One-day motorway vignette to be extremely expensive in Hungary

Under a European Union regulation, Member States must introduce the one-day motorway sticker by March 2024. In Hungary, this is expected to cost up to HUF 5,000 (EUR 13). According to motorists, the one-day vignette would only be worth it if it cost up to HUF 1500 (EUR 3.90). However, that is extremely unlikely.

New, one-day motorway vignette to be introduced in 2024

The European Union regulation requires member states to introduce a one-day motorway sticker by March 2024. The Ministry of Construction and Transport announced earlier that the one-day sticker is indeed expected next year. However, the government has yet to decide on the details, ATV reports.

According to a non-representative survey carried out by autopalyamatrica.hu, in which more than 5,000 motorists took part, 98 percent of motorway users would like to have a one-day sticker. However, this depends on many things. Almost a quarter of respondents do not consider a 10-day sticker for daily use of the motorway to be fair. They would use the motorway more often if the price of a one-day sticker were proportionately lower.

Is there a demand?

Many people would also like a 3-4 day sticker, as this could be the best option for those who only use the motorways for weekend trips, the survey shows. Many drivers also said they would buy the vignette for trips to Budapest or to Lake Balaton. However, the 10-day entitlement was not worth it for them. Thus, on several occasions they opted for expressways or skipped the trip, Infostart spotted.

The one-day sticker could also be a good solution for those who accidentally drive onto the motorway, as it would allow them to avoid a penalty. The majority of respondents indicated that a daily vignette would be beneficial for one-day trips, errands and transit passengers. However, according to them, it would only be worth it if the price ranged from HUF 500 (EUR 1.30) to HUF 1,500 (EUR 3.90).

It will not be cheap

The portal noted that seeing the Czech example, the price will be much higher. The reason is that the European Union restricts the price of a one-day sticker to 9 percent of the price of an annual sticker. This means that if compared to the price of this year’s annual sticker, it would cost HUF 4,427 (EUR 11.51). According to the legislation, the price of a motorway sticker is inflation-linked. So, if inflation is assumed to be 15 percent, a one-day sticker could cost up to HUF 5,100 (EUR 13.25).