The cheapest taxi option for Shimla to Delhi is a Sedan (Maruti Dzire or Toyota Etios) at ₹3,850 for a one-way booking. SUV (Innova/Ertiga) costs ₹5,250 and a 12-seater Tempo Traveller costs ₹8,050. All fares include fuel, driver and AC; tolls and state tax are additional at actual.
Road Trip Guide
Drive
Shimla to Delhi
by Car
ShimlaDelhi
350 km · 7-8 hours drive · cab from ₹3,850
Distance
350km
Drive Time
7hrs
Highway
Cab From
₹3,850
4.9 · 10,000+ trips
What are the road stages from Shimla to Delhi?
| Road stage | Distance (km) | Drive time | Road quality |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shimla to Solan | 60 | 1.5 hrs | Good |
| Solan to Pinjore | 60 | 2 hrs | Moderate |
| Pinjore to Ambala | 30 | 30 min | Good |
| Ambala to Karnal | 70 | 1 hr | Excellent |
| Karnal to Delhi | 130 | 2 hrs | Excellent |
How far is Delhi from Shimla by car?
Delhi is approximately 350 km from Shimla by road, a drive of about 7-8 hours depending on traffic and stops. The recommended vehicle is a Sedan (Swift Dzire), and a one-way AC cab starts at ₹3,850 (sedan), ₹5,250 (SUV), or ₹8,050 (tempo). Toll and state tax are extra. Start by 5-6 AM for the smoothest run.
Booking a cab from Shimla to Delhi? Expect 350 km and about 7-8 hours on the road. Choose a Sedan (Swift Dzire) to match your group size and budget. Pay one transparent fare covering tolls and driver allowance — confirmed upfront.
Your Route
Shimla
Shimla to Solan · 60km · Good
Solan to Pinjore · 60km · Moderate
Pinjore to Ambala · 30km · Good
Ambala to Karnal · 70km · Excellent
Karnal to Delhi · 130km · Excellent
Delhi
Excellent
Good
Moderate
Poor
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Segment by Segment
The Road Ahead
5 segments · 350 km total
Pine forests, Barog tunnel, stunning valley views
Mountain ghat begins at Kalka, 22 hairpin bends
Pinjore Gardens worth a quick stop
GT Road heritage stretch
NH-44 expressway, smooth 6-lane road
Book This Route
Shimla to Delhi 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
Snow on roads possible Dec-Feb. Black ice above Kufri is dangerous. Carry chains and start late (after 8 AM) to let ice melt.
Driving Tips
1
This is the Shimla to Delhi direction — the same road as Delhi to Shimla, driven the other way, so the stops below are measured from Shimla
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 Shimla 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 Shimla
5
Leave Delhi by 5 AM to enjoy the Kalka-Shimla mountain stretch in daylight
6
Stop at Barog for chai — the old railway tunnel nearby is a heritage attraction
Food Stops
1Solan (60 km)
2Barog (70 km)
3Ambala (150 km)
4Murthal Dhabas (310 km)
Best Car for This Trip
We recommend Sedan (Swift Dzire) for the Shimla to Delhi drive. Well-maintained highway makes a sedan the perfect, cost-effective choice.
Fuel Planning
6 fuel stations along the route. Well-spaced stations. Fill up once mid-route for a comfortable buffer.
The Shimla to Delhi 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
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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 Shimla to Delhi
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)
- WIKIShimla (Wikipedia)— Queen of Hills, Himachal Pradesh(en.wikipedia.org)
- GOVHimachal Pradesh Tourism— official Himachal tourism board (Shimla, Manali, Dharamshala, Spiti)(himachaltourism.gov.in)
- GOVDelhi Tourism— official Delhi tourism board(delhitourism.gov.in)
- REFDelhi International Airport (DIAL)— official IGI Airport terminal, flight and pickup information(newdelhiairport.in)
Quick Answer
Is the drive from Shimla to Delhi easier than Delhi to Shimla?
It is a different drive rather than an easier one. Going Shimla to Delhi 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 Delhi's traffic at the end of a long day rather than at the start of it.
FAQ
Shimla to Delhi Road Trip FAQs
It is a different drive rather than an easier one. Going Shimla to Delhi 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 Delhi's traffic at the end of a long day rather than at the start of it.
Solan (60 km) and Barog (70 km) are the practical stops, and the distances given are measured from Shimla 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 Delhi to Shimla 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 Shimla to Solan 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 350 km, and the same 5 stages in the opposite order — the detailed guide for the other direction is at /travel-by-car/delhi-to-shimla. The one real difference is that Karnal to Delhi is your last stage here and your first stage there, which changes what the hardest hour of the day is.
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