) is the same story: a few dollars, not $25. If fuel is your argument, you probably wanted a different start time or GO, not a transponder.
Is a 407 transponder cheaper than paying by camera?
Yes, once you drive the 407 more than a few times a year. Video is fine for a rare airport run. Two round trips a month at $5.30 extra is $21.20 in cameras plus the $5 account fee — already more than the $31.50 + tax annual lease. 407 ETR says a transponder pays for itself after three round trips. Motorcycles and light vehicles can still use video; heavy vehicles cannot skip the transponder.
Is 407 reimbursement from work taxable?
It can be when it covers your commute. If work pays 407 for client travel, keep the invoice and the purpose. Commute reimbursement can be a taxable benefit — the same family of questions as workplace parking. Ask payroll. Do not build a side spreadsheet that “nets” a personal 407 habit against a T4 you never checked.
How does a monthly toll cap change your habits?
A fixed monthly toll budget makes you save the 407 for the days it really matters. Pick a number ($80, $120, $200) and pre-pay it mentally like a pass. Use 407 on the days daycare closes at 5:00 and the 401 is a parking lot.
Use the 401 or GO on the days you left at 6:40. Loyalty promotions and the 2026 points program (announced with the rate release) are coupons, not a reason to drive more. Route Relief exists for eligible low-income households — that is a program page, not this guide’s application form.
When is GO Transit a better deal than the 407?
When both ends of your trip are near a station, especially if you would pay downtown parking. If both ends have a GO station, the honest comparison is PRESTO (including the loyalty ladder on frequent trips) versus car + 407 + parking. A $22 toll plus downtown parking can lose to a train you can work on. If only one end has GO, a hybrid (drive to a lot, no 407) is the usual win. Car-lite households should price this inside city stacks, not as a standalone “I deserve the express.”
Calculator rule, as of 6 Oct 2026: no ramp pair, no opinion. 407etr.com/tollcalculator or the app, then decide. This page is not a bill estimate.
Sources
- 407 ETR newsroom, 21 Nov 2025 — 2026 rate schedule effective 1 Jan 2026; up to 34¢/km afternoon increases in some central sections; ~$5 average monthly increase for personal transponder customers; annual transponder $31.50 + tax; extra transponder $12.60 + tax; calculator; Steer 20–60 minutes; INRIX 61 hours (2024); Route Relief and 2026 loyalty program. As of 6 Oct 2026.
- 407 ETR 2026 Rates & Fees: Light Vehicles — per-km rates by zone and entry time; $1 trip toll, $5.30 camera charge, $5 monthly account fee, $5 monthly or $31.50 annual lease, $60 unrecognizable plate charge. As of 6 Oct 2026.
- Ontario Regulation 76/25 (Highway 407 East Act, 2012) — no tolls on Highway 407 East from 1 June 2025. As of 6 Oct 2026.
- Companion GO PRESTO and car TCO guides on Saving Optimizer.
Frequently asked questions
How much is 407 ETR per kilometre in 2026?
It depends on zone, direction, and entry time. 2026 light-vehicle rates run from about 50¢/km at night to $1.19/km in the busiest weekday afternoon zones, plus a $1 trip toll. Use the official calculator for your ramps.
Is a transponder worth it?
If you make more than about three round trips a year, usually yes. The 2026 annual lease is $31.50 plus tax and it removes $5.30 camera charges and the $5 video account fee.
Does 407 save an hour?
407 ETR cites a Steer report of 20–60 minutes saved on a typical rush-hour trip. Time your own pair of trips. A daycare pickup or a client meeting can be worth more to you than the toll.
Can I expense 407 for work?
Client travel with records is a different fact than commuting. Reimbursement can be taxable. Ask payroll. High-level only — not tax advice.
Is GO cheaper than 407?
Often, when both ends have a station and you were going to pay downtown parking anyway. Compare PRESTO plus last-mile to toll + fuel + parking, not to gas alone.
Is Highway 407 East still tolled?
No. The provincially owned Highway 407 East, from Brock Road in Pickering to Highway 35/115 in Clarington, has been toll-free since 1 June 2025. The privately run 407 ETR still charges tolls.
Researched and drafted with AI assistance and fact-checked against official Canadian sources. How we create content.