Exploring Austria's Autobahn: A Fast-Paced Adventure

Austria's Autobahn is a controlled-access highway system. Unlike Germany, Austria has a strict speed limit of 130 km/h (81 mph) on its motorways, as well as a road tax and other rules regarding environmental factors. All Austrian motorways and expressways are subject to tolls, which can be paid for with a vignette, a prepaid road tax issued as either a physical or digital sticker. The vignette must be displayed on the inside of the vehicle's windshield and costs €93.80 for a car or €37.20 for a motorbike annually.

Austria's motorway toll sticker

Austria has a well-developed road network, including motorways ("Autobahn") and expressways ("S" roads). All of these roads are subject to tolls, which can be paid for with a vignette, or toll sticker. The vignette is a simple sticker that you place on the inside of your windscreen. It is available as a physical or digital sticker.

Physical Stickers

Physical toll stickers can be purchased from Austrian Automobile Clubs, post offices, newsagents, and petrol stations. They can also be bought in neighbouring countries at petrol stations, borders, and Automobile Clubs. If you are renting a car, it's a good idea to check with the rental agency if your vehicle is equipped with a vignette.

The vignette must be stuck to the inside of your windscreen, either on the top left-hand edge or behind the rear-view mirror. It should not be covered by any tinting strips. For motorbikes, the vignette must be affixed to a component that is difficult to remove, such as the fork leg or tank, and clearly visible.

Digital Stickers

Digital vignettes can be purchased online through the ASFINAG online shop or the ASFINAG app "Unterwegs". They are available for 1 day, 10 days, 2 months, or 1 year. Digital vignettes for 1 year and 2 months are only valid from the 18th day after the online purchase, while the 1-day and 10-day vignettes are valid immediately.

Digital vignettes can also be purchased at physical sales offices or vending machines. In this case, all vignettes are valid immediately.

Vignette Costs

The cost of the vignette depends on the type of vehicle and the duration of validity. Here are the prices as of December 1st, 2024:

• 10-day vignette: €9.40 for passenger cars, €5.40 for motorbikes
• Two-month vignette: €27.40 for passenger cars, €13.70 for motorbikes
• Annual vignette: €91.10 for passenger cars, €36.20 for motorbikes

Exemptions and Additional Tolls

There are some exceptions to the vignette requirement. The following toll roads do not require a vignette:

• A 1 Westautobahn between the state border at Walserberg and the Salzburg Nord junction
• A 12 Inntal motorway between the state border at Kufstein and the Kufstein-Süd junction
• A 14 Rheintal/Walgau motorway between the state border at Hörbranz and the Hohenems junction
• A 26 Linz motorway (currently under construction)

Additionally, there are some toll roads in Austria where the vignette alone is not enough, and you will need to pay an extra toll. These include:

• Europabrucke in Innsbruck, the viaduct after the Brenner border
• Bosrucktunnel, along the A9 motorway between Graz and Linz
• Gleinalm Tunnel, along the A9 motorway
• The road to St. Anton am Arlberg from Innsbruck to the Swiss border
• Tauerntunnel, along the A10 motorway
• Karawankentunnel, between Austria and Slovenia

Enforcement and Penalties

The use of vignettes on Austrian motorways and expressways has been compulsory since 1997. Failure to display a valid vignette when driving on these roads can result in heavy, on-the-spot fines ranging from €300 to €3,000. Even if you have a valid vignette, not displaying it correctly can also result in a fine.

Toll controls on the roads are carried out by staff members of the Austrian publicly-owned corporation ASFiNAG. In addition to manual controls, toll stickers are monitored using cameras that record and store images of number plates and windscreens.

GO-Box for Heavy Vehicles

The vignette is only valid for passenger cars with a total weight of up to 3.5 tonnes and for motorbikes. For vehicles exceeding 3.5 tonnes, such as heavy goods vehicles, buses, and heavy mobile homes, a different toll system called GO-Box is required. The GO-Box is a kilometre-based electronic toll system that communicates with toll gantries to ensure correct payment.

Speed limits

Austria has a well-developed road network, and its Autobahn is a controlled-access highway system. Unlike neighbouring Germany, Austria has a strict speed limit on its motorways, which is set at 130 km/h (81 mph) for motorbikes and cars, unless stated otherwise. For vehicles with a light trailer, the national speed limit is 100 km/h. There are varying speed limits for vehicles with larger trailers or those with a heavy weight, and certain trucks are subject to a 60 km/h speed limit at night.

To ensure compliance with the speed limits, Austria operates on a vignette system, which is a prepaid road tax issued as either a physical sticker for the windscreen or digitally. Failure to display a valid vignette sticker can result in heavy fines.

Rules of the road

Austria has a well-developed road network with a strict speed limit and other rules regarding road tax and environmental factors. Here are the rules of the road you need to know when driving on the autobahn in Austria:

Speed Limits

There is a general speed limit of 130 km/h on Austrian motorways and expressways. However, on some sections, the limit is reduced to 100 km/h, which is indicated by a sign. The Austrian Immssion protection law IG-L allows for temporary and spatial restrictions of speed limits to address air pollution. In the city areas of Vienna and Salzburg, the speed limit is usually 100 km/h or 80 km/h. It's important to follow the posted speed limits to avoid fines and ensure safety.

Tolls and Vignettes

All Austrian motorways ("Autobahn") and expressways ("S" roads) are subject to tolls. To use these roads, you need to purchase a vignette, which is a toll sticker. Vignettes are available for different durations: 10 days, two months, or one year. They must be displayed on the inside of the windshield of your vehicle as you enter Austria and cannot be removed or tampered with. The fine for not having a valid vignette is €120 for cars and camper vans, and €65 for motorcycles.

GO-Box for Heavy Vehicles

For vehicles with a permissible maximum weight exceeding 3.5 tons, such as heavy goods vehicles, buses, and heavy mobile homes, a separate toll system applies. These vehicles require a "GO-Box," which is a kilometre-based electronic toll system. The GO-Box communicates with overhead toll gantries to ensure the correct payment of the toll.

Emergency Lanes

One important rule on Austrian motorways is the formation of emergency lanes in case of traffic congestion. In the event of a traffic jam, drivers are required to create an emergency corridor to allow quick and safe access for emergency vehicles. This involves driving as far to the left or right as possible, depending on the lane, and positioning the vehicle parallel to the emergency lane. Failure to comply with this rule can result in fines of up to €2180.

Other Important Rules

• Seat belts: Wearing seat belts is mandatory in Austria. Children under 14 years old and shorter than 150 cm must use appropriate child seats.
• Mobile phone usage: Using a mobile phone while driving is only permitted with a hands-free device that can be operated with one hand and does not interfere with driving.
• Motorcycle helmets: Wearing helmets is mandatory for motorcyclists in Austria.
• First aid kit and safety equipment: Every driver must carry a first aid kit, a warning triangle, and a reflective safety vest, which must be presented during a traffic check.
• Winter equipment: From November 1st to April 15th, winter equipment is mandatory. Vehicles must have winter tyres on all four wheels or snow chains on at least two drive wheels.
• Alcohol limits: The legal blood alcohol limit for driving is 0.5 milligrams per millilitre, and it's lower for provisional licence holders and lorry and bus drivers at 0.1 milligrams.

Exemptions to the Vignette requirement

Austria's Autobahn is a controlled-access highway system, similar to the German Autobahn. All motorways and expressways in Austria are subject to tolls. The toll sticker, or Vignette, is compulsory for all vehicles up to and including 3.5 tonnes of technically permissible maximum laden mass (TPMLM).

There are some exemptions to the Vignette requirement. The following stretches of road are exempt from the compulsory Vignette usage:

• The toll road A 1 Westautobahn between the national border at Walserberg and the Salzburg Nord junction.
• The toll road A 12 Inntalautobahn between the national border at Kufstein and the Kufstein-Süd junction.
• The toll road A 14 Rheintal/Walgau Autobahn between the national border at Hörbranz and the Hohenems junction.
• The toll road A 26 Linzer Autobahn (currently still under construction).

These exemptions came into force on 15 December 2019, with the Federal Roads Toll Act (Bundesstraßenmautgesetz) serving as the legal basis.

How to buy a Vignette

All cars, motorbikes, and camper vans up to 3.5 tons of technically permissible maximum laden mass (TPMLM) must display a toll sticker or have purchased a digital vignette when entering a motorway or expressway in Austria. Failure to do so will result in a heavy, on-the-spot fine.

Physical Vignette

Physical vignettes can be purchased from over 6,000 outlets in Austria and abroad, including the ASFINAG toll shop, the ASFINAG app, Austrian Automobile Clubs, post offices, newsagents, and petrol stations. They are also available in Austria's neighbouring countries at petrol stations, borders, and Automobile Clubs.

The physical vignette must be glued to the inside of the front windscreen of your vehicle. For motorbikes, it must be affixed to a component that is difficult to remove (fork leg or tank) and clearly visible.

Digital Vignette

Digital vignettes can be purchased via the ASFINAG online shop or the ASFINAG app "Unterwegs". They are available for 1 day, 10 days, 2 months, or 1 year. The 1-day and 10-day vignettes are valid immediately, while the 2-month and 1-year vignettes are only valid from the 18th day after purchase.

Digital vignettes can also be purchased at physical sales offices or vending machines, in which case they are valid immediately.

The digital vignette is linked to the license plate of the vehicle and offers greater convenience for holders of transferable number plates.

Frequently asked questions