The cheapest taxi option for Leh to Manali is a Sedan (Maruti Dzire or Toyota Etios) at ₹5,225 for a one-way booking. SUV (Innova/Ertiga) costs ₹7,125 and a 12-seater Tempo Traveller costs ₹10,925. All fares include fuel, driver and AC; tolls and state tax are additional at actual.
Road Trip Guide
Drive
Leh to Manali
by Car
LehManali
475 km · 2 days (16-18 hours driving) drive · cab from ₹5,225
Distance
475km
Drive Time
2 days (16hrs
Highway
Cab From
₹5,225
4.9 · 10,000+ trips
What are the road stages from Leh to Manali?
| Road stage | Distance (km) | Drive time | Road quality |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leh to Pang | 175 | 5 hrs | Moderate |
| Pang to Sarchu | 80 | 3 hrs | Poor |
| Sarchu to Jispa | 85 | 3.5 hrs | Poor |
| Jispa to Keylong | 20 | 30 min | Moderate |
| Keylong to Manali | 115 | 3.5 hrs | Moderate |
How far is Manali from Leh by car?
Manali is approximately 475 km from Leh by road, a drive of about 2 days (16-18 hours driving) depending on traffic and stops. The recommended vehicle is a SUV (Innova/Ertiga), and a one-way AC cab starts at ₹5,225 (sedan), ₹7,125 (SUV), or ₹10,925 (tempo). Toll and state tax are extra. Start by 5-6 AM for the smoothest run.
Travelling from Leh to Manali? It's roughly 475 km and around 2 days (16-18 hours driving). Choose a SUV (Innova/Ertiga) to match your group size and budget. Expect an on-time, GPS-tracked ride with a fixed fare and no surprises.
Your Route
Leh
Leh to Pang · 175km · Moderate
Pang to Sarchu · 80km · Poor
Sarchu to Jispa · 85km · Poor
Jispa to Keylong · 20km · Moderate
Keylong to Manali · 115km · Moderate
Manali
Excellent
Good
Moderate
Poor
Get Instant Quote
4.9★ Rated · 10,000+ Trips · Instant Confirmation
Segment by Segment
The Road Ahead
5 segments · 475 km total
Moore Plains, Tanglang La, Upshi, Indus Valley descent into Leh
Gata Loops (21 hairpin bends), Nakeela La, altitude sickness zone
Baralacha La (4,890m), high-altitude desert, yak sightings
Bhaga River, camping paradise, last comfortable stop
Atal Tunnel (9.2 km), Sissu waterfall, Lahaul Valley
Book This Route
Leh to Manali Cab
All-inclusive · No hidden charges
Sedan
Swift Dzire / Etios · 4 Seater
Most Popular
SUV
Innova Crysta / Ertiga · 6-7 Seater
Tempo Traveller
12-Seater AC · 12 Seater
When to Go
Seasonal Road Conditions
Winter Driving Conditions
Dec — Feb
Route CLOSED Nov-May. All passes are snow-bound. Not possible.
Driving Tips
1
This is the Leh to Manali direction — the same road as Manali to Leh, driven the other way, so the stops below are measured from Leh
2
The hill section comes early in this direction rather than late, which suits anyone prone to car sickness better and means the descent is done while you are fresh
3
Leave Leh by 6 AM: finishing the mountain stretch in daylight matters more than arriving early, and the light goes sooner in the hills than on the plains
4
Plan a stop every two to three hours; the food stops below are listed by distance from Leh
5
This is India's ULTIMATE road trip — plan 2 days minimum with overnight at Jispa or Sarchu
6
Carry Diamox for altitude sickness, glucose, and ORS — you will cross passes above 4,800m
Food Stops
1Pang tent camps (175 km)
2Sarchu tent camps (255 km)
3Keylong/Jispa (360 km)
4Sissu (430 km)
Best Car for This Trip
We recommend SUV (Innova/Ertiga) for the Leh to Manali drive. Mountain roads and luggage space make SUVs ideal.
Fuel Planning
3 fuel stations along the route. Limited pumps on parts of this route — fill up at every opportunity.
The Leh to Manali road trip by the numbers
Distance, driving time, fuel stop counts and indicative fares verified weekly against our drivers' actual route runs.
0 km
Total distance
one-way
0.0 hr
Driving time
plus stops
₹0
Sedan from
all-inclusive
0
Fuel stops
recommended en-route
The single biggest mistake first-time road-trippers make on Delhi–Manali is not stopping at Mandi for lunch. Plan your fuel and food stops in advance — it cuts your real travel time by an hour because you're not hunting for somewhere on the way.
Pankaj Singh Gaur
Founder & CEO, Triveni Cabs™
Road Trip Q&A
More about driving from Leh to Manali
Verified against these sources
Verified against official tourism, transport and weather data. We refresh these sources quarterly.
- GOVNational Highways Authority of India (NHAI)— official toll plaza, FASTag and national-highway data(nhai.gov.in)
- GOVParivahan Seva (Ministry of Road Transport)— official commercial vehicle permit and tax portal(parivahan.gov.in)
- WIKIManali (Wikipedia)— Himalayan hill town, Himachal Pradesh(en.wikipedia.org)
- GOVHimachal Pradesh Tourism— official Himachal tourism board (Shimla, Manali, Dharamshala, Spiti)(himachaltourism.gov.in)
Quick Answer
Is the drive from Leh to Manali easier than Manali to Leh?
It is a different drive rather than an easier one. Going Leh to Manali the hill section comes first, while you are fresh, and the plains run is at the end — which most passengers prefer, and which suits anyone prone to car sickness. The disadvantage is that you meet Manali's traffic at the end of a long day rather than at the start of it.
FAQ
Leh to Manali Road Trip FAQs
It is a different drive rather than an easier one. Going Leh to Manali the hill section comes first, while you are fresh, and the plains run is at the end — which most passengers prefer, and which suits anyone prone to car sickness. The disadvantage is that you meet Manali's traffic at the end of a long day rather than at the start of it.
Pang tent camps (175 km) and Sarchu tent camps (255 km) are the practical stops, and the distances given are measured from Leh rather than from the other end — a point worth making, because every listing of this route online measures them the other way. Plan a break every two to three hours.
Yes, and on this direction it is worth asking specifically. A one-way drop is cheaper than a round trip when you are not coming back, and because we run the Manali to Leh direction regularly there is a reasonable chance of pairing your trip with a return run — which is the cheapest a one-way ever gets. Call 7668570551 and ask what is going your way.
Around 6 AM. The Leh to Pang section is the mountain work and you want it done in daylight — the light goes earlier in the hills than the clock suggests, and the descent is the part where being tired matters.
Broadly yes — the plazas are the same barriers and most charge per crossing — but a return-journey rate applies at some plazas within the same day, and a plaza can occasionally be one-directional. Our toll-cost page for this corridor lists the plazas with the car and SUV figures. On a fare booked with us the toll is charged at actuals with the receipts available, so you pay what the road charged rather than an estimate.
Same road, same 475 km, and the same 5 stages in the opposite order — the detailed guide for the other direction is at /travel-by-car/manali-to-leh. The one real difference is that Keylong to Manali is your last stage here and your first stage there, which changes what the hardest hour of the day is.
More Road Trips