Motorway vignette Austria: where to buy? & Prices

If you go on vacation to Austria or Italy, you can usually not avoid a motorway vignette. In Austria it is only needed on motorways and expressways, if you don’t know your way around and try to avoid them, it can quickly fail. If you drive onto a motorway without a vignette, you will have to pay relatively high fines.

Which vignettes are there for Austria?

Currently (as of: May 2021) there are the following vignettes for Austria for cars:

• 10 days (probably the classic among tourists) for 9.50 EUR
• 2 months for 27.80 EUR
• 1 year for 92.50 EUR

prices for motorcycles: 36.70 euros (1 year), 13.90 euros (2 months), 5.50 euros (10 days).

The prices of the Austrian motorway vignette are relatively cheap compared to other neighboring countries in Germany. In Switzerland, for example, all car drivers can purchase one annual vignette for around EUR 36.

Where is the best place to buy the vignette?

One possibility is the vignette at one of the numerous petrol stations along the motorway to buy. If you are driving from Germany in the direction of Austria, almost all service stations offer vignettes. But be careful: during the main travel season everyone buys there, of course, and you can queue up for 30 minutes at the cash register. It’s much more relaxed online. But if you buy directly from ASFINAG, the vignette is only valid 18 days after purchase. With this tip, however, the Austria vignette becomes immediately valid when buying online. You can also buy the vignette at ADAC branches in Germany.

High fines when driving without a vignette

We strongly recommend that you buy a vignette even for short journeys in Austria! Checks are relatively frequent, high penalties can be the result: The Replacement toll is in the amount of 120 euros (Car) or 65 euros (motorcycle). Those who refuse may be reported and face a fine of up to 3000 euros. If you still prefer to drive through Austria to Italy without a vignette, you should read this article: Through Austria to Italy without a vignette.

Remove vignette? With heat and a vignette scraper!

If you want to remove a vignette from the window as cleanly as possible, it is best to do so on a hot summer’s day. We recommend not just scratching with a knife, but using a vignette scraper. Vignette scrapers including dissolving spray are available for less than 10 €.

Tip: Buy video tolls for (e.g. Tauern and Brenner autobahns) online!

In addition to the vignette, a special toll is due on some routes in Austria, for example for the Austrian part of the Brenner motorway (€ 8) or the Europabrücke. Since there are often traffic jams and waiting times at the Schönberg toll station during the holidays, you should pay the special toll simply buy online at home: Then you can drive through on the reserved video toll lanes or on any other lane. The license plate is scanned and the barrier opens:

Safety vest in Italy – 4 pieces compulsory or not?

Contrary to popular belief, not carrying safety vests is a thing of the past in Italy not punished! Even if you theoretically don’t have to have one with you, we recommend it explicitly: If you have a (tire) breakdown on any street in Italy, you have to wear a reflective vest when leaving the vehicle. the Otherwise, the penalty is € 40 per person. Instead of paying a fine of € 160 for a family of four, we recommend buying simple safety vests. Four-packs are available at Amazon for around € 10, for example.