Portugal Tolls Explained: How to Pay (and Avoid Fines)

Portugal’s motorway tolls confuse almost every visitor who hires a car. Some roads have booths, some only have cameras, some are now free, and unpaid tolls can turn into fines weeks after you get home. Here’s how it works in plain English.

Quick answer: when you hire a car, add the rental company’s electronic toll device (usually Via Verde). It pays every toll automatically, and you’re charged afterwards. That’s it. No queues, no fines, no paperwork.

Why it’s worth understanding

Portugal’s motorways (autoestradas, marked with an A number and blue signs) are fast, well kept and often almost empty. Most of them charge tolls, and the way you pay depends on the road. Get it wrong and nothing happens on the day, but a bill with admin fees can follow weeks later, often through your rental company. Ten minutes of reading here saves that hassle.

Two kinds of toll roads

• Traditional tolls: you take a ticket when you join and pay at a booth when you leave (cash or card), or drive through the “Via Verde” lane with a device. Example: the A1 (Lisbon–Porto) and A2 (Lisbon–Algarve).
• Electronic-only tolls: no booths at all, just gantries with cameras that read your number plate. Without a device or a registered card, you have to pay afterwards yourself. Signs saying “Electronic toll only” warn you before you join.

Good news: some motorways are now free

From 1 January 2025, Portugal scrapped tolls on several former “SCUT” motorways in the interior and the Algarve. These were mostly electronic-only roads, so this removed many of the gantries that caught visitors out. The roads now free are:

• A22 (Via do Infante): the motorway across the Algarve, from the Spanish border to Lagos. Driving along the Algarve coast is now toll-free.
• A4 beyond Amarante: the Transmontana section towards Vila Real and Bragança, including the Marão tunnel.
• A13 and A13-1: the Pinhal Interior roads in central Portugal.
• A23: Beira Interior, from Torres Novas towards Castelo Branco and Guarda.
• A24: Interior Norte, from Viseu north to Chaves.
• A25: Beiras Litoral and Alta, from Aveiro to Vilar Formoso on the Spanish border.
• A28 (part): only the stretches between Esposende and Antas, and between Neiva and Darque. Other parts of the A28 north of Porto still charge.

The big routes most visitors use still charge: the A1 (Lisbon–Porto), the A2 (Lisbon–Algarve) and the A4 between Porto and Amarante, along with many others, including the A6 to Évora and Spain and several electronic-only motorways around Porto. So you still need a way to pay.

How to pay as a visitor

1. Rental car toll device (easiest)

Almost every rental company offers a Via Verde (or similar) transponder for a small daily fee, usually capped. The tolls are charged to your card after the rental. This is what most of our members recommend. Just make sure it’s switched on and fitted when you collect the car. See our car rental guide.

2. Your own car: EASYToll

Driving in from Spain? At EASYToll points near the main border crossings (on the A22 near Vila Real de Santo António, the A25 at Vilar Formoso, the A28 near Viana do Castelo, and near Chaves), you link your number plate to your bank card at a machine, and electronic tolls are charged automatically. These points are still open even though some of those border roads are now free, because the registration covers tolled motorways elsewhere in the country. You can also register online before you set off. It lasts about 30 days and carries a small service fee.

3. Toll Card

A prepaid card (sold at post offices and some service areas) that you activate by text message. Tolls are deducted as you drive. Handy for short trips, but watch the balance.

4. Via Verde Visitors

A rentable Via Verde device for visitors in their own car, with a refundable deposit. It works on both traditional and electronic tolls.

5. Pay afterwards at CTT

No device? You can still pay, but only if the car has Portuguese plates, which includes most hire cars. About two working days (48 hours) after passing a gantry, the charge appears and can be paid at CTT post offices, Payshop agents or online on the official toll payment portal, up to 15 working days after the trip. A small admin fee is added per gantry. Miss the window and the bill grows, with extra costs and then fines. Cars with foreign plates can’t use this option, so register with EASYToll or buy a Toll Card before you drive.

Traditional booths: what to do

• Take a ticket on the way in. Use the lanes marked with a ticket symbol, not “Via Verde” (unless you have a device).
• Pay on the way out by card or cash. Lanes marked “Cartões” accept cards.
• With a rental transponder, use the green “V” Via Verde lanes and drive straight through.
• Lost your ticket? You’ll usually be charged the highest fare on that motorway, so keep it somewhere safe.

Typical costs

• Lisbon → Algarve (A2): about €23.80 for a normal car (2026).
• Lisbon → Porto (A1): about €25.05 (2026).
• Towards Évora and Spain (A2/A6, Marateca to Caia): about €15.40 (2026).
• Algarve A22: free since 2025.

Prices rise slightly each January, so check before you travel.

Vehicle class matters: these prices are for Class 1, which covers ordinary cars. Taller vehicles, such as some vans, large SUVs and campervans, can fall into Class 2 or higher and pay more. A car towing a trailer or caravan also pays more.

Planning a route without tolls

You can avoid tolls by setting your sat-nav or Google Maps to “avoid tolls”. The old national roads (marked N or EN) are free and often scenic, but much slower, with roundabouts, villages and lorries. A mix often works best: motorway for the long stretch, then back roads for the pretty part. See driving in Portugal and the best road trips in Portugal.

FAQ

Is the A22 in the Algarve still free?

Yes. Tolls on the A22 ended on 1 January 2025, along with the A23, A24, A25, A13 and the A4 beyond Amarante.

What happens if I don’t pay an electronic toll?

With Portuguese plates you have 15 working days to pay at CTT, Payshop or online. After that, extra costs and then fines are added, and with a hire car the rental company passes the bill on with its own admin fee.

Can I pay tolls in a foreign-registered car?

Yes. Register your plate and bank card with EASYToll, online or at a border point, buy a Toll Card, or rent a Via Verde Visitors device.

Tips from our groups

• Don’t skip the toll device to save a few euros. Fines and rental-company admin fees can cost far more.
• Keep your rental contract until the final toll charges have gone through, which can take a few weeks.
• Bridges into Lisbon (25 de Abril and Vasco da Gama) charge tolls only heading into Lisbon.
• Old advice is out of date: guides and forum posts from before 2025 may tell you to pay for the A22 or A25. Those roads are now free.
• Planning a road trip? See Lisbon to the Algarve and our 10-day itinerary.

See also: parking in Lisbon.

Prices and details change, so please double-check before you travel. Spotted something out of date? Tell us in the groups.