Which situation you are in

Austria charges light vehicles in two ways. Most motorways (Autobahnen) and expressways (Schnellstraßen) need a time-based vignette. A handful of Alpine tunnel and pass sections charge a per-trip section toll (Streckenmaut) instead, and those sections do not need a vignette (oesterreich.gv.at, section toll).

What you have to do depends mostly on where the car is registered.

Your rental Vignette Section tolls What to check at pickup
Austrian plates, picked up in Vienna or elsewhere in Austria Normally included by the rental company You pay at the toll station That the vignette is valid for your dates
Foreign plates, picked up in Munich, Prague, Bratislava or Budapest You buy it for the car's plate You pay at the toll station The exact plate and country of registration
Foreign plates, route only inside the vignette-free border stretches Not needed on those stretches Not relevant Where exactly you leave the motorway

SIXT states that its Austrian rental cars carry a vignette and that special section tolls are not included and must be paid by the renter at the toll station (SIXT Austria). Europcar Austria's rental terms say the same about vignettes and make the renter liable for all tolls incurred (Europcar Austria terms). Smaller or broker-booked companies may differ, so ask.

How much is an Austrian vignette in 2026?

Prices below apply to cars, vans and light motorhomes up to 3.5 tonnes for the 2026 vignette year (oesterreich.gv.at; ÖAMTC).

Vignette Car Bought online by a consumer Bought at an outlet
1 day €9.60 Valid immediately Valid immediately
10 days €12.80 Valid immediately Valid immediately
2 months €32.00 Valid from the 18th day after purchase Valid immediately
Annual 2026 €106.80 Valid from the 18th day after purchase Valid immediately

The 18-day delay exists because consumers have a 14-day right to withdraw from an online purchase, plus three days allowed for post (ASFINAG). It applies to digital 2-month and annual vignettes bought through the ASFINAG toll shop or app. The 1-day vignette exists only in digital form. The annual 2026 vignette runs from 1 December 2025 to 31 January 2027.

ÖAMTC sells digital vignettes at its service centres and border stations with immediate validity, including the annual one (ÖAMTC). ADAC warns about unofficial reseller websites that add surcharges to the official price (ADAC).

Should you buy a 1-day or 10-day vignette in Austria?

Two 1-day vignettes cost €19.20, which is more than one 10-day vignette at €12.80. So the 1-day product only makes sense when you use Austrian motorways on a single day, such as a transit drive from Germany to Italy or Slovenia. For any trip with motorway driving on two or more days within ten days, the 10-day vignette is cheaper.

For a stay of more than ten days with a foreign-plated car, the 2-month vignette (€32.00) is cheaper than two 10-day vignettes (€25.60) only if you need a third period. Buy it at an outlet if your trip starts within 18 days, because online it would not yet be valid.

Section tolls in 2026

These are single-trip prices for vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes from 1 January 2026, as announced by ASFINAG and reproduced by ADAC (LOGISTIK express, ASFINAG tariffs; ADAC).

Section Typical use Car, single trip
A13 Brenner motorway Innsbruck to Italy €12.50
A10 Tauern motorway (Tauern and Katschberg tunnels) Salzburg to Villach and Slovenia or Italy €15.00
S16 Arlberg tunnel Tyrol to Vorarlberg €13.00
A9 Pyhrn, Gleinalm tunnel Linz to Graz €12.00
A9 Pyhrn, Bosruck tunnel Linz to Graz €7.00
A11 Karawanken tunnel Villach to Slovenia €9.00

You can pay at the toll station in cash or by card, buy in advance from the ASFINAG toll shop or outlets, or register for the digital FLEX section toll that bills afterwards (oesterreich.gv.at). For a single trip in a rental car, the booth is the simplest option. For card and cash habits in Austria generally, see cash vs card payments in Vienna.

Privately run Alpine roads such as the Grossglockner High Alpine Road charge their own tolls and are not covered by the vignette or the rental price.

Worked example: a Munich rental to Italy via the Brenner

A traveller collects a German-plated car at Munich airport, drives through Tyrol on the A12 and continues over the Brenner to Verona in one day.

  • The A12 in Austria needs a vignette beyond the vignette-free stretch at Kufstein. A 1-day digital vignette costs €9.60 and is valid immediately if bought online before the border.
  • The Brenner section is paid separately: €12.50 at the toll station.
  • Austrian total: €22.10 one way, before Italian motorway tolls.

If the same traveller skipped the vignette and was stopped, the substitute toll for a car in 2026 is €200 (ADAC; ÖAMTC). If a camera caught the car instead, the demand goes to the registered keeper, which is the rental company. Europcar Austria charges a €40 processing fee per fine or notice on top of the amount itself (Europcar Austria terms); the European Consumer Centre Austria reports fees of roughly €30 to €50 across rental companies (ECC Austria). That turns a €9.60 purchase into a bill of around €240.

How do you buy a digital vignette for a rental car in Austria?

What happens if you drive in Austria without a vignette?

A police or toll officer can collect the substitute toll on the spot. If it arrives later by letter, the deadline is four weeks from the date the demand was issued, according to ADAC. If it stays unpaid, the case becomes an administrative offence with a fine of €300 to €3,000 (oesterreich.gv.at).

With a rental car, the company receives the demand first. It may pay and recharge your card with its fee, or pass your details to the authority so the notice is sent to your home address. Paying the substitute toll yourself within the deadline is usually the cheaper route, so ask the company to forward the demand rather than settle it.

For speed limits, winter tyres and how traffic fines reach renters, see driving rules and fines in Austria for visitors.