Starting 1 December, Hungarian motorway vignettes for 2025 will be available for purchase, with prices increasing again next year. The annual vignette for passenger cars will cost HUF 59,210 (EUR 144), and penalty fees will also rise, starting at HUF 26,640 (EUR 65) and climbing to HUF 91,780 (EUR 224) if unpaid within 60 days.
In 2023, over 1 million penalties were issued for vehicles using toll roads without a valid vignette, and 1.5 million cases involved foreign drivers referred to international collection agencies, Turizmus Online reports based on MTI.
A survey by autópályamatrica.hu revealed that many complaints stem from late penalty notifications, often months after the violation occurred, leaving drivers unable to prove they had purchased a vignette. Others unknowingly violated rules, thinking their vignette was still valid or making mistakes they were unaware of until multiple infractions had accumulated.
Interestingly, 70% of drivers are unaware they can retroactively resolve penalties by purchasing an annual vignette, though this requires submitting a request to the toll authority, NÚSZ. Tourists planning to drive in Hungary are encouraged to carefully manage their vignettes to avoid hefty fines.
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