When driving abroad in Europe, you may find yourself unavoidably driving along motorways and autobahns. For you to drive along certain roads, you will need to have a vignette displayed in your car. This is a sticker that fixes to the windscreen to be clearly visible from the outside, showing that you’ve paid to drive along those roads.
There are a few countries that use the vignette system and if you’re hiring a car in one of these countries, your hire car should display the vignette. In some cases, the cost of this is included in the hire cost, in others it’s a mandatory local charge payable on collection of the vehicle.
You would need to purchase a vignette for the vehicle should you be entering a separate country that requires vignettes and you’ll be using their toll roads. The vignette your hire car comes with will only cover you to drive in the country you hired in, your exit country, and not the country you’re entering.
Where will I need a vignette?
The following countries require vignettes to be displayed:
| Country | Minimum Duration | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Austria | 10 days | 9.60 EUR |
| Bulgaria | 7 days | 15 BGN |
| Czech Republic | 10 days | 310 CZK |
| Hungary | 10 days | 3820 Ft |
| Romania | 7 days | 3 EUR |
| Slovakia | 10 days | 10 EUR |
| Slovenia | 7 days | 15 EUR |
| Switzerland | 14 months | 40 CHF |
Vignettes can be purchased from border crossings and gas stations around them. In some cases, it’s possible for you to purchase the vignette online. Click the costs above relevant to each country for more information on where vignettes can be purchased there.
If you are caught driving without a vignette, you will be fined. As per car rental policies, the supplier will receive the fine and then pass this onto you which will incur an additional charge.
Should you have any questions about vignettes before or after making your car hire booking, please don’t hesitate to get in touch and we will be able to assist you.
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We are interested in hiring a car and driving in Slovenia and Croatia. We don’t know which roads we will be using. Do we buy a vignette at the border and does that entitle us to use all roads in those countries or do we need to specify each road we will be using? Do we have to pay for toll roads as well as having a vignette?
Hi Piers,
Thanks for reaching out.
If your pick-up is in Slovenia, then your rental car will most likely come with a vignette and the cost of it will already be factored in to the total price of the rental car (but we would recommend checking with the car rental provider to make sure!). Also, we would like to make you aware that many car rental providers do not allow you to drive your vehicle into another country. When searching for a quote through Zest, you can view each quote’s rental conditions – within these you will find a ‘Cross Border’ section which will give you the information you need on taking the rental car out the country.
A vignette will allow you to drive on all motorways and expressways in Slovenia without being fined (you can read here for more information). Croatia does not require vignettes, but they do have toll booths which you may need to pay to pass through.
If you have any more questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out!
Kind regards,
Katherine
Zest Car Rental
I have booked a hire car with you at Innsbruck Airport in June.
Will it have a vignette for using Austrian motorways on it ?
Dear Mr Fletcher,
Thank you for your comment. It is our understanding that your chosen supplier on this occasion, Europcar, include this within the rental, otherwise the charge would have been added as a mandatory extra to your booking. However, Matt from our Customer Support Team has contacted them to double-check for you and will contact you directly when we have their response.
Kind regards,
Jessica
Zest Car Rental