Anyone who gets stuck in a traffic jam on Italy’s toll motorways due to a construction site will get their money back.Image: www.imago-images.de
May 31, 2026, 2:33 p.mMay 31, 2026, 2:33 p.m
In Italy, you will in future get your money back if you spend too long in a traffic jam on a toll motorway due to construction work. The new regulation comes into force this Monday, before the peak travel season begins. If the normal travel time is significantly exceeded, the operator must pay back part or even all of the toll under certain conditions. There are also a lot of Swiss people traveling on Italy’s motorways every year.
Compensation can be requested via an app that brings together all private highway operators. Drivers should get money back if the journey takes ten minutes longer than usual over a distance of almost 100 kilometers. For longer routes the delay must be greater. If the journey is longer than two hours, the entire toll is usually refunded according to the transport authority’s guidelines. The regulation also applies to drivers from abroad.
Exceptions in the event of accidents and storms
You only have to pay if the refund amount is more than one euro. The motorway company Autostrade per l’Italia, for example, calculated that if you take 40 minutes longer than usual on a 90-kilometer route, you get a return of 75 percent. Everything will be refunded for one hour. There is no money back if it is a so-called emergency construction site, in the event of accidents or weather-related disruptions. The new system should be fully operational by December.
The new regulation was pushed forward by the right-wing government in Rome. Transport Minister Matteo Salvini describes the decision as a “turning point” for the implementation of drivers’ rights. On the other hand, Italy’s consumer protection association doubts that everything is working. “It is obvious that there will be no real punishments for those who provide users with poor service for years,” it says. Consumer advocates are also warning that operators are offsetting their refund costs by increasing fees.
Oldest highway in the world
In total, there are around 7,000 kilometers of motorways in Italy. In contrast to Germany, where use is free, the vast majority of tolls have to be paid. Across Europe, the fees are highest in Italy and France: According to consumer protection associations, an average of between seven and nine cents is charged per kilometer driven. Other countries such as Austria or Switzerland rely on vignettes, i.e. time cards for a specific period of time up to an entire year.
Italy also claims to have the oldest motorway in the world: the 50 kilometer long route between the city of Milan and Varese, 50 kilometers further north, was put into operation in 1924. (sda/dpa)
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