Austria Sets 2027 Motorway Toll Vignette Increase at 2%, Below Inflation

Austria will increase its 2027 motorway vignette prices by 2%, below the latest reported inflation rate, while giving drivers until the end of 2026 to buy next year’s annual digital pass at the current price. The change comes alongside the country’s final move away from adhesive windshield toll stickers.

Motorway operator ASFINAG said Sunday, October 25, that an annual vignette for a passenger car will cost €108.90 from January 1, 2027, up from €106.80. Drivers who purchase the 2027 digital annual vignette by December 31, 2026, will still pay €106.80, and ASFINAG said the same price treatment applies to customers with an existing annual-vignette subscription.

The difference is €2.10 for an annual car pass. The new price does not take effect when sales of the 2027 product begin in early November, making the purchase date relevant for motorists planning winter travel or renewing their annual coverage. The announced increase is limited to vignette products rather than every category of toll charged on Austria’s road network.

Buying before New Year avoids the higher annual rate

ASFINAG plans to start selling 2027 digital vignettes at the beginning of November 2026. A pass bought in that presale period cannot start before December 1, according to the operator. The €106.80 price is available through the end of December, even though the new vignette year begins before the higher tariff takes effect.

That creates two separate dates to track: when a driver buys the pass and when it becomes valid. A December purchase can secure the lower 2027 annual price, but it does not necessarily authorize immediate use of the motorway. The activation rules for certain online digital purchases still apply, a distinction that may matter to travelers buying coverage shortly before a journey.

Under the regular annual-vignette arrangement, coverage spans a 14-month period, beginning December 1 before the named year and ending January 31 of the following year. This overlap is also why a physical 2026 vignette can remain valid into January 2027 despite the end of new sticker sales. The shift to digital-only tolling is therefore not identical to the December 2026 sales cutoff.

ASFINAG has said the same familiar vignette durations will remain available. Its current official vignette guidance lists one-day, ten-day, two-month and annual products for cars and motorcycles. For a passenger car, the published 2026 reference prices are €9.60 for one day, €12.80 for ten days and €32.00 for two months, alongside the €106.80 annual rate. Those are existing prices, not a confirmed itemized 2027 tariff schedule.

Sunday’s announcement specified the new annual car price but did not provide a complete table of 2027 amounts for every duration and vehicle type. Applying 2% mechanically to the current rates could produce figures that do not match the final published tariffs after rounding. Those individual prices should be checked against the 2027 schedule when ASFINAG makes it available.

A 2% adjustment against inflation of 3.6%

ASFINAG described the reduced adjustment as a way to make the changeover to digital vignettes easier for customers. The 2% increase is below the current pace of consumer-price growth, though it remains an increase in the amount drivers pay after December rather than a reduction in motorway tolls.

Austria’s statistical office reported that consumer prices were 3.6% higher in September 2026 than a year earlier. Its published CPI and harmonized inflation figures both showed a preliminary annual rate of 3.6%. That reading provides context for ASFINAG’s below-inflation description. It is not a forecast of inflation during 2027, nor should it be treated as an automatically applicable toll-pricing formula.

The distinction matters because the vignette is a time-based right to use most Austrian motorways and expressways for eligible light vehicles, not a fee charged by distance traveled. Passenger cars, motorcycles and light motorhomes within the applicable 3.5-tonne vehicle category generally use the vignette system. Heavier vehicles instead fall under the separate distance-based GO toll regime, and some tunnels and Alpine crossings have their own section-toll charges.

The operator’s announcement concerns vignette prices specifically. It does not establish a 2% increase for GO tolls or those separate section charges. Motorists comparing the total price of a cross-country trip therefore still need to distinguish the time-based vignette from any additional route-specific tolls their journey may involve.

The last sticker and the rules for digital purchases

The price decision arrives as Austria prepares to stop selling adhesive vignettes from December 1, 2026. The 2026 sticker remains valid through January 31, 2027, under the existing annual-pass rules, while ASFINAG says only digital vignettes will be valid on the relevant motorway and expressway network from February 1, 2027. The two-month overlap gives drivers holding a valid 2026 sticker time before they must move entirely to the electronic system.

Digital vignettes are already the majority choice among annual customers. ASFINAG said more than three-quarters of annual vignettes are digital, with registrations tied to the vehicle’s license plate rather than a sticker on the windshield. The company is expanding sales channels and running an information campaign for the remaining motorists who will need to switch.

Buying a digital vignette does not necessarily mean buying online. ASFINAG sells its products through its toll shop and app, as well as participating retailers, fuel stations, toll locations and vending machines. In-person and certain authorized sales channels can issue eligible digital products with immediate validity, provided the selected start date has arrived. Drivers should check the vehicle registration details and the recorded start date before entering a road where the vignette is required.

There is a specific delay for private customers buying an annual or two-month digital vignette online directly from ASFINAG. Because of consumer withdrawal rights, those products generally become valid no earlier than the 18th day after purchase. The rule does not apply to one-day or ten-day digital vignettes, which can be bought for immediate use. ASFINAG also identifies exceptions for purchases through authorized vendors and for qualifying business purchases.

For someone planning to drive in Austria at the start of December, those timing rules are at least as important as the announced price increase. The next practical milestone is the opening of 2027 digital-vignette sales in early November, ahead of the December 1 start of the new vignette’s validity period.