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.

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.

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, including the A22 (Via do Infante) across the Algarve, plus the A23, A24, A25 and A28 among others. Driving along the Algarve coast is now toll-free. Other electronic-toll motorways still charge, 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.

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. About 48 hours after passing a gantry, the charge appears and can be paid at CTT post offices or online on the official toll payment portal, within a limited window. Miss it and the bill grows, with admin fees and then fines.

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.

Typical costs

• Lisbon → Algarve (A2): around €24 for a normal car (2026).
• Lisbon → Porto (A1): roughly similar, about €25.
• Algarve A22: free since 2025.

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

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.
• Planning a road trip? See Lisbon to the Algarve and our 10-day itinerary.

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 Spotted something out of date?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