Vehicle Type API

Endpoint Overview

GET /api/v1/nhai/get-vehicle-type

Description

The Vehicle Type API provides a comprehensive list of vehicle categories recognized by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for toll calculation and classification purposes. This endpoint returns standardized vehicle type identifiers that are essential for accurate toll rate determination, vehicle classification, and compliance with NHAI toll collection standards.

This API serves as a critical reference for toll management systems, enabling proper vehicle categorization based on axle configuration, size, and commercial usage. The vehicle types returned align with official NHAI toll rate structures and are used across all toll plaza operations in India.

Key Benefits

Official Classification: Returns NHAI-approved vehicle categories for accurate toll calculations

Standardized Identifiers: Provides consistent vehicle type codes for seamless integration

Complete Coverage: Includes all vehicle categories from personal cars to heavy commercial vehicles

Real-time Accuracy: Always returns the current list of recognized vehicle types for toll operations

Use Cases

Toll Management Systems

Fleet & Logistics

Transportation Apps

Automated Toll Classification: Implement automatic vehicle categorization at toll plazas using camera recognition systems

Rate Calculation Engine: Build dynamic toll rate calculators based on vehicle type and route distance

Revenue Reporting: Generate detailed toll collection reports categorized by vehicle types

Compliance Monitoring: Ensure toll collection adheres to NHAI vehicle classification standards

Technical Implementation

Authentication

All API requests require authentication using a JWT Bearer token. Authentication follows these steps:

Obtain API Credentials: Register with Surepass to receive your API key.

Generate JWT Token: Use your API key to generate a JWT token.

Include in Requests: Add the token to the Authorization header as Bearer TOKEN.

Different authentication tokens are used for sandbox and production environments:

Sandbox: https://sandbox.surepass.io

Production: https://kyc-api.surepass.io

Request Parameters

Request Headers

Header	Required	Description
Authorization	Yes	Bearer token for API authentication (JWT)
Content-Type	No	application/json (optional for GET requests)

Request Body

This endpoint does not require any request body parameters as it's a simple GET request that returns all available vehicle types.

Example Request

No request body required for this endpoint

Process Response

Response Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description
data	Object	Container object holding the response data
data.vehicle_type	Array[String]	Array of vehicle type identifiers recognized by NHAI
status_code	Integer	HTTP status code (200 for successful requests)
message_code	String	Internal message code indicating request status
message	String	Human-readable response message
success	Boolean	Indicates whether the request was successful

Example Successful Response

{
    "data": {
        "vehicle_type": [
            "3_axle",
            "4_to_6_axle",
            "7_axle",
            "bus/truck",
            "car/jeep/van",
            "hcm/eme",
            "lcv"
        ]
    },
    "status_code": 200,
    "message_code": "success",
    "message": "Success",
    "success": true
}

Vehicle Type Definitions

Vehicle Type	Description	Typical Examples
car/jeep/van	Personal and small commercial vehicles	Cars, SUVs, small vans, jeeps
lcv	Light Commercial Vehicles	Small trucks, mini buses, pickup trucks
bus/truck	Standard commercial vehicles	Buses, medium trucks, delivery vehicles
3_axle	Three-axle heavy vehicles	Large trucks, buses with 3 axles
4_to_6_axle	Multi-axle heavy vehicles	Heavy trucks, trailers with 4-6 axles
7_axle	Maximum axle heavy vehicles	Extra-heavy trucks, large trailers
hcm/eme	Heavy Construction/Earth Moving Equipment	Cranes, bulldozers, excavators

Possible Error Responses

Unauthorized Access

Server Error

{
    "status_code": 401,
    "message_code": "unauthorized",
    "message": "Invalid or missing authentication token",
    "success": false
}

Occurs when the JWT bearer token is missing, invalid, or expired.

Integration Best Practices

Security Recommendations

Store JWT tokens securely using environment variables or secure credential management systems

Implement proper token lifecycle management with automatic refresh mechanisms

Use HTTPS exclusively for all API communications to prevent data interception

Monitor API usage patterns and implement rate limiting to prevent abuse

Log authentication failures for security monitoring and alerting

User Experience Guidelines

Cache vehicle type data locally to reduce API calls and improve application responsiveness

Implement user-friendly vehicle type selection with clear descriptions and visual icons

Provide fallback mechanisms for network failures with cached data

Use descriptive labels rather than technical codes when displaying options to end users

Implement input validation to ensure selected vehicle types match available options

Code Samples

cURL

Python

Node.js

Related APIs

NHAI Toll State List API: Get available states for toll operations to combine with vehicle type data

Toll Rate Calculator API: Calculate specific toll charges using vehicle type and route information

Toll Plaza Information API: Retrieve toll plaza details including vehicle type specific rates

Vehicle Registration Verification API: Verify vehicle details and automatically determine vehicle type

Toll Payment Processing API: Process toll payments with vehicle type validation

Compliance and Legal Considerations

This API returns official NHAI vehicle classification standards that must be used for legal toll collection in India. Vehicle type classifications directly impact toll rates and must be implemented accurately to ensure compliance with Indian highway toll regulations. Misclassification of vehicles can result in regulatory penalties and revenue discrepancies. Always validate vehicle types against current NHAI standards and ensure your toll collection system handles all returned vehicle categories appropriately.

{ "data": { "vehicle_type": [ "3_axle", "4_to_6_axle", "7_axle", "bus/truck", "car/jeep/van", "hcm/eme", "lcv" ] }, "status_code": 200, "message_code": "success", "message": "Success", "success": true }

GET Vehicle Type

Vehicle Type API#

Description#

Use Cases#

Technical Implementation#

Request Headers#

Request Body#

Example Request#

Response Parameters#

Example Successful Response#

Vehicle Type Definitions#

Possible Error Responses#

Integration Best Practices#

Code Samples#

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