Hire an Ertiga from Chennai to Vellore, with a driver
| Distance | 140 km |
|---|---|
| Drive time | 2h 45m off-peak · up to 3h 30m at busy times |
| One way, from | ₹3,360 incl. GST |
| Round trip, from | ₹6,111 incl. GST |
| Highway | NH48 via Sriperumbudur and Ranipet |
| Best departure | Leave by 7am to see the fort before the heat |
How that fare is built
| Item | One way | Round trip |
|---|---|---|
| Chargeable distance | 140 km | 280 km |
| Rate per km | ₹20 | ₹19 |
| Distance cost | ₹2,800 | ₹5,320 |
| Driver bata | ₹400 | ₹500 |
| Toll and parking | At actuals, with receipts — quoted on the call | |
| Sub-total | ₹3,200 | ₹5,820 |
| GST at 5% | ₹160 | ₹291 |
| Total, from | ₹3,360 | ₹6,111 |
One way is charged for your direction plus the minimum distance. A round trip charges both legs with the daily minimum applied — which is why the one-way total is lower even at a higher per-km rate. Prefer a single agreed figure with toll and permit folded in? Ask for an all-inclusive quote.
Two different trips to the same town
Vellore gets an unusual mix of visitors, and the two groups have almost nothing in common.
The first come for the fort and the temples. The second — and in our experience the larger group — come for CMC, the Christian Medical College hospital, which draws patients from across South India and beyond.
If you are in the second group, the useful content on this page is about timing rather than sightseeing, so that comes first.
Travelling for a hospital appointment
Appointments at CMC start early and the campus is busy from first light. That makes two patterns work and everything else awkward:
Travel the evening before and stay locally, which is what we would recommend for anyone elderly or unwell. The drive is under three hours, so an evening departure from Chennai is easy.
Or leave Chennai around four in the morning, which gets you there before the day builds. It is a long start but it avoids a hotel.
Either way, book a round trip with waiting rather than two drops. You will not know when you are finished, and having the car there matters more on a hospital day than the fare difference. Waiting is charged by the hour at the published rate.
What is at Vellore, for everyone else
Vellore Fort is the reason the town is on the map — a substantial sixteenth-century granite fort with a wet moat still around it, and the Jalakandeswarar temple inside the walls, which is unusual and worth the walk. The fort also holds a museum and, for the historically minded, the site of the 1806 mutiny that preceded 1857 by half a century.
Outside the town, the Golden Temple at Sripuram is a modern Lakshmi temple clad in an extraordinary quantity of gold leaf. Opinions on it vary; nobody finds it dull. It needs an hour and involves a walk from the car park.
Vellore also sits directly on the Chennai–Bangalore highway, which is why a good number of these trips are one-way legs of a longer journey rather than returns.
Why this route suits an Ertiga
Under three hours on a good four-lane road, and often carrying a family group where one member is unwell — which is precisely where an easy-access MPV with a soft ride and room to spread out beats a sedan. Six seats matter here more than usual, because families travelling for medical reasons rarely travel light or alone.
Still coming to this page: named toll plazas and amounts, named break stops. Those come from our own drivers rather than from a map, and we would rather leave them off than print a figure we have not checked. Ask on the call and we will tell you the toll for this route.
All bookings include a professional driver. We do not offer self-drive rentals.
Booking this route
We drive Vellore to Chennai as well, at the same rate — the fare depends on the distance and the direction of travel, not on which end you start from. There is one page for both directions rather than two pages saying the same thing.
Related routes
Chennai to Vellore — FAQs
We are travelling for a CMC hospital appointment. Can you help with timing?
Yes, and it is a large share of what we drive on this route. Appointments start early and the campus is busy, so most patients travel the evening before or leave Chennai around four in the morning. Tell us the appointment time and the driver works backwards from it.
Can the car wait while we are at the hospital?
Yes. A round trip with waiting is usually the right structure for a hospital day rather than two separate drops, because you rarely know exactly when you will be finished. Waiting is charged by the hour at the published rate.
Is a permit needed?
No. Vellore is in Tamil Nadu, about two and three quarter hours from Chennai.
Is the Golden Temple at Sripuram worth adding?
If you have the time, yes — it is a short way outside Vellore and quite unlike anything else in the district. It needs an hour and there is a walk from the car park, so say at booking if you want it included.
Is one way or a round trip better?
Round trip for a day visit, because you almost certainly want the car with you. One way if you are travelling on to Bangalore afterwards, which many people do — Vellore sits directly on that highway.