Drivers in the Czech Republic will again see an increase in the cost of highway vignettes come January, as the automatic price valorization takes effect for the first time. However, the price hike will be modest, thanks to low inflation rates, with the annual vignette likely to increase by just 100 CZK. The Ministry of Transport is currently calculating the new prices. Transport Minister Martin Kupka (ODS) has confirmed to Novinky that he won’t propose any additional increases due to recent flood damage.
Despite severe flooding causing billions of crowns worth of damage to bridges and roads, particularly in Moravia, the state does not plan to pass these additional investment costs onto drivers through vignette prices. Minister Kupka explained, “The law already includes an automatic system similar to Austria’s. It takes into account inflation and the number of newly opened highway kilometers. I don’t have the exact calculation available now, but I won’t propose anything beyond this automatic procedure”.
The last price increase for highway vignettes occurred on March 1st when the annual vignette price jumped from 1,500 to 2,300 CZK. Before that, the price had remained unchanged for twelve years. According to last year’s amended Road Act, the subsequent automatic price increase is set to take place on January 1, 2025, and then annually after that.
Current vignette prices stand at 2,300 CZK for annual, 430 CZK for monthly, 270 CZK for ten-day, and 200 CZK for daily passes. Vehicles powered by gas and hybrids enjoy reduced rates, while electric vehicles are exempt from charges. The Ministry of Transport plans to implement tolls on 100 kilometers of new highway sections from January 1, 2025, expanding the current 1,388-kilometer network by about seven percent.
While the exact increase is yet to be determined, it’s estimated that a five percent hike would result in a 115 CZK increase for the annual vignette. Minister Kupka has previously indicated that prices should be set in whole hundreds of crowns, suggesting the likely increase will be 100 CZK for the yearly vignette. In the less probable scenario of a higher increase, around ten percent, it could be 200 CZK. Short-term vignettes are expected to see increases in tens of crowns.