Malaysian Highway Tolls: From Touch Cards to Barrier-Free Lanes

The car ahead of you in the RFID lane brakes suddenly because the sticker on its headlamp wasn’t detected — even though many people assume RFID means “you don’t need to do anything at all.” In reality, Malaysia currently runs at least four generations of toll technology simultaneously across different highways, and confusing one for another is a common cause of cars getting stuck at the gate.

Four layers that coexist

Tolling in Malaysia has not shifted from one system to another overnight. These four methods can still be found today, depending on the highway and lane chosen.

Touch ‘n Go card (tap). The most original method — a physical prepaid card is tapped on a reader at the toll gate. The difference between this card, the Enhanced/NFC card and the eWallet app is explained in full at /transport/touch-n-go.

SmartTAG. An on-board unit (OBU) mounted on the windscreen with a bracket, battery-powered, that transmits an infrared signal to the reader at the gate. A Touch ‘n Go card must be inserted into this device — SmartTAG itself does not store value, it is merely an intermediary that lets the card be read without needing to wind down the window.

RFID sticker. A passive system — a radio-frequency identification chip embedded in a sticker affixed to the vehicle’s headlamp, not the windscreen. No battery, no physical card to insert. The sticker is registered and linked directly to a Touch ‘n Go eWallet account via the app; the toll payment is deducted automatically from the eWallet balance when the overhead scanner at the gate reads the chip.

ANPR/JustGO (open system). The newest layer — automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras identify a vehicle by its number plate alone, without any tag or physical sticker at all. Users register their vehicle in the app, link a debit/credit card, and can pass through any participating lane without needing to choose a specific lane according to payment method.

Method	Needs a device/sticker?	Needs a card inserted?	Payment deducted from
Touch ‘n Go card	No (card only)	Yes, tapped directly	Card balance
SmartTAG	Yes, battery-powered OBU	Yes, card inserted into device	Card balance inside device
RFID	Yes, passive sticker	No	Touch ‘n Go eWallet
ANPR/JustGO	No	No	Registered debit/credit card

Why Touch ‘n Go is shifting from SmartTAG to RFID

According to Touch ‘n Go’s official website, the company has stopped selling new SmartTAG units to make way for RFID among a wider audience. This does not affect existing SmartTAG units — devices that are already installed continue to function as normal on highways that support them.

The reason for this shift makes engineering sense: SmartTAG depends on a battery that needs replacing and a physical device that can break down, whereas the RFID sticker is a passive component with no moving parts or battery — cheaper to distribute at scale and more durable.

Piloting an open system: JustGO PLUS

The next step has already begun. According to an official media statement from PLUS Malaysia Berhad, PLUS is piloting an open tolling system using ANPR technology — named JustGO — on the stretch between the Hutan Kampung and Sungai Dua plazas on the North-South Expressway, covering nine toll plazas.

According to a report by The Star citing PLUS, the pilot expanded to 18 toll plazas across the PLUS network by 15 July 2026, with six additional plazas in the southern region (including Mambau, Lukut, Kempas, Tanjung Kupang, Lima Kedai and Perling) joining the list. PLUS also stated its intention to activate this system at all toll plazas it operates starting August 2026.

How it works: users download the JustGO app, register their vehicle, link a debit or credit card, then drive as usual through any participating lane — no additional device or sticker is needed, and payment is processed automatically via a camera that reads the number plate.

Where this is ultimately heading: MLFF

RFID and ANPR/JustGO both still operate with a toll barrier that rises after a successful reading. The end concept being planned in stages is Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) — toll collection with no barrier at all, where vehicles pass through the gate at normal speed without needing to slow down or stop at all, with detection carried out via gantries above the highway.

The distinction matters: RFID removes the need to hand over a card, but the lane itself still has a barrier as a control mechanism in case a reading fails. MLFF removes the barrier itself — the success of this system depends entirely on the accuracy of automatic detection (whether RFID, ANPR, or a combination of both), because there is no longer any physical mechanism to stop a vehicle that goes undetected.

Common mistakes

• Assuming RFID needs no registration at all. Unlike a card that can simply be used once loaded with value, an RFID sticker must be registered and linked to an eWallet account before it will work at a toll gate.
• Installing an RFID sticker on the windscreen like a SmartTAG. RFID is designed to be mounted on the vehicle’s headlamp, not the windscreen — the wrong position can affect the reading by the overhead scanner.
• Assuming all highways already use ANPR/JustGO. As of mid-2026, this system is still in a pilot and staged-expansion phase at selected plazas on the PLUS network — not comprehensive coverage all at once.

What’s next

If your vehicle still uses SmartTAG, no immediate action is needed — the device remains valid for as long as the relevant highway supports it. For those who want to switch, RFID registration is now the path Touch ‘n Go encourages. For the difference between the Touch ‘n Go card, the Enhanced/NFC card and the eWallet app, which is often confused with RFID, refer to /transport/touch-n-go. Drivers who frequently use the PLUS network are also advised to watch for official PLUS announcements about expanding JustGO to additional plazas, since this system is still developing in stages.