Portugal
Pay per distancePortugal has two kinds of motorway toll: classic barriers where you pay at a booth, and electronic-only roads with overhead gantries and no booths at all.
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Portugal has two kinds of motorway toll: classic barriers where you pay at a booth, and electronic-only roads with overhead gantries and no booths at all. On the electronic ones a foreign car must set up a payment method first, or fines arrive by post. Some former electronic roads (the A22 Algarve, A23, A24, A25) became free in 2025, but Porto-area ones (A29, A41, A42) still charge.
About €0.09 per km on toll motorways.Estimate
Barrier roads plus electronic-only roads. Roughly 0.09 euro per km with a transponder, a bit more without. An estimate.
How to buy
Where to get it
- Barrier roads (A1, A2, A3, A5): Via Verde lane, or card or cash
- EASYToll: link your card to your plate at a border Welcome Point or at easytoll.pt (valid 30 days)
- A Via Verde Visitors device, bought at a Welcome Point or a CTT post office
Step by step
- Decide your method before you drive: EASYToll for a card-linked plate, or a Via Verde device for a longer stay.
- For EASYToll, register your plate and card at a border kiosk or at easytoll.pt.
- For a device, stick it inside the windscreen; gantries and barrier lanes read it automatically.
- On a barrier road, use the Via Verde lane, or pay by card or cash.
- On an electronic-only road, you must already have EASYToll or a device; there is no booth.
- If you drove a gantry with nothing set up, pay within a few days at a CTT post office before a fine is issued.
The traps to avoid
- Porto-area roads (A29, A41, A42) are electronic-only with active tolls; without EASYToll or a device you get a fine by post.
- Rental companies often charge a daily device fee even on days you do not drive a toll road; read the agreement.
- Unpaid electronic tolls start around 25 euro per toll and the rental company adds an admin fee on top.
City & emission zones
- Lisbon low-emission zone (ZER)
Central Lisbon restricts older cars by Euro standard, enforced by camera on weekdays. Check your car's rating before driving into the centre, especially in an older rental.
Fuel
Local tips
- The A22 across the Algarve is free since 2025, but any other motorway means you should sort EASYToll or a device first.
- EASYToll takes about five minutes at a border kiosk; bring your plate number and a Visa or Mastercard.
- Rental Via Verde daily fees add up; for a longer trip compare them against registering EASYToll yourself.
- Keep your EASYToll or device receipt in case a fine arrives after you are home.
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