For the same mileage, not all motorways display the same prices. And French motorists will perhaps not be surprised to learn that the most expensive in Europe is located on our territory.
Before going on vacation, the question always comes up: is it more advantageous to take the car or the train? Both have their arguments, but often the car appears to be the most economical solution for the whole family, despite the price of gasoline and tolls. But we don’t pay the same price on all highways!
Of course, the toll price depends on the category of vehicle you drive and the distance you travel, but despite these criteria, some infrastructures remain more expensive than others. This disparity is explained firstly by geography: crossing a plain costs much less to build and maintain than drilling tunnels or erecting viaducts in the mountains. In addition, the most recent highways still have to pay off significant construction debts, while prices also depend on the negotiations of concession contracts concluded between the State and the various private companies.
So, which highway holds the record for the most expensive? To find out, you must first avoid a classic trap: confusing a holiday route (like Paris-Marseille or Paris-Nice, which combine several different routes) and a single motorway under one and the same number.
If we stick to this strict definition, the champion is found in France: it is the A10 which connects Paris and Bordeaux, the total cost of which amounts to more than 60 euros. It beats its Italian rivals like the famous A1 (Milan – Naples) at 61.30 euros – which has a slightly higher total price but which extends over 200 kilometers more – and the A14 (Bologna – Taranto) which is also close to 60 euros. But in terms of distance, the French A10 wins hands down with a cost of around 11 euro cents per kilometer, compared to 8 cents for the Italian A1 for example.
Conversely, to reduce the cost of vacations, other European countries offer radically different and much more competitive models. This is the case in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, where almost the entire motorway network is free for private cars. Other neighbors have opted for the vignette system: in Switzerland, a single package of 42 francs (around 44 euros) gives unlimited access to the network for a year, while Romania is crowned among the least expensive with an annual vignette at just 28 euros. But the most affordable highway in Europe is in North Macedonia, where the total crossing of 170 kilometers costs no more than 7 euros.
Between total free access and record rates, the European toll map is therefore very heterogeneous. An economic reality to keep in mind when planning your summer itinerary, because branching off a major road or crossing a border can radically change the final budget of your trip. In France, the Vinci Autoroutes website offers a simulator to calculate the total cost of tolls along your journey.
