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The Autobahn > Driving on the Autobahn > Autobahn Tolls
Updated for 2024!
The saying above is popular in Germany, but it may not prove to be true for much longer. Although Germany began charging an autobahn toll for trucks in 2003, passenger car drivers can still drive on the Autobahn without any extra charges. But pressure has been growing to introduce similar road tolls in Germany – and not just for the autobahn! In late 2015 the German government introduced a proposed Pkw-Maut (automobile toll) system that would apply to Germans and non-Germans, but would allow only German citizens to be compensated through auto registration rebates. The Austrian and Swiss toll schemes do not allow that, and disputes over possible EU law violations are the only reason a highway toll has not yet been introduced in Germany. (Austria does offer its citizens a limited “commuter deduction,” but it only applies to about 10 percent of the population.) On June 18, 2019, responding to a complaint by Austria and the Netherlands, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) rejected Germany’s toll plan. The ECJ ruled against the implementation of tolls on German motorways, claiming that non-residents would be unfairly penalized. (See more below.)
Austria and Switzerland
In neighboring Austria and Switzerland autobahn tolls have long been a fact of life. They (plus France and other European countries) levy a Maut for using their high-speed, limited access highways. Switzerland introduced its autobahn toll in 1985. Austria’s toll for motorways began in 1997.
The two 2024 Swiss Autobahnvignetten – a normal sticker on the left, an e-permit on the right. The regular sticker must be affixed to the inside of the windshield of your rental car. Unlike Austria, Switzerland offers only an annual autobahn sticker that costs 40 Swiss francs. PHOTO: ch.ch
The Autobahn Toll Sticker
Rather than a kilometer-based turnpike toll, such as that charged on France’s autoroutes or Italy’s autostradas, Austria and Switzerland charge motorists an annual flat fee for the use of their autobahn networks. Unlike Switzerland, Austria also offers toll stickers for shorter periods of time, a nice benefit for the many tourists who visit Austria for only a few days, a week, or a month. Since 2018, Austria also has offered an online digital vignette in addition to the traditional windshield sticker (“click or stick”). Switzerland introduced its own digital mototorway vignette for 2024. The 2024 Swiss e-Vignette or the normal one is valid from 1 December 2023 to 31 January 2025. Unlike Austria, Switzerland offers only a full-year autobahn vignette for CHF 40. No shorter term is available.
An adhesive Austrian or Swiss toll Vignette (sticker) must be displayed on a car’s windshield. A digital vignette must be purchased before you drive onto an autobahn. (Motorcycles are also subject to the autobahn sticker requirement. Trucks pay a kilometer-based toll.) Motorists entering Austria or Switzerland without a vignette must purchase one or be subject to heavy fines (see below). You’re okay if you stay off the autobahn or Schnellstraßen (limited-access roads), but that’s not easy to do, and it makes for a long trip. If you’re lucky, your rental car may already have one. (If you rent a car in Switzerland, it will have a toll sticker.) If not, you will have to contribute 40 Swiss francs to the Swiss treasury upon entering that country. (It is also available in advance online.) As in the USA, ignorance of the law is no excuse. NOTE: The Austrian vignette is not valid on a few privately-run tunnels and roads. More about that below.
A sample (“Muster”) 2022 Austrian annual (J) “Autobahnpickerl” or autobahn vignette for placement on the car’s windshield. The color of the autobahn stickers changes each year. An annual sticker is valid for a calendar year (Jan.-Dec.). PHOTO: asfinag.at
Unlike Switzerland, Austria permits drivers to purchase an Autobahnvignette for various periods of time: ten days, two months, or a full year. The so-called Mautvignette (toll sticker) must be affixed to the inside of the front windshield. The stickers come in varying colors in different years, making it easier for the police to spot an invalid Autobahnpickerl, Austrian slang for “autobahn sticker.” To prevent misuse, the stickers are also designed to tear apart if removed from the window glass.
Prices for an Austrian passenger-car vignette range from 9.90 euros for a 10-day sticker to 96.40 euros for a year (for vehicles up to 3.5 tons).* Motor homes and large vehicles over 3.5 tons must have a so-called “GO-Box” that tracks your actual mileage. If you are caught without one, the fine is 220 euros. Motorists can obtain a GO-Box at the border for a five-euro fee. You can buy an Austrian auto vignette online, at gas stations, border crossings, or post offices. It is also possible to purchase a Swiss autobahn sticker in advance, online from the German postal service (Deutsche Post), from automobile clubs, and the Swiss Tourism office in London. Tip: Sometimes people sell extra, unused vignettes on eBay or other online auction sites.
Continues below…
| Germany’s Proposed Auto Toll (Pkw-Maut)
On March 24, 2017, Germany’s lower house (Bundestag) voted to approve a proposal for Germany’s first road-toll system for private passenger vehicles (Pkw-Maut). Then-transport minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) had finalized the road toll proposal that he first introduced in 2015. Controversial from the start, the newest German road toll scheme still faced a lot of opposition. Unlike similar flat tolls in Austria and Switzerland, the German scheme would have charged for all roads and highways, including Germany’s 13,000-kilometer autobahn network. Critics said that the German plan would not bring in the revenue its proponents were promising. They also warned that the toll could lead to the privatization of Germany’s autobahns. Germany’s proposed toll would have been paid by all motorists, but German drivers would have been compensated by a refund or a reduction of their automobile registration fees. German motorists would have paid an average annual toll of 67 euros, with a maximum toll of 130 euros. Unlike its closest neighbors, there would be no toll stickers placed on the vehicle’s windshield. As in Austria, Germany would offer short-term tolls. A ten-day German toll for foreign drivers would have cost between 2.50 and 25 euros, depending on the car’s ecological rating. The two-month toll rate would have ranged between 7 and 50 euros. Enforcement would be random, using license plate scanners. – Germany’s former transport minister, Andreas Scheuer, wanted the levy to take effect in October 2020, but following the ECJ’s June 2019 ruling that the German plan violated EU law, it was on permanent hold. But as of 2022, the proposed Pkw-Maut plan was declared dead. Its failure cost German taxpayers at least 243 million euros for financial penalties and cancelled contracts. |
In addition to the normal Austrian autobahn sticker, there are tolls for several stretches on the Austrian highway network. Examples include the Brenner Pass autobahn (€11.00, one way), the Tauern autobahn (€13.50), and the Arlberg tunnel (€11.50). The new digital tolls option will save you from stopping at toll stations. Prices as of January 2023. See the asfinag.at site (in English) for current rates and more details.
Penalties
The fine in Austria for driving on the autobahn without a valid sticker: 400-4000 euros. That does not include the toll surcharge penalty (€120) that must be paid at the same time.* That means the minimum fine could cost you more than six times as much as the cost of an annual Austrian autobahn sticker!
In Switzerland, drivers caught driving on the autobahn without a sticker have to pay a fine of 100 Swiss francs plus 40 francs for the vignette (a total of about $145 USD).*
For more information (in German), see the Web links below.
*Fees and currency exchange rates vary.
Next | Driving on the Autobahn
Related Pages
AT THE GERMAN WAY
- Driving on the Autobahn – Seven rules for drivers
- The Autobahn – A history of the autobahn with practical information
- Autobahn Infographic – History and fun facts about the German autobahn in a cool graphic
- Driving in Germany – Part 1
- Driving in Germany: Rental Tips – Renting a car in Germany
- Driving: Environmental Zones – Many cities in Germany have “green zones” that require a special sticker for entry.
ON THE WEB
Auto club and other links for Austria, Germany, Switzerland:
- asfinag.at – Austrian auto toll info (digital or sticker) from ASFINAG (in English)
- ÖAMTC – The main Austrian autombile club
- EUAC – The European automobile club (Austria)
- ACS – Switzerland (Automobil Club der Schweiz)
- Highway Tolls in Europe – Current European motorway tolls/fees (Tolls.eu – in English)
- Grossglockner High Alpine Road Tolls – Current tolls/fees and opening hours for this special Austrian route with online ticketing. Also links to other Austrian scenic toll routes. (grossglockner.at – in English)
Legal Notice: We are not responsible for the content of external links.
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