Avoiding tolls on vacation: how much money will you save and how much longer will you be on the road?

Slower driving, longer journey

For a return trip to the south of France, a passenger car can easily cost you 100 euros in tolls. So taking the shortcut can save money, but will cost you extra time. According to an analysis by Wegenvignetten.nl, saving 16 euros in tolls amounts to an hour longer on average. In short, the question is not only how much you save, but also what your time is worth.

For example, if you drive to Lake Garda and avoid toll roads, you lose “only” an hour and a half in travel time. But if you want to take a shortcut to Tuscany, then you already lose almost four hours. Especially the routes through the Tauern, Katschberg and Karawank Tunnel in Austria turn out to be real time wasters: detours are hardly an option there. The savings per hour of detour here is only five euros, simply because you hardly have any alternative roads.

Brittany or Pyrenees? Then it pays to avoid tolls

Still, there are destinations where the math works out in your favor. For the trip to Brittany, an extra hour of driving saves almost 38 euros. Also towards the Pyrenees the advantage is striking: for each hour of delay you keep about 22 euros in your pocket. Such destinations make avoiding toll roads a lot more interesting.

Smart travel: digital vignette or electronic badge

Those who do opt for the toll roads would do well to arrange tolls in advance. With a digital vignette, as in Austria, Slovenia or Hungary, you can drive through without stopping. In France and Italy, there is an electronic badge that you place behind the windshield. This allows you to use the lanes with an orange ‘t’ while others queue at the pay machines. We give you more tips on traveling (with an EV) to the south of France in the video below:

TEST: Mid-summer vacation to southern France with the fastest-charging electric car