Foreigners buy expensive Hungarian motorway vignette

National Toll Payment Services PLC (NÚSZ Zrt.) shared the number of one-day motorway vignette purchasers, the majority being foreigners. The Hungarian one-day vignette has been available from 1 April and is very expensive compared to its regional counterparts.

NÚSZ shared relevant data

NÚSZ answered the relevant questions of th Pénzcentrum, a Hungarian economy-focused media outlet, and 24.hu summed the article up. In a nutshell, NÚSZ sold more than 270 thousand one-day vignettes between 1 April and 15 June. Foreign drivers bought more than 173 thousand.

The number of other vignette types purchased between 1 April and 15 June is much higher. For example, NÚSZ sold more than 1.5 million 10-day vignettes. That clearly shows that the demand for the expensive one-day toll product is low in Hungary.

Source: Magyar Közút

One-day motorway vignette is very expensive

24.hu highlighted that the price of the one-day ticket is HUF 5,150 (EUR 13), so it is the most expensive in the region. It costs 1.5 times more than its Austrian counterpart despite the average salary being three times as much as in Hungary. The Hungarian government highlighted that they intentionally introduced an expensive one-day ticket in Hungary because they believed only foreigners would use it, and they did not want to support foreign transit traffic.

NÚSZ said they issued 1 million fines for inland travellers and 1.5 million for foreign car owners.

Those fined for unauthorised road use can eliminate it by buying a one-year vignette. In 2023, 30,197 car owners did so to avoid paying the fine, Pénzcentrum wrote.

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