Toll motorways in Spain and Vía T: a practical guide for 2026

What to do before you set off

If you are going to drive on toll motorways in Spain, it helps to be clear on three things: which roads charge, how you are going to pay and whether your journey falls within a free period. In short:

• Check whether your route uses a concession motorway or one managed by SEITT, because the pricing and timing rules differ.
• Carry a card, cash or a Vía T device. All three payment methods are accepted on SEITT motorways.
• If you are travelling at night around Madrid, Toledo, Ocaña or Murcia and Almería, remember that SEITT roads do not charge between 0:00 and 6:00.
• If you use Vía T on a closed toll section, always enter and leave through Vía T lanes.

The current tolls have applied since 1 January 2026.

Which motorways still charge tolls

The Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility distinguishes between two groups of state toll motorways.

State concession motorways

These are operated by a concession company under contract with the State. According to the order updating tolls for 2026, they are:

• AP-9
• AP-6, AP-51 and AP-61
• AP-46
• AP-53
• AP-66
• AP-7 Alicante-Cartagena
• AP-7 Málaga-Guadiaro
• AP-68
• AP-71

Motorways managed by SEITT

The State Land Transport Infrastructure Company (SEITT) manages another group, concentrated mainly around Madrid:

• R-2 Madrid-Guadalajara
• R-3 Madrid-Arganda del Rey
• R-4 Madrid-Ocaña
• R-5 Madrid-Navalcarnero
• M-12, the airport link, between the A-10 and the M-40
• AP-36 Ocaña-La Roda
• AP-41 Madrid-Toledo
• AP-7 Cartagena-Vera

There is a small discrepancy between official sources here. In the 2025 toll resolution, SEITT lists the AP-7 Cartagena-Vera and the Alicante Ring Road. However, the Ministry’s note on the 2026 tolls mentions only the AP-7 Cartagena-Vera. If you plan to use the Alicante Ring Road, check the Ministry’s list of current tolls before you travel.

One example of how charging is split within a single road is the AP-41: SEITT gives 51.80 km of tolled road and 27.00 km toll free. Its main-line toll stations are at Madrid, km point 6+350, and Toledo, km point 45+800, and it has slip-road tolls at Serranillos, Carranque, Illescas and Numancia de la Sagra.

What Vía T is and how it works

According to SEITT’s frequently asked questions, Vía T is the electronic toll system used on almost the entire Spanish toll motorway network. It lets you pay without stopping the vehicle.

It works simply:

• You fit an electronic Vía T device to the windscreen, following the provider’s instructions.
• You drive through the toll station lanes that accept the system.
• An antenna reads the device’s data by microwave and charges the toll to the linked bank account or card.
• If the reading is correct, the device beeps, the light turns green and the barrier lifts.
• You can cross the toll plaza at a speed of between 20 and 40 km/h.

With Vía T you do not need to take a ticket at closed tolls: simply drive through the appropriate lane.

Interoperability of electronic toll systems on state roads is governed by Royal Decree 94/2006 of 3 February, as noted in a Ministry technical annex on the AP-46 toll. The Ministry also has a section on the European Electronic Toll Service (EETS) on its toll motorways page, useful if you drive a vehicle with an electronic toll device contracted outside Spain.

Where to get Vía T

SEITT makes clear that Vía T is a payment system independent of the company and is accepted on any national toll motorway. The list of issuing providers can be found at www.viat.es. If you took out Vía T through a non-bank provider, that provider will send you the invoices.

If Vía T gives an error

If there is no beep or more than one, the reading has failed: the light stays red and the barrier stays down. SEITT recommends:

• Checking that the device has not expired.
• Making sure it is correctly placed on the windscreen, according to the provider’s instructions.
• If it still does not work, contacting the issuing provider to explain the problem.

How to pay the toll

At all SEITT tolls you can pay in three ways: cash, card or Vía T. The 2025 resolution specifies that, without a TAG, credit card, contactless or cash are accepted.

SEITT recommends Vía T for convenience, because it lets you enter and leave tolls through a dedicated lane without stopping at barriers or booths, according to its Easter note.

If you need an invoice for journeys paid in cash, SEITT says you must attach the original ticket and make a monthly request.

Prices: what has changed in 2026

Concession motorways

Since 1 January 2026, tolls on state concession motorways have risen by between 3.64% and 4.68%, depending on the concession. These are the rises approved by the Ministry:

• AP-9: 4.68%
• AP-6, AP-51 and AP-61: 3.64%
• AP-46: 4.68%
• AP-53: 3.64%
• AP-66: 3.64%
• AP-7 Alicante-Cartagena: 4.68%
• AP-7 Málaga-Guadiaro: 3.64%
• AP-68: 3.64%
• AP-71: 3.64%

The Ministry explains that the rise mainly reflects the consumer price index and the gradual withdrawal of a subsidy created at the end of 2022 to cap the 2023 increase at 4%. In 2026 that subsidy amounts to 15 million euros and is due to disappear at the end of 2026. Without it, the rises would have ranged from 4.72% to 5.86%.

SEITT motorways

On SEITT roads, tolls rise by 2% in 2026 for all vehicle categories, under the Council of Ministers Agreement of 3 December 2024.

The basis for calculation is the per kilometre rate approved for 2025, in force since 1 January 2025, which distinguishes between payment with a TAG (Vía T) and without:

• Light vehicles with TAG: 0.0827 euros per km
• Light vehicles without TAG: 0.0927 euros per km
• Heavy vehicles 1 with TAG: 0.1194 euros per km
• Heavy vehicles 1 without TAG: 0.1298 euros per km
• Heavy vehicles 2 with TAG: 0.1671 euros per km
• Heavy vehicles 2 without TAG: 0.1854 euros per km

The final amount depends on the distance travelled and the vehicle category, and is always a multiple of 5 euro cents. These 2025 rates replaced those that had been frozen since 2018.

Checks and unpaid tolls

Toll stations identify and classify the vehicles entering each lane, and the system generates images and video linked to each transaction, according to the Ministry’s technical annex on the AP-46.

If you have left a journey unpaid, SEITT offers two ways to settle it:

• Contact any of its customer service channels, which will give you the details to pay by bank transfer.
• Pay for the journey at any manual toll booth on the same motorway where the debt arose.

The official sources do not specify the amount of fines for non-payment, so the sensible course is to settle as soon as possible.

Exceptions, free stretches and discounts

Free at night on SEITT roads

All motorways managed by SEITT are free between 0:00 and 6:00, every day of the year. SEITT is keeping this night-time exemption in 2026.

Free stretches on the AP-9

On the AP-9, the stretches between Morrazo and Vigo and between A Coruña and Barcala are free for drivers, because the State pays a shadow toll.

Discounts for regular users

The Ministry maintains discounts for frequent users of state toll motorways. Between 2023 and 2025, more than 73 million euros went towards this measure. Some examples:

• AP-9: regular-user discounts approved in 2021 and extended in December 2024.
• AP-53: since April 2025, the same discounts as on the AP-9.
• AP-66: discounts for heavy vehicles and for regular light vehicles.
• AP-68: discounts for light and heavy vehicles since 2009, last updated in 2021.
• AP-71, AP-46, AP-51, AP-61, AP-7 Málaga-Guadiaro and AP-7 Alicante-Cartagena: regular-user discounts or reduced rates at certain times since they opened.

The Ministry publishes details of the AP-9, AP-66 and AP-53 discounts on its toll motorways page.

Which tolls have been removed

The official sources do not provide a list of abolished tolls. What is useful for drivers is the opposite: the Ministry publishes a list of current tolls and a map of the state toll network, and only the motorways mentioned in this guide appear in the 2026 toll update.

As a pointer, a Ministry technical document on the A-12 dual carriageway in Burgos mentions the AP-1 motorway, the demolition of its toll plazas and the installation of new traffic counting stations on the main carriageway, as well as the transfer of ownership of one stretch to the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country. If your route uses a motorway not on the lists above, check the official map before setting off.

Pre-trip checklist

• Check the Ministry’s list to see whether your route includes any toll motorway.
• Choose your payment method: card, cash or Vía T.
• If you have Vía T, check that it has not expired and is correctly placed on the windscreen.
• On closed tolls, use the same type of lane on entry and exit.
• If you are driving on SEITT roads, consider travelling between 0:00 and 6:00.
• If you regularly use the AP-9, AP-53, AP-66 or AP-68, find out about the discounts.
• If you leave a toll unpaid, settle it by transfer or at a manual booth on the same motorway.