Croatia toll roads
Croatia has no motorway vignette. Tolls are charged by the distance between two toll points and by vehicle class.
Does Croatia have a motorway vignette?
No. Croatia has no vignette system of the kind used in Austria or Slovenia. On motorways run by Hrvatske autoceste (HAC), the toll is charged by the distance between two toll points and by the group the vehicle belongs to.
Motorways with several entries and exits, such as the A1, use a closed system: you take a toll ticket at the entry plaza, hand it in at the exit plaza and pay there for the distance recorded. Some toll points use an open system, where one station serves as both entry and exit.
How does a toll run actually work?
At the entry plaza a driver without an electronic toll device (ENC) takes a toll ticket. Drivers with ENC do not take a ticket; they use a lane set aside for ENC and pay with the device. At peak traffic HAC can turn ENC lanes into combined lanes that also take cards and cash.
At the exit plaza you hand over the ticket and pay for the distance driven. If you reach the exit without a valid entry record, for example because the ticket is lost, or the record is more than 24 hours old with no proof of a reason for the delay, HAC charges double the toll for the longest route on that motorway from your exit point, for your vehicle class.
The Croatian Government has decided that a barrier-free toll system will run on the whole motorway network from 1 March 2027, based on ENC devices and camera reading of number plates. The barrier system stays in operation until then.
- ENC lane
- For vehicles with an ENC device. No ticket is taken.
- Ticket lane
- Take the ticket at entry and hand it over at the exit.
- Paying
- At the exit plaza, for the distance recorded.
What sets the price?
Two things: the distance between the entry and exit toll points, and the vehicle class. There are five classes, IA, I, II, III and IV. A two-axle car up to 1.90 m high is Class I. Motorcycles, trikes and quads are Class IA and pay less.
A two-axle vehicle over 1.90 m high with a maximum authorised mass of up to 3,500 kg is Class II, and so is a Class I vehicle towing a trailer or caravan. Class II costs more than Class I. A motorhome over 3,500 kg is Class III. HAC publishes the current price list for each motorway.
Toll roads are the renter's cost under the rental conditions. The toll is paid at the toll plaza and is not part of the price of car hire at Zadar Airport.
Does the hire car cover the toll?
No. Under the rental conditions for Croatia, the payment for fuel, parking, fines and toll roads is the responsibility of the renter. The conditions do not say whether a rental car carries an ENC device.
The toll is set by the route and the vehicle class, not by the car model, so two Class I cars on the same route pay the same toll, with a manual or an automatic gearbox. What the renter pays and carries is set out in the conditions every rental here runs on.
If the rental company is invoiced for an unpaid toll from your rental period, the amount is charged to the deposit. Some companies retain the deposit for 30 to 45 days after the car is returned.
Which drives from Zadar are tolled?
The A1 is a tolled HAC motorway, and its price list includes Zadar centar. From Zadar Airport by car, Sibenik is 1 h 00 (75 km), Split 1 h 45 (144 km), Plitvice Lakes 2 h 15 (145 km) and Zagreb 3 h 15 (285 km). The drives are described in the individual drives from the airport.
Dubrovnik is 4 h 25 (340 km) from Zadar Airport. The A1 ends at the Karamatići toll station near Ploče, and the route continues on the D8 and the Pelješac Bridge access roads. Under the 2018 concession decision no toll may be charged for the Pelješac Bridge.
The old coast road through Neum crosses Bosnia and Herzegovina. Driving outside Croatia needs permission from the supplier, arranged in advance by email.
What else should I know before the first motorway drive?
HAC takes the toll at its toll plazas by ENC, in cash in euros, or by Diners, Mastercard, Maestro, Visa, INA and MOLGROUP cards, where the plaza shows them as accepted.
The car goes back with the fuel level it was collected with. If the level is lower, you pay the difference at the rental company's rates; if it is higher, you are not compensated. Fuel and tolls are both paid by the renter on top of what a cheap car at Zadar actually costs.
Questions
Is there a motorway vignette in Croatia?
No. Croatia charges by distance and vehicle class: on the closed system you take a ticket at the entry plaza and pay for the distance at the exit.
When and where do you pay the toll?
At the exit plaza, for the distance driven. HAC accepts ENC, cash in euros, and Diners, Mastercard, Maestro, Visa, INA and MOLGROUP cards where the plaza shows them as accepted.
What if I lose the toll ticket?
On HAC motorways you are charged double the toll for the longest route on that motorway from your exit point, for your vehicle class. The same applies to an entry record more than 24 hours old with no proof of a reason for the delay.
Are tolls included with a hire car?
No. Fuel, parking, fines and tolls are the renter's responsibility under the rental conditions.
Can an unpaid toll come off the deposit later?
Yes. If the rental company is invoiced for an unpaid toll from your rental period, the amount is charged to the deposit. Some companies retain the deposit for 30 to 45 days after return.
Does a hire car come with an electronic toll tag?
The rental conditions do not say. They make tolls the renter's cost. A car without an ENC device takes a ticket at the entry plaza.