Most motorways in Spain charge nothing. Spain's transport ministry counts 12,091 km of motorways and multi-lane roads in the state network, and 1,435 km of them are autopistas where the user pays directly. The AP-7 along the Mediterranean from the French border at La Jonquera to Alicante, the route most holiday drivers use, is free. This guide shows where road tolls in Spain remain, what a car pays in 2026, when the summer tariff applies and how you pay, from the ministry's pages and the traffic authority DGT, read on 17 October 2026.
Where Spanish motorway tolls remain
The ministry names these as the main toll axes:
- the AP-7 between Málaga and Guadiaro, on the Costa del Sol;
- the AP-68 from Bilbao to Zaragoza;
- the AP-9 in Galicia, the Atlantic motorway;
- the AP-66 and AP-71 around León;
- the radial roads into Madrid: R-2, R-3, R-4, R-5, AP-41, M-12 and AP-36;
- the AP-6, AP-51 and AP-61 between Madrid, Segovia and Ávila.
Its list of current toll autopistas has twelve stretches, each with its own tariff table, including the AP-46 near Málaga, the AP-53 at Santiago de Compostela and the AP-7 from Alicante to Cartagena. All of this is the state network; regional toll roads are not on the ministry's pages, and this guide did not read any.
The motorways that stopped charging
The ministry gives the dates itself:
| Road | Toll ended |
|---|---|
| AP-1 Burgos to Armiñón | 30 November 2018 |
| AP-4 Seville to Cádiz and AP-7 Tarragona to Valencia to Alicante | 31 December 2019 |
| AP-7 Tarragona to La Jonquera and AP-2 Zaragoza to El Vendrell (477 km) | 31 August 2021 |
On the AP-7 you therefore pay nothing from the French border to Barcelona, Valencia and Alicante. The press release of 30 December 2025 adds that the AP-7 Alicante bypass became free to use after a decision of the Council of Ministers on 9 December 2025.
What a car pays in 2026
The ministry's tables quote euros for "ligeros". The AP-68 table defines them as motorcycles, cars without a trailer or with a trailer without twin wheels, and two-axle vans. Concession tariffs rose by between 3.64 and 4.68 percent on 1 January 2026, depending on the concession. These are the amounts for a car from the tables in force since that date:
| Stretch | Car, 2026 |
|---|---|
| AP-68 Bilbao to Logroño | 19.60 euros |
| AP-68 Bilbao to Zaragoza | 39.90 euros |
| AP-7 Málaga to Marbella | 5.70 euros normal, 9.25 euros special |
| AP-7 Málaga to Estepona | 9.55 euros normal, 15.50 euros special |
| AP-7 Estepona to Guadiaro | 2.45 euros normal, 4.05 euros special |
| AP-7 Alicante to Cartagena, Los Montesinos plaza | 2.85 euros low season, 5.10 euros high season |
Driving from Málaga to Guadiaro means two tables. Adding them gives 12.00 euros at the normal tariff and 19.55 euros at the special one; that sum is ours, not a figure from the ministry.
Normal and special tariff
On the AP-7 at Málaga the special tariff applies to drivers who are not registered as regular users, in June, July, August and September and on 17 days at Easter, from the Friday of the Semana de Pasión to the Sunday after Easter. The normal tariff applies to regular users all year and to everyone else the rest of the year. Regular status needs at least 60 passages in the previous four months, using a magnetic card or similar system. On the Alicante to Cartagena stretch the same months are high season, and regular status needs 80 passages, paid by card or dynamic toll. A visitor will normally pay the higher rate in summer.
Madrid radials and the night window
The roads run by the state company SEITT, the Madrid radials, the AP-36, the AP-41 and the AP-7 between Cartagena and Vera, were up 2 percent in 2026 and stay free between 0:00 and 6:00 every day of the year, the ministry says.
The AP-68 after 10 November 2026
In its list of concessions that end in the coming years, the ministry shows the AP-68 Bilbao to Zaragoza, run by AVASA, ending on 10 November 2026 over 294.4 km. A royal decree of 9 September 2026 (Real Decreto 730/2026, in the BOE of 11 September 2026) gives the same end date and says the stretches through the Basque Country and Navarre are not part of the state network. The government's written answer to questions in the Congreso de los Diputados, dated 23 February 2026, says what follows: the state stretches, through La Rioja and Aragón, become toll-free from the day after the concession ends, and the authorities that own the other stretches (the provincial councils of Bizkaia and Araba and the government of Navarre) decide on tolls there. The rates in the table above are the 2026 tariff, so before an AP-68 drive after that date, check what applies on the stretch you will use.
How you pay road tolls in Spain
According to the DGT, you generally take a ticket at the entrance and pay at the exit, and some roads charge the whole stretch in one payment. Payment is in cash or by bank card at the plaza. Rates are regulated and the operator cannot change them, though the price can vary with vehicle type and time of day. If you have a telepeaje device, the DGT says to check that it is valid in Spain. Anyone who prefers not to pay has a free route on an ordinary road, it adds.
The next border has its own system: Portugal's electronic-only motorways have no booths, and a foreign car needs a payment method before it enters. If you drive down through France, the French toll system and how to pay comes first; papers, limits and fines for Spain itself are in driving in Spain.
What BlitzBuddy does in Spain
BlitzBuddy does not pay or work out tolls. In Spain it gives no speed camera warnings; those come on by themselves when you enter the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France or Türkiye. The camera rules country by country are in where speed camera warnings are allowed. More on tolls, vignettes and low emission zones is under driving abroad. BlitzBuddy is free, with no ads and no subscription. It is available for iPhone; the Android version is coming soon.
Sources
- Peajes dependientes de la Administración General del Estado, Ministerio de Transportes y Movilidad Sostenible (in Spanish)
- Autopistas de peaje actuales, Ministerio de Transportes y Movilidad Sostenible (in Spanish)
- Transportes aprueba la actualización de los peajes de las autopistas para 2026, Ministerio de Transportes y Movilidad Sostenible (press release of 30 December 2025, in Spanish)
- Peajes vigentes desde el 01/01/2026 en la autopista AP-68, Bilbao-Zaragoza, Ministerio de Transportes y Movilidad Sostenible (pdf)
- Peajes vigentes desde el 01/01/2026 en la autopista AP-7, Málaga-Estepona, Ministerio de Transportes y Movilidad Sostenible (pdf)
- Peajes vigentes desde el 01/01/2026 en la autopista AP-7, Estepona-Guadiaro, Ministerio de Transportes y Movilidad Sostenible (pdf)
- Peajes vigentes desde el 01/01/2026 en la autopista AP-7, Alicante-Cartagena, Ministerio de Transportes y Movilidad Sostenible (pdf)
- Real Decreto 730/2026, de 9 de septiembre, Boletín Oficial del Estado (11 September 2026, pdf, in Spanish)
- Respuesta del Gobierno a las preguntas escritas 184/32506, 184/32507, 184/32509 y 184/32510, Congreso de los Diputados (government answer of 23 February 2026, pdf, in Spanish)
- Otros aspectos de interés (peajes, radares), Dirección General de Tráfico (in Spanish)
Sources read on 17 October 2026 and checked again the same day.
Frequently asked questions
Do you have to pay tolls on Spanish motorways?
On some. Spain's transport ministry counts 12,091 km of motorways and multi-lane roads in the state network, of which 1,435 km are autopistas that charge the user directly. The AP-7 between La Jonquera and Alicante is free.
Is the AP-7 free in Spain?
Between La Jonquera and Alicante, yes, according to the ministry. It still charges between Málaga and Guadiaro and between Alicante and Cartagena.
How much is the toll from Málaga to Marbella?
5.70 euros at the normal tariff and 9.25 euros at the special tariff for a car, in the ministry's table valid since 1 January 2026. The special tariff applies in the summer months and around Easter to drivers who are not registered regulars.
How do you pay Spanish motorway tolls?
At the toll plaza, in cash or by bank card, says the DGT. On a closed section you take a ticket on entry and pay on exit; some sections have a single payment for the whole stretch.
Can you drive in Spain without paying tolls?
Yes. The DGT says there is always a free route on an ordinary road, and most of the state motorway network charges nothing.
