Tolls in Switzerland for Cars: Costs, Vignette & Special Toll

On which roads does the toll apply in Switzerland?

In Switzerland, the toll applies on motorways and expressways, i.e. on the national roads with green signs. Anyone using them needs the motorway vignette, colloquially also called the motorway toll or motorway fee. This also applies to transit journeys and regardless of the number plate. No toll is charged on cantonal roads and all other roads.

Toll roads in the classic sense exist in Switzerland only as a special toll at individual tunnels. The vignette is checked at the border by customs and inland by the police and customs.

Who needs a digital vignette in Switzerland?

Under the vignette requirement, toll fees are charged as a fixed fee rather than calculated based on the kilometres driven. A digital vignette must be purchased before starting your journey. There are various vehicle classes subject to the vignette requirement. As a general rule, vehicles up to 3.5 t GVW (gross vehicle weight) require a vignette. Vehicles weighing more than 3.5 t GVW, on the other hand, are required to pay a heavy vehicle charge. Currently, only an annual vignette is available in Switzerland; other validity periods are not offered.

How much does the toll for cars in Switzerland cost?

The annual vignette costs CHF 40 (approx. €43.00) and is the only vignette available in Switzerland. It is valid for 14 months: the 2026 vignette is valid from 1 December 2025 to 31 January 2027. It does not renew automatically: once it expires, you must activate a new annual vignette yourself within the Vignette Flat Rate. There is the classic sticker vignette and the digital e-vignette, which is linked to your number plate. You can buy the vignette for Switzerland directly online from us.

Switzerland toll for cars, motorcycles, motorhomes and caravans: The same annual vignette at the same price applies to cars, motorcycles and motorhomes up to 3.5 t GVW. Trailers and caravans up to 3.5 t GVW additionally require their own vignette – so a car-and-trailer combination needs two vignettes. Vehicles over 3.5 t GVW pay the heavy vehicle charge instead (see below).

Anyone checked on roads subject to the vignette requirement without a valid vignette must pay a fine of CHF 200 and also purchase the vignette retrospectively.

Where and how do I pay the toll charges in Switzerland?

Toll stations with barriers like in France or Italy do not exist on Swiss motorways. You pay the toll fees for cars in advance with the vignette. There is the sticker vignette, which is available at, among other places, petrol stations, post office counters, and customs offices at the border, and the digital e-vignette, which you buy online and which is linked to your license plate. Both cost 40 CHF; abroad, the sticker vignette officially costs €44.00, the e-vignette is billed in francs (approx. 43.00 €). You can book the e-vignette for Switzerland directly online with us.

The toll costs are the same for all cars, regardless of how often or how far you drive. Since the toll obligation applies from the first trip on motorways and expressways, it's best to buy the vignette before starting your journey. The heavy vehicle fee for vehicles over 3.5 t gross weight is paid online before entering the country via Via, the portal of the FOCBS, with the special toll for individual tunnels added on top.

Who has to pay the heavy vehicle charge in Switzerland?

For motor vehicles with a weight of over 3.5 t gross vehicle weight (e.g. trucks or large motorhomes), either the Flat-Rate Heavy Vehicle Charge (PSVA) or the Performance-Related Heavy Vehicle Charge (LSVA) applies. You pay the PSVA online before entry via Via, the portal of the FOCBS; the LSVA is recorded via an on-board unit (NETS/EETS) or by registration in Via. The heavy vehicle charge is not levied exclusively for driving on public roads, but also applies, for example, if the vehicle is on a campsite. For more information on the Heavy Vehicle Charge (PSVA or LSVA), please refer to our guide.

Is there a special toll in Switzerland?

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In Switzerland, special toll routes concern certain tunnels. The special toll is charged for certain route sections that are not covered by the regular vignette requirement. This means: even if you have a motorway vignette or pay the heavy vehicle charge, additional fees may apply for individual routes. The special toll therefore applies to all vehicles using these specific sections.

A special toll applies at the Great St. Bernard Tunnel and the Munt la Schera Tunnel; in addition, there are fee-based car-shuttle trains (e.g. Lötschberg, Furka, Vereina, Simplon). The Gotthard Road Tunnel and the San Bernardino Tunnel, on the other hand, are not special toll routes: there, only the vignette requirement applies.

It should also be noted that many special toll routes can be reached via access roads subject to the vignette requirement. For this reason, it is generally advisable to purchase a vignette regardless of whether you plan to use a special toll route. Further information on the various special toll routes in Switzerland can be found in our guide.

In March 2026, the Swiss Parliament also instructed the Federal Council, via a motion, to draw up a transit charge for foreign through-travelers, i.e., for vehicles that merely cross through Switzerland (for example via the Gotthard or San Bernardino). The amount and starting date are still open, and the charge has not yet come into force. You can read more about this in our article on the transit fee in Switzerland for through-travelers.