The formula used to calculate annual toll price increases is set out in Decree-Law No. 294/97. It states that the annual adjustment must be based on the year-on-year inflation rate, excluding housing costs in mainland Portugal, recorded in the latest month for which data are available before 15 November.

Preliminary figures released by the National Statistics Institute (INE) on 30 October put the reference rate at 3.72%, with the final figure to be confirmed on 11 November.

Toll operators set to receive more

A further 0.1 percentage points will be added to this figure under an agreement reached in 2022 between the Government and motorway concessionaires to compensate for the cap imposed on a planned 10% price increase in 2023.

The agreement was approved because, in 2022, when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began, year-on-year inflation in mainland Portugal, excluding housing costs, exceeded 10%. The Government, then led by António Costa, negotiated a solution with concessionaires that limited the toll increase in 2023 to 4.9%.

At the time, Infrastructure Minister Pedro Nuno Santos said that, in addition to the 4.9% paid by drivers, 2.8% would be covered by the State, with the remaining amount borne by the concessionaires.

As compensation for the 4.9% cap imposed in 2023, it was agreed that concessionaires could add a further 0.1 percentage points to the annual toll adjustment provided for in their concession contracts over the following four years.

Toll prices were also increased by more than 2% in 2024, 2025 and 2026.


Set The Portugal News as your preferred source for news on Google

GoogleAdd as a preferred source on Google