If you decide to travel to Spain by car, it is not only budget-friendly but takes you on a beautiful route through Europe. The quickest route is to take the ferry or tunnel to Calais and then drive via Rouen, Bordeaux and San Sebastian. Alternatively for a scenic route, travel via Calais, Paris, Clermont Ferrand and Barcelona. Whether you choose to drive your own car to Spain or hire one once you arrive, you’ll benefit from being able to drive off the beaten path and take in some stunning scenery Spain has to offer. But before you start touring Northern Spain by car or driving down the Costa del Sol, it’s important to think about toll roads in Spain and why you might benefit from a Spanish toll tag.
What is a Spanish toll tag?
A toll tag is a device you can purchase and fit to your car. It allows you to drive on Spanish toll roads and bypasses the need to physically stop and pay at the barrier. Instead, it automatically allows you vehicle through at the designated lanes. Not all the motorways in Spain are tolled, there is a handy map here showing the sections that are. The tag is a payment method for the tolls so everything is paid via your tag.
If you are driving through France to Spain and wish to use French toll roads, you will need French toll tag and a Spanish toll tag as the toll networks run differently and aren’t covered by a combined tag
What are the benefits of Spanish toll tags?
Many Spanish motorways, known as ‘autopistas’ are toll roads, so unless you have an Emovis VIA-T tag, you’ll have to pay with cash each time you pass through a tolled section at the toll plaza. The benefits of having an Emovis VIA-T tag are:
Swifter journeys
If you are driving through Spain to get to your end destination, you may appreciate a direct route which relies on motorways. A Spanish toll tag gives you access to direct routes and fast-moving traffic so you can get from A to B on toll roads in Spain without having to pay with change at each toll plaza.
Save the hunt for change
It happens to the best of us - trying to choose the right coins and dropping half of them while the car behind you honks impatiently. If you’re travelling alone in a right hand drive, it’s very difficult to reach the toll booth to make the payment. A Spanish toll tag solves the problem!
Skip the queues
Spanish toll tags allow you to drive straight through VIA-T lanes in Spain, so long as your vehicle (car, caravan, motorbike, motorhome) is under 6 tonnes. Avoid being the impatient horn sounder stuck behind other cars struggling with their change, and drive through the toll plaza without stopping.
Avoid payment deadlines
A toll tag lets you completely avoid the worry of paying your tolls within the timeframe by taking care of the payment for you as you pass through the toll plaza.
Cut fuel costs and emissions
With a Spanish toll tag you won’t be sitting in traffic and slowing down unnecessarily, meaning you will be kinder to the planet by reducing fuel costs and emissions.
Preparation
Travelling is much less stressful when there is a plan in place. Knowing you’ve found a way to pay for toll roads in Spain means you can focus on driving
How to pay tolls in Spain with a toll tag
A Spanish toll tag can be used by attaching it to the top centre area of the windscreen in a visible place behind the rear view mirror. For more guidance on where to place your tag, please visit our FAQs section. When you approach the VIA-T lane, the barrier will simply allow you through.
Subscribe for your Spanish road toll tag here to make your next trip to Spain straightforward.